With the support of Freestate Soccer Alliance and Elite Tournaments, Dragons player Joey Gorirossi will be collecting new and used soccer equipment to donate to the Passback Program.  The collection will take place during the Freestate Capital Cup at several fields on March 21-22 and March 28-29.  Or you can contact Joey directly at jwgori1@cs.com to arrange to donate.

The Passback Program accepts donations of new or used soccer equipment, including cleats, shin guards, soccer balls, goal keeper gloves or jerseys, uniforms, soccer socks, and any other soccer equipment.  Passback then distributes the donated items to soccer programs for disadvantaged youth.

This is a great way to give back to the sport we love!

Please see the attached handout for more information about the collection at the Freestate Capitol Cup or visit www.passback.org for more information about the Passback Program.

Thank you for your generosity!

Date             Winning #        Winner                     Amount            Ticket Seller

10/01/08            990               Jim Barry                  $  50.00              Nick Mattox

10/02/08            270               Philip Artin                $  25.00              Dan Artin

10/03/08            913               Jason Carcamo         $  25.00             Jason Carcamo

10/04/08            010               Mike Kane                 $  75.00             Mike Kane

10/05/08            252               Bill Phalen                 $100.00             Ryan Leslie

10/06/08            809               Mike Kane                 $  25.00             Mike Kane

10/07/08            779               Jon Fohs                   $  25.00              Jared Fohs

10/08/08            521               William Fisher           $  50.00              William Fisher

10/09/08            442                Max Allegro              $  25.00              Max Allegro

10/10/08            596                Jeff Meekins             $  25.00              Matt Michael

10/11/08            025                No Winner

10/12/08            896                Pat Thornton            $100.00               Patrick Thornton

10/13/08            191                Darlene Kestler        $  25.00               Nick Mattox

10/14/08            099                 Kim Endres             $  25.00               Joey Gorirossi

10/15/08            719                 William Fisher         $  50.00               William Fisher

10/16/08            145                 Ken Fitch                 $  25.00                Kevin Fitch

10/17/08            650                 Ken Fitch                 $  25.00                Kevin Fitch

10/18/08            652                Donna DeGrange    $  25.00                Ryan Leslie

10/19/08            805                 Mike Kane               $100.00                Mike Kane

10/20/08            216                 Tim Donahoe          $  25.00                 William Fisher

10/21/08            222                 No Winner

10/22/08            826                  No Winner

10/23/08            583                 Marvin Rodriguez   $  25.00                  Mark Miller

10/24/08            914                  Jason Carcamo     $  25.00                  Jason Carcamo

10/25/08            161                 Janice Boggs          $  75.00                  Joey Gorirossi

10/26/08            876                  Jon Fohs                 $100.00                  Jared Fohs

10/27/08            728                  Nixon Clermont       $  25.00                 Reggie Clermont

10/28/08            264                  Pat Thornton           $  25.00                  Patrick Thornton

 *All pay-outs will be mailed to winners the first week of November 2008.

The Freestate Dragons traveled to New Jersey for the US Club Soccer Regional Tournament and had a successful tourney, finishing with 2 wins and 1 loss and in 2nd place in their group, just one point shy of moving on to the semi-finals.

Joey Gorirossi and Nick Staufenberger tallied goals for the Dragons, and Max Allegro and Gorirossi each earned an assist. Patrick Thornton, Kevin Fitch, Mark Miller, Rafiq Gharbi, Jason Carcamo, Ryan Leslie, and Dan Artin also contributed outstanding play on the attack and in the midfield. Defenders Jared Fohs, Matt Michael, William Fisher, and Mike Kane exhibited tough defensive play throughout the tournament, while guest goal keeper Ben Frazier played great, making several key saves.

The Dragons earned a 1-0 victory over the previously undefeated MSC Revolution to close out the NCSL D1 season. James Rice scored the game winning goal, heading in a fantastic service from Jared Fohs. Joey Gorirossi, Kevin Fitch, Patrick Thornton, Jason Carcamo, Nick Staufenberger, Dan Artin, Nick Mattox, and Alex Goyette were also strong on the attack and in the midfield throughout the match.

Keeper Luke Kell made several superb saves to earn the shut-out. William Fisher, Mike Kane, Matt Michael, and Fohs also made key defensive plays to hold MSC scoreless.

The Freestate Dragons defeated the ABGC Red Devils 4-2 in an exciting match. The Dragons took an early 1-0 lead when a great passing combination resulted in James Rice firing a strong pass to Patrick Thornton, who tallied the goal. Still dominating early in the second half, the Dragons increased their lead when Matt Cross received the ball at the offensive endline and passed it back to Nick Staufenberger, who hit a hard strike to put the Dragons ahead 2-0.

But it was the final 10 minutes of the game that had spectators on the edge of their seats. The Red Devils pressed hard on the attack and scored two goals with under 10 minutes left to play to knot the score at 2-2. The Dragons regrouped and went on a late game scoring spree of their own. Jared Fohs headed in what would prove to be the game winner off of a well-placed corner kick from Staufenberger. With under 3 minutes left to play, the Dragons packed in the defense to hold onto the lead. In the final minute, a clearance from the Dragons defense found Staufenberger on the right mid, who sent a pass to Thornton at the 50 yard line. Thornton beat his mark and netted a strong shot to put the game away at 4-2.

Center midfielders Joey Gorirossi, Jason Carcamo, and Dan Artin were pivotal, controlling the pace of the game and serving well-placed passes to the attackers. Strikers Kevin Fitch and Mark Miller were strong on the attack, while Nick Mattox, Alex Goyette, and Cedrick Burgess, made key plays from the outside midfield positions.

Luke Kell was again tremendous in goal, making diving saves to earn the win. Defenders Mike Kane, Matt Michael, William Fisher, and Fohs were rock solid in the back, holding the Red Devils to half the number of shots on goals as the Dragons had in the match.

The Dragons fell 2-1 to the VIST PAC 91 Blue on Saturday and then again lost a close and hard fought match 2-1 on Sunday to DCST Blue Thunder. In Saturday's match, a passing combination developed from the back and resulted in Jason Carcamo feeding the ball from the midfield to striker Kevin Fitch. Fitch sent  a great pass to Patrick Thornton, who netted the goal.  On Sunday, Jared Fohs fed the ball to Mark Miller, who fired a strong shot that hit the cross bar. Joey Gorirossi followed Miller's shot and tallied the goal for the Dragons. Daniel Artin, James Rice, Nick Staufenberger, Matt Cross, Cedrick Burgess, and Nick Mattox also played strong in the midfield and on the attack in both matches. Luke Kell was awesome between the pipes both days, supported by excellent defense from Mike Kane, Matt Michael, William Fisher, Alex Goyette, and Fohs.

The Dragons played to a 0-0 tie against the MSC Scorpions on Saturday and a 1-0 win over the Bethesda Ajax on Sunday in NCSL Division 1 weekend action.

In the victory over Bethesda, James Rice crossed the ball in to Kevin Fitch, whose shot was deflected by the keeper. Nick Staufenberger was positioned perfectly to collect the deflection and fire off a great shot to score the winning goal.

Joey Gorirossi, Jason Carcamo, Dan Artin, Mark Miller, and Fitch were key in both matches, anchoring the team in the middle and transitioning the team from defense to offense, while Jared Fohs, Nick Mattox, Cedrick Burgess, Rice, and Staufenberger played strong from the outside midfield positions.  Strikers Patrick Thornton, Matt Cross, and Jean Toussaint also put constant pressure on the opponents' defense on the attack.

Keeper Luke Kell was outstanding in both games, coming up with 11 saves and 2 shut-outs. He was supported by fantastic play from Dragons defenders William Fisher, Matt Michael, Mike Kane, and Alex Goyette.

The Dragons defeated Chesapeake Soccer Club United to advance to the quarterfinals of Maryland State Cup in an exciting match that came down to penalty kicks. In regulation play, Nick Staufenberger netted an expertly placed shot in the first half to put the Dragons up 1-0, but Chesapeake answered back early in the second half with a fine shot to tie the score. Center midfielders Joey Gorirossi, Jason Carcamo, Dan Artin, and Kevin Fitch controlled the game in the middle, while outside mids James Rice, Nick Mattox, and Staufenberger contributed excellent passing and ball handling up the sidelines. Strikers Patrick Thornton, Mark Miller, Matt Cross, and Cedrick Burgess were strong on the attack. Jared Fohs had a tremendous game as keeper, supported by superb defense from Mike Kane, William Fisher, and Matt Michael.

With regulation play ending in a 1-1 draw, the match went to two 15-minute periods of overtime play. Chesapeake scored early in the second overtime period to go up 2-1, but the Dragons dug down deep, pressing hard on the attack in the final minutes. With under 5 minutes remaining, Matt Michael scored the tying goal off of a great service from Nick Staufenberger, knotting the score at 2-2 and sending the game into a penalty kick shoot-out.

The PK shoot-out came down to the 7^th kicker for each team and resulted in a 5-4 win on PKs for the Dragons. Netting penalty kicks were Mike Kane, Jason Carcamo, Joey Gorirossi, Matt Michael, and Patrick Thornton. Keeper Jared Fohs was incredible in the net saving two of Chesapeake’s penalty kicks, while a third Chesapeake PK hit the cross bar.

Congratulations to all of our Dragons players on fine play for their high school Varsity teams in the 2007 Fall season!

The following players earned individual or team honors for their high schools:

-- Matt Michael, Bishop McNamara High School -- WCAC All-Conference 3rd Team

-- Joey Gorirossi, Bishop McNamara High School -- WCAC All-Conference Honorable Mention

-- Nick Staufenberger, St. Mary's Ryken High School -- WCAC All-Conference Honorable Mention

-- Patrick Thornton and Jason Carcamo, Bowie High School -- 4A South Regional Champions and State Semi-Finalists

-- Matt Cross and James Rice, DeMatha Catholic High School -- WCAC Finalists

-- Mark Miller and Alex Goyette, Arundel High School -- 4A East Regional Semi-Finalists

-- William Fisher, Eleanor Roosevelt High School -- 4A South Regional Semi-Finalists

The U16 Freestate Dragons advanced to NCSL Division 1, defeating the SYC Gladiators 4-0 to earn 2nd place in Division 2 for the Fall 2007 NCSL season with a 5-2-2 record. From the opening kick-off, the Dragons were on fire and in control of the match . . . just minutes into the game, Jared Fohs threw the ball inbounds from the right sideline into the box where James Rice touched it to Matt Cross, who tallied the opening score. Nick Staufenberger netted the second goal off of a great pass from Rice. In the second half, Rice placed a solid free kick to the far post, which Cross headed in to go up 3-0. Mark Miller scored the Dragons final goal off of a nice pass from Jean Toussaint to seal the 4-0 victory. Center midfielders Joey Gorirossi and Kevin Fitch controlled the pace of the game and led the team in transitioning from defense to offense with superb passing. Nick Mattox, Delonte Smith, and Patrick Thornton also played strong on the attack from the outside midfield and striker positions.

Keeper Sean Killion was perfect in the net with 7 saves for his third shut out of the NCSL season. Mike Kane, Matt Michael, William Fisher, Cedrick Burgess, and Fohs were tremendous on defense throughout the match. Alex Goyette and Dan Artin were out with injuries, but contributed fine play throughout the season to help the team earn 2nd place. Congratulations also to Coach Chris Johnson on leading the Dragons to Division 1 in his first season at the helm!

The Dragons tied the ALEX Titans 2-2 in an exciting match in which both teams fought hard.  In the first half, James Rice sent a great pass to Patrick Thornton, who netted the Dragons first goal.  Just minutes later Joey Gorirossi sent a free kick to Mark Miller who passed the ball into the box to Matt Michael . . . Michael tallied the Dragons second goal to give the Dragons a 2-1 lead at the half.  But the Titans came out strong in the second half and quickly knotted the score at 2-2.  Keeper Sean Killion was tough in the net, earning 9 saves, with solid defensive support from Mike Kane, Jared Fohs, William Fisher, Alex Goyette, Cedrick Burgess, and Michael.  Nick Staufenberger, Kevin Fitch, Matt Cross, Nick Mattox, Delonte Smith, Jean Toussaint, and Dan Artin each turned in a good performance in the midfield and on the attack.

On Saturday, the Dragons defeated a very tough DCST Blue Thunder team 1-0 in a nail biter.  The two evenly matched squads played to an 0-0 draw until Patrick Thornton netted a goal for the Dragons in the 71st minute of the game off a beautiful pass from Matt Cross.  In Sunday's match against the MCLN MPS Thunder, the Dragons again won 1-0.  Kevin Fitch was tackled from behind just outside the box midway through the second half to earn a free kick for the Dragons.  Cross netted the resulting free kick to score the winning goal.  Midfielders Joey Gorirossi, Dan Artin, Nick Staufenberger, James Rice, Delonte Smith, Nick Mattox, and Fitch played solid in the midfield and distributed the ball well on offense in both matches, while strikers Mark Miller and Jean Toussaint put constant pressure on the opposing keepers on the attack.  Keeper Sean Killion had an outstanding weekend, earning two shut-outs.  He was supported by the superb defensive efforts of Matt Michael, Jared Fohs, Alex Goyette, William Fisher, and Mike Kane.

In the 2nd week of NCSL action, the Dragons defeated the Stafford Revolution 4-2.  The Dragons got off to a slow start in the early Sunday morning match, leading to two quick shots on goal by Stafford and two great saves by Dragons keeper Sean Killion.  Midway through the half, the Dragons hit their stride and began to dominate but couldn't convert on several good opportunities, leaving the game knotted 0-0 at the half.

A fiery Dragons team emerged in the second half, starting off with an early goal when Cedrick Burgess placed a free kick to James Rice.  Rice passed it off to Jared Fohs, who netted the goal.  The second goal came when Matt Cross followed a strong Dragons shot that was misplayed by the Stafford keeper.  Cross gained possession and passed back to Kevin Fitch, who placed a fine shot into the back of the net.  Stafford then narrowed the Dragons lead to 2-1, scoring off of a free kick.  Minutes later the Dragons answered back when Joey Gorirossi fired a hard hit shot from about the 30-yard line that hit the cross bar.  Mark Miller grabbed the rebound off the bar and scored to give the Dragons a 3-1 edge.  The tough Stafford team did not give up and scored on a breakaway to again cut the Dragons lead to 3-2.  In the final minutes of the match, Fohs put a free kick into the box.  Miller got off a shot that was deflected, collected his own rebound, and tallied his second goal of the match.  Daniel Artin, Nick Staufenberger, Delonte Smith, Patrick Thornton, Nick Mattox, and Jean Toussaint also played strong on the attack.  Matt Michael, Alex Goyette, William Fisher, and Mike Kane turned in outstanding defensive play, with keeper Killion playing sharp in the net throught the game and earning several saves.

In the Dragons first tournament with Coach Chris Johnson as our coach and with our five newest Dragons players on the pitch, the team had a very strong weekend of soccer, defeating the Reston  Rovers 2-1, the Olney Titans 4-0, and Calverton Spartans 2-0 and tying the SYA Copperheads 2-2 in the regular rounds of the OBGC Capital Cup to advance to the finals.  Strikers Matt Cross and Mark Miller led the Dragons attack, with Cross scoring five goals and Miller tallying two.  Delonte Smith, James Rice, and Dan Artin each netted one goal.  Joey Gorirossi earned three assists, while Kevin Fitch, Nick Mattox, Nick Staufenberger, Rice, and Miller each contributed an assist. Patrick Thornton and Jean Toussaint also played strong on the attack and in the midfield. Keeper Sean Killion earned two shut-outs, supported by outstanding defense throughout the tournament from Jared Fohs, Matt Michael, Mike Kane, William Fisher, Alex Goyette, and Cedrick Burgess. The Dragons faced a tough Calverton team in the finals and lost a close and hard fought match 2-1. Rice scored for the Dragons, bending a perfect free kick into the net.