SHFC's fall season at the halfway mark

After last week off for the Columbus Day weekend, Sleepy Hollow Football Club’s 20 boys and girls teams took to the fields for week 5 of their 10-week season. Many of the 275 SHFC players relaxed over the break, many played soccer and some competed in Columbus Day tournaments. They now tackle the back half of the season with renewed purpose as in these final weeks, they will grow their skills as players and teammates on a cohesive unit, and for some, engage in competitive play for division placement.

Here are brief recaps of all SHFC games this past weekend:

2010 Boys All Reds came out of Pelham with a 7-2 win. After trailing 2-1 in the first half, the team buckled down on defense and used a balanced attack to score six unanswered goals. Scorers were Leo Zohar (See the All Reds photo for his goal caught on camera) as well as Jackson Pena, Luca Bruno, Elion Ashiru and Denis Suqui.

Over Columbus Day weekend, players from the All Reds and United took part in the Lansdowne Yonkers tournament and did very well in a very tough group, ultimately falling to the eventual winner of that division’s championship trophy – FC Westchester Academy. The boys held their own against top-division and Academy teams. Their coaches are very pleased with the boys focus and performance.

In WYSL play, the All Reds are undefeated at the halfway mark of the season and look forward to hosting the Edgemont Jaguars at home at Pocantico Hills School on Sunday, October 21 at 2:30 pm.

2010 Girls Bandits played a terrific game against the LMFC White Lynx on Sunday at their home field at the Pocantico Hills School. The game ended in a 0-1 loss. The team is 3-2 overall.

The Bandits dominated the first half of the game which ended in a null score. The team played a very offensive game with constant pressure applied by Ada Chalfy, Lily Glynn, Mackenzie Linhart, Katie Yalmokas and Melody Molina. Excellent defense was played by Mariana Patsch, Marley DeFilippis, Noa Levine and Natalia Hargrave. The defense only let two balls past them and Sabrina Graham made two saves as goaltender. A couple of shining moments the first half consist of a stellar corner kick by Chalfy, which perfectly crossed the opponent's goal; and a few notable clears by defensive players Hargrave and Patsch.

The second half marked more of a defensive game. Melody Molina made 8 spectacular saves as goaltender. There were a few breakaways by offensive players DeFilippis, Graham, Chalfy with support from Linhart, Yalmokas and Levine.

The Bandits play again on October 21 at 12:00 pm against the Castleford Pumas in Armonk.

2009 Boys United captured their first win of the year at their home field of Pocantico Hills School, with a score of 2-0 against the LMFC Orange United. On Sunday, October 21, they travel to the Greenburgh United Predators. United are coached by Gary Fairley, Kurt Pisani and Eric Valenti.

2009 Boys Red Lions took part in the Lansdowne Yonkers tournament over Columbus Day weekend. Playing to 4 victories, they took home the trophy in their age group and represented themselves well in several hard-fought and aggressive games.

On October 14, the Red Lions travelled to the New Rochelle White Sharks. The score is not available. Coached by Brad Scheller, the Red Lions will travel to the Manhattan Sevilla on Sunday, October 21.

2009 Girls Red Fury faced off the Quickstrike Patriots in Yonkers on a beautiful autumn morning. The first half showed equal possession of the ball by each side with neither gaining the advantage. Strong defense by Swara Ketkar and Kate Masters prevented the Quickstrike Patriots from scoring, with Kate stopping several attacks on goal. Rachel Richardson, Breanne Rodriguez, and Meghan McMahon all controlled the field ensuring quick transitions and providing an opportunity for Maeve Yox to attack the Quickstrike Patriots’ goal. There were excellent runs by Dianelly Tovar and Charlotte Spiridakis that put pressure on the Quickstrike Patriots. The Red Fury had two opportunities to score in the first half, both coming from crosses into the goal box by Rachel and Megan, but could not capitalize on them. Rose Ritz, playing goalie, stopped three shots on goal, ensuring that the first half remained scoreless.

In the first 15 minutes of the second half, the Red Fury withstood an aggressive, sustained attack on their goal by the Quickstrike Patriots. As a team they responded collectively to these attacks by intercepting and disrupting the ball possession of the Quickstrike Patriots. Charlotte and Breanne dominated defense, with Charlotte intercepting passes and pushing the ball forward. Megan, playing goalie, had excellent saves, jumping up several feet in the air and catching the ball on one and stuffing another shot down. Eventually, the Quickstrike Patriots managed to slide a goal in. In the last 10 minutes of play that the Red Fury dominated the game. Breanne, Maeve, Maiyumi Marcus-Kanesaka, and Rachel working together had multiple attempts on goal. Rachel fed an excellent pass to Maeve who had a shot on goal. Rachel again fed a pass to Maiyumi who took a shot on goal. Breanne sent a pass to Maiyumi who took another shot on goal and Maeve managed to win the ball from the opposing side and take a shot on goal. However, time ran out and the Quickstrike Patriots won the game by 1-0.

2008 Boys Fusion found themselves quickly 2-0 in the hole on the home field of the Mt. Pleasant Wildcats. After getting their bearings, Fusion began chipping away at the Wildcats, posting a number of unanswered goals. Jack Zhunio scored thanks to an assist from Sean Mackiewicz, who was speedy along the sideline. A few moments later, Jezrael Panama scored from a Zhunio assist as Fusion started to steadily bring offensive pressure. Aiden Lee, Bruno Flores, Justin Paute and Dylan Pasato had excellent moments on defense, which boosted team morale at key points in the first half. After attempts from Kieran Degen and Edwin Dutan, Zhunio was able to score again, from Dutan, to put Fusion up 3-2 at halftime.

In the second half, Fusion took control of the tempo and possession, with Jaiden Brito, Pierce Davis, Degen, Panama, and Mackiewicz leading the offensive charge against a very physical and aggressive team. Raul Socualaya scored after several attempts, followed by another by Ian Papadopoulos, who worked around some holes in the defense.

Goalies Davis and Dylan Largo were solid in their performance to keep the Wildcats scoreless after minute five.

Coaches George Papadopoulos, Ken Mackiewicz and Mike Degen were very proud of their team’s persistence and determination to succeed, despite being down by 2 goals. Currently leading their division, Fusion will host the Eastchester Typhoon at 12 noon on October 21 at Hackley School field.

2008 Boys River Sharks hosted the Pelham Strikers, winning 6-0 and improving their record to 3-1-1. They are coached by Ed Greenberg, Gerardo Soto and Michael Glynn. The River Sharks will travel to the division-leading Don Bosco Hawks Hurricanes on Sunday, October 21.

2007 Girls Blaze prevailed on the road against the West Side Red Bulls on Sunday afternoon at Randalls Island.

Coached by John Sutherland and Annette O'Hanlon, the Blaze took a lead 7 minutes into the game when midfielder Kayla McGuigan passed to striker Lizzie Molina who dribbled past two Red Bulls defenders before passing to Gemma Fante whose kick to the high side of the net went past a diving Bulls goalie. The Blaze's determined foe evened the score 9 minutes later when a centering pass to a Bulls striker found the mark and when challenged by Blaze goalie Emily Aridas, a quick pass to another Bulls forward allowed a goal into the empty net. The score remained deadlocked at 1 through halftime.

After the half, heavy ball pressure by the Blaze resulted in several shots on goal. Less than 3 minutes into the second half, a goal kick was stolen by Sammie Marvin who passed to sister Juliana Marvin but both her kick and one off the subsequent rebound by Kayla McGuigan hit the post. Later in the second half, a long pass by Gabby Disney over several Bulls defenders hit Kayla McGuigan in stride and allowed Kayla to dribble up field and a strong kick put the Blaze up 2 - 1 with 13 minutes to play. The Marvin sisters made another strong attempt for a goal when minutes later, Juliana Marvin challenged a Bulls player at midfield, stole the ball and passed to sister Sammie who dribbled past a defender an earned a penalty kick when the Bulls defender dragged her to the ground to avoid a breakaway goal. The penalty kick could not be converted, but five minutes later, Gemma Fante stole a goal kick, passed to Ellie Fox, who made a nice pass to Julissa Casiano who scored for the Blaze, putting them ahead 3 - 1. Strong challenges by Blaze defensemen Penny McVey and Maggie Yalmokis allowed only 3 shots on goal by the Bulls in the second half, none of which even reached Blaze goalie Emily Aridas, as the other defender was able to block the shot. The score did not change for the remainder of the game, despite midfielder Meghan O'Hanlon dribbling past two Bulls defenders and passing to Zoey Murphy who's strong quick kick went past the Bulls' goalie but hit the post.

The Blaze finished the first half of their U-12 Fall season undefeated and in first place, leading their division in goals scored, goals allowed, and seemingly in play dates at each other's houses.

2007 Boys Dynamo coached by Alberto Blanco tied 3-3 on the road against the Lansdowne Yonkers Cyclones. They travel to the division-leading Eastchester Titans on Sunday, October 21.

2007 Boys Dutchmen defeated the Manhattan Fiorentina by a score of 6-1. They look forward to their next contest on Sunday, October 21 at the Manhattan Cosmos.

2006 Girls Storm coached by Kevin Richardson and Tom Andruss hosted the Rivertowns United Hurricanes, falling 5-0. They host the division-leading Castleford Lynx at 4:30pm on Washington Irving Field on Sunday, October 21.

2006 Boys Firebolts coached by Ricardo Gonzalez saw a weekend of ties. On Saturday, October 13, they travelled to the division-leading Manhattan Whitecaps, where the game ended in a scoreless tie. On Sunday, October 14, they travelled to the Port Chester Mustangs, where the game ended in a 3-3 tie. Now with a 2-2-2 record, the Firebolts will travel to the John Jay Purple on Saturday, October 20 and to the Lansdowne Yonkers Cougars on Sunday, October 21.

2006 Boys Warriors hosted the JPSC Fire, winning 3-2. The two teams will play again on the road on Saturday, October 20. The Warriors are 2-2-1 on the season.

2005 Girls Cyclones fell 3-1 to the Harrison Sky Blue on their home turf. They are 2-3 on the season. On Sunday, October 21, they travel to the West Side Red Bulls.

2005 Boys Legends closed out the 1st half of the Division 1 fall season by defeating 1st place Somers 1-0 with a terrific away performance. Each player was a stand-out in a tense, physical, intense encounter played with skill, focus and passion. Kudos to all. Legends are 4-1, now tied with Somers for first place in their Division 1. They host the Scarsdale Man City on Sunday, October 21 at 11am at Washington Irving field.

Over Columbus Day Weekend, the Legends upgraded their roster with guest Cyclone Angie for the Lansdowne Yonkers tournament. Starting off with a tight 1-1 draw Vs New Rochelle, the Legends fashioned a 1-0 result over Yorktown and then with goal difference potentially a factor finished with 4-0 wins over Yonkers and Rivertowns to lift the trophy. Jai starred at left back, Alex terrorized the full backs, and Robert was full “thou shalt not pass.” Kieran scored 1, Nikhil 2, and Kenneth did the rest (the rest being 7!). All in all a great team effort!

2005 Boys Red Devils hosted the Lansdowne Yonkers Vipers, winning 8-1. On Sunday, October 21, they play the Pelham Hotspurs at home at 2:45pm at Washington Irving Field. They are coached by Francisco Mendieta, Mark Taylor and Cedric Smith and are 4-0-1 on the season, leading their division.

2004 Boys Argentina coached by Luis Lewis won 3-1 at the New Rochelle Sabres, improving to an overall record of 3-2. On Sunday, October 21, they travel to the Don Bosco Hawks Lightning.

JV Girls Aguias lost 3-2 at home to the Port Chester Bob Cats in Division 1 JV play. They are 1-3-1. They play at 9am at WI Field on Sunday, October 21 against the division-leading Harrison Hornets.

JV Boys Los Gauchos coached by Luis Lewis, Bill Julian and Pepe Monteforte fell 5-2 to the FC Spring Valley Blue in Division 1 JV play. They are 1-3-1. On Sunday, October 21 they host Doxa at the Washington Irving field at 1pm.

For updates or more information about SHFC, please visit http://www.sleepyhollowfc.com.