Soccer for a Good Cause

Friday was a day of organized chaos for a cause at Madison High School.

Nearly 300 people came out to the Madison athletic fields to take part in the Benjamin Robert Wieler Memorial Scholarship Soccer Tournament. Wieler, a 2007 Madison graduate and an all-star soccer player for the Dodgers, passed away in September at the age of 20.

The tournament lasted more than five hours and took 71 games (of 10-to-15 minutes) to complete, but the organizers hope to make the event an annual tradition.

"It's been stressful," said Nicole Cecala, the president of Madison's class of 2007, who helped organize the tournament. "But we had a great turnout – better than we thought, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves."

Beginning at 10 a.m., 32 teams of five players each braved cold, blustery weather as part of a double-elimination tournament. Between Madison's soccer and football fields, up to 12 teams were able to play at a time.

And while the quality of play wasn't exactly World Cup-level – though dramatic penalty-kick endings drew loud cheers from the audience – the event was well-organized and the support from the Madison community was obvious.

"Today has been great," said Anne De Salvo, a class of 2007 parent who helped Cecala organize the event. Friday, she worked at the concession stand selling hot chocolate and coffee to cold spectators and players. "We had more people than we were expecting, and we've had a lot of people who are just from around Madison."

The winning team, Torpedos, will have their names placed on a plaque that will be hung on the walls of Madison High School. The winning players were Kyle Fler, Matt Bochi, Eric Kamanaris, Nick Conant-Hiley and Omid Raihidbalgi.

The Torpedos went undefeated in the tournament, winning six straight games. They defeated Washed Up Dodgers (consisting of Mike Donati, Dan Corvino, Alex Smith, Rob Novak and Frank Nunez), 3-0, in the final game.

According to De Salvo, Madison raised $1,600 from the 32 teams, which will go to a scholarship fund in Wieler's name. Concession profits, donations, and proceeds from a Sunday breakfast auction at the Madison Elks Lodge will all be added to the fund. In addition, Madison High School will continue to accept donations to the scholarship fund throughout the year. One student will receive a proposed scholarship of $500 at the school's senior awards ceremony in June.