The Mustangs closed out their winter season in Stamford Connecticut with five wins in a row, clenching third place out of 10 club level teams, and finally defeating top rated Harrison. The Mustangs were perfect in March defeating New Canaan black 9-2 on March first. The previous week the Mustangs had their biggest win of the season against the third place New Canaan red team 4-2 and were not resting on their laurels.
On March 8th the Tarrytown girls got revenge against the Old Greenwich Thunder Cats. Their previous meeting was the Mustang’s first game of the season and the girls were disappointed with a 2-2 tie. They felt they were the better team and proved it with a dominating 4-0 victory 3 months later. Talia Fante led scorers with two goals while Maddy Navin and Emma Clarke scored one each. Samantha Nutig and Maya Weitzen each got credit for an assist. Maddy Navin, Annie Dineen, Sadie Swenson, and Carolina Lopez get credit for the defensive shutout. Sophie Sylves-Berry and Carolina Lopez were perfect at keeper.
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On March 15th the Mustangs got their second win against the Rye Raiders 3-0. Talia Fante, Maddy Navin, and Maya Weitzen each scored a goal. Assists were credited to Maddy Navin and Samantha Nutig. The defense led by Maddy Navin, Annie Dineen, Carolina Lopez, and Emma Clarke earned another shutout. Julia Costa and Sophie Sylves-Berry were perfect at keeper.
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On March 16th the Mustangs had a make up game with the Harrison Hornets. Harrison is a level one Westchester Youth Soccer League club team. They were undefeated in the winter league, had recently won the Somers Fall Classic, and were third out of 53 teams in the Westchester Youth Soccer League fall season. Harrison had defeated the Mustangs 1-0 in the Somers Tournament aided by four controversial calls by the officials. They had also beaten the Mustangs 2-1 in the Chelsea Piers winter league in a close game that was decided on a corner kick. The Mustangs wanted revenge but first they were given the honor of marching in the Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow St Patrick’s day parade that morning. After waiving to the spectators and throwing out candy, the girls removed their green hair ribbons and raced to Connecticut for their anticipated rematch.
Harrison needed a win over either the Mustangs or Rye later that day to clinch first place and the Mustangs needed a win to secure third. Harrison’s coronation was put on hold as the Mustangs came out of the gate playing dominating soccer. Maddy Navin had a monster game shutting down most of the Hornet’s advances at midfield and pulling balls out of the air with her cleats. She scored the first goal of the game off a set shot that went off the keeper’s fingers. The Mustang crowd went wild as the Harrison fans were in the unusual situation of playing from behind. At this point the Harrison coach and professional trainer altered their strategy and decided to keep their star players in and not utilize their bench. This strategy initially worked as momentum switched and the game moved to the Mustang half of the field. Harrison had several near misses on goal and Sophie Sylves-Berry made several great saves. By halftime the Mustangs were holding on to a 1-0 lead and Harrison was beginning to show frustration.
In the second half the Mustangs again came out strong and maintained their edge for the rest of the game. Samantha Nutig took over at keeper and continued to keep the Mustang goal a “no Hornet zone.” Defenders Maddy Navin, Sadie Swenson, Lena Swenson, Annie Dineen, and Carolina Lopez were determined to earn a shutout. Soon the Mustangs took advantage of an opportunity when Talia Fante beat the defense, crossed to Taylor Macca, who made the Hornet keeper pay for leaving her goal by lobbing the ball over her head for the 2-0 lead.
From there the Mustangs never let up. Maya Weitzen was tenacious hassling the Harrison goalie by preventing her from placing the ball on the ground for drop kicks or passes. This strategy was effective because indoor soccer rules do not allow a keeper to punt the ball past midfield unless they use a drop kick or dribble first. As soon as the keeper put the ball on the ground, Maya was there to ruin the play and keep pressure on. This angered the Harrison coaching staff who conceded the last 2 minutes of the game by protesting to the referee who confirmed the legality of the tactic. When the final buzzer sounded the Mustangs were elated winning their biggest match in team history and ending a 17 game undefeated streak by Harrison. The girls posed with their league medals and clearly finished the winter season playing their best soccer. Harrison went on to beat Rye later that day and claim first place as the Mustangs ended in third, but on March 16th, the Mustang girls from Tarrytown were the best team on the field.
The Mustangs next play in the Rye Brook kickoff Classic on Sunday March 30th. The tournament will be outdoors, featuring a full size 100-yard synthetic turf field and chilly conditions. The Mustangs will be playing three older teams as well as their new rival Harrison, who will be looking for revenge.
In Other Scores:
The under age 9 boys Legends led by Fergus O’Sullivan again struggled in a tournament in Tea Neck New Jersey. They won one of three games and have been practicing weekly to prepare for their spring schedule.
The under age 10 girls Strikers led by Matt Evans finished their winter league in 8th place, but showed improvement in March when they defeated Rye 3-2. They next play in the Rye Brook Kickoff Classic this weekend.
The under age 14 girls Eagles led by Matt Evans finished their winter league in fourth place in Chelsea Piers. They prepare for the spring season where they will compete in the Westchester Youth Soccer League.
