NHP Firecats win ENY State Open Cup

The Island Now

The New Hyde Park Wildcats GU13 Firecats are ENY State Open Cup Champions for the second year in a row. The Firecats had to get through some tough games, namely Manhattan and Farmingdale, to make the Saturday, May 31 finals in LaGrange. 

The game was a rematch of last year’s final, as their opponent was once again the always competitive and well-trained HBC Impact. 

The Firecats were down by a goal early in the game, but they settled down and played well enough to only be down by one at the half. The players came back from the break, with momentum in their favor.  Trainer Steve Price reminded the girls that they have scored against some of the top teams in the country and that the equalizer would come, but they needed to keep up their defensive work. 

Despite the Firecats’ best efforts and having moved the game to the opponent’s half, the score remained the same until the final two minutes of regulation time. Realizing there was potentially only one more opportunity to score, Izzy Glennon made a run and was able to chip one in over the keeper’s head.  Needless to say, the Firecats players, coaches and parents couldn’t have been more excited. The game would go to overtime, very much like last year’s final. 

Having worked so hard for the goal, the Firecats came back to the bench exhausted, but still full of spirit and surprisingly less stressed out than the adults. The players settled in for the two overtime periods, but as neither team scored, the game went to penalty kicks. The Firecats managed to pull out the win in penalty kicks, 3-1, and again will head to Rhode Island to represent Eastern NY at the Region 1 tournament at the end of June. 

The Firecats are Isabelle Glennon, Nicole Imbrogno, Jasmine Kamdar, Caitlin Kennedy, Josephine LaMarca, Bridget Maaloum, Marilena Mangiaracina, Joanna Mauceri, Marina Pappas, Cassidy Roberts, Madeline Slaski, Eleni Spiratos, Irene Tsahas, Paulina Valentine, Logan Ward and Stephanie Zovich.

New Hyde Park Lady Jaguars

Continue Winning Streak

The New Hyde Park Wildcats GU12 Lady Jaguars continued their winning streak the weekend of May 31.  

On Saturday, the Lady Jaguars defeated the Farmingdale Fire by a score of 2-1. Sammie Coope scored the first Lady Jag goal to tie the game at 1-1. Then, with only a minute left to play, Nicole Orlando put the ball into the net off a rebound of her own shot. 

Linda Artuso was amazing in goal, as was goalie Katelyn Villacress. The remaining defensive team of Caitlin McDonough, Alexandra Caldwell, Andrea Bouzos, Nora Higgins Catherine Rivera and Samantha Corrigan held the Fire squad to only one goal. The offensive team of Mary Tsahas, Cate Conway, Tesse Cash, Jillian Fager, Vrisida Bouzos, Aisling McGrath, Claire O’Regan and Zoe Winston kept the offensive play strong throughout the match.

On Sunday, the Lady Jaguars defeated the Rye Rapid team by a score of 1-0. Nora Higgins scored the only goal after the defense aggressively pushed up the field, creating the offensive opportunity. The remaining offensive team of Cate Conway, Mary Thahas, Nicole Orlando, Samantha Coope, Claire O’Regan, Zoe Winston and Vrisida Bouzos kept the offensive flowing throughout the match. 

Defense players Alexandra Caldwell, Caitlin McDonough, Andea Bouzos and Catherine Rivera kept the Rapids scoreless. True to form, Linda Artuso again made some amazing saves in the goal to protect the lead.  Coaches Brian Higgins, Tom McGrath and Frank O’Regan have remarked how proud they are of how the team has been playing. 

New Hyde Park Wildcats

TOP Soccer 

Juniors: Red team 6 vs. Green team 6. The weather was beautiful for New Hyde Park’s Wildcats TOP soccer action. After a wild offensive game, tying the score in regulation time, the Juniors went into a shootout and the end result was a tie.  Red player Lucas Lee was the first to score and then followed up with four goals. Red defenders Demond Pearson and Brendan Cisneros were awesome and Red striker David Cheung had some terrific shots at the Green team’s goalkeeper. Red team keeper Kyle Hanratty stopped every shot the Green team took and Kyle held a shutout in the first half. Athlete Brian Cisnerso added the sixth goal for the Red team.  After a much needed water break, the Green players were energized and quickly tied the game. Green team Robert Brocchini had a shutout in the second half, in addition to scoring two goals. Lucas Mitacchione and Luke Schwartz had two goals each, with the tying goal scored with five seconds left in the game. The referee called for a shootout and since all the Juniors made their shots, the referee ended the game on a tie.  

Intermediates: Red team 3 vs. Green team 2. It was another exciting game for the Intermediates, who seem to get better with each practice. Red team goalie Matthew Lausev and Green team goalie John Bertuccio kept the game tight. They were assisted by the strong defense of the Red team’s Alex Laroia and Josh Hom and Green team’s Desmond O’Callaghan. But Stephen DiBiasi was able to break through and score the first goal for the Green team. Chris Cooney tied it with a beautiful shot for the Red team. Christopher Menendez and Richard Brocchini played excellent midfield for the Green team and were instrumental in helping Nicholas Krieger score his goal. With the Green team winning 2-1 at the half, the Red team had two outstanding offensive plays that resulted in goals from Chris Cooney and Sophocles Gianakis, putting the Red team up by one. The Green team was unable to tie the game and the Red team was victorious in the match. 

Seniors: Red team 1 vs. Green team 2. The Seniors played another close game, as the teams were evenly matched, but the Green team came through with the win. Joe Caban, with assists by Nickolas Mazariegos and Joe Barbella, was the first to score for the Green team for a two-goal lead. Green team’s David Glass and Samantha Duggan controlled the back field and would not let the Red team form any offensive attacks. Finally, Tristan Yang sent the ball up the midfield; Stefani Egre controlled the ball and gave an accurate pass to Sam Ho who put it in the net. The Red team’s Mary Glass and Billy Russo put pressure on the Green team, but Frankie LaPinta, Jefferson Yen and Timmy Roth held the line and the game ended with the Green team very happy to have the win.  Next week is the last game of the season in the Parents vs. Players match. The parents are still looking for their first win ever!  

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