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 Road to the Cup |
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"Individuals Play the Game, but TEAMS Win Championships"
State Cup Diary
On September 16, 2000, TRSA United was pulled First, from a Face down Draw of 47 teams and assigned 11-01 as our entry number. (maybe a good omen).
Our Drawn / Assigned Bracket (Bracket A) included the Voorhees Wildcats, Moorestown Mischief, Hopewell Wildfire, Peninsula Eagles, WWP Breakaways, Washington Township Typhoons, Parsippany Explosion, Hibernian Heat, Princeton Lazers and the Robbinsville Renegades.
Septermber 23, 2000
Week 1 had United scheduled for a bye along with several other teams.
October 14, 2000
Week 2 saw United scheduled to play the Moorestown Mischief who had defeated the Voorhees Wildcats 1-0.
United defeated the Mischief in Moorestown by a 3-1 score, in a game that would see the only goal scored against United throughout the Cup.
October 21, 2000
Week 3 had the United scheduled to play the Peninsula Eagles who had defeated the Hopewell Wildfire by a 3-1 score.
United defeated the Eagles in Toms River by 3-0 score to move on to the Quarter Final Round.
October 29, 2000
Week 4, the Quarter-Finals, had the United up against the Hibernian Heat, 2 teams familiar with each other from MOSA League play, who had defeated the WWP Breakaways by an impressive 6-0 score to advance.
The Game was played at Fort Dix on a cold and windy day with United coming out on top by a 2-0 score.
November 4, 2000
Week 5, the Semi-Finals had United paired up against the Hunterdon Sonics, winners of Bracket B, who had defeated a tough TBAA Comet team 1-0 to advance.
The Game, played at Fort Dix on a beautiful day, saw United advance to the Finals, defeating the Sonics 2-0.
November 5, 2000
Week 6, the Finals, had United matched up against PDA Power who had come out the winner of Brackets C & D by defeating a tough Marlton Xtreme team by a 1-0 score.
The game, also at a cold and windy Fort Dix was a Defensive match from the beginning. Through 2 - 30 minute regular periods the game was locked in a 0-0 tie. Through 2 - 10 minute overtime periods, the game remained 0-0, and came down to a shootout (penalty kicks). United was able to capture the U11G STATE CHAMPIONSHIP by converting 3 of their 5 kicks to goals, while PDA converted 2. A strong well played game by two excellent teams.
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Ocean County Obsever 11/3/00
Star Ledger Article on u11G Final 11/06/00
State soccer: Girls Under-11
11/06/00
BY MIKE MORETTI
STAR LEDGER STAFF WRITER
Tom McDonnell,the TRSA United Coach believed his method of training for shootout penalty kicks would pay off someday.
Someday was yesterday for the Toms River United Under-11 girls team.
Veronica Yezo's penalty kick proved the difference in the shootout as Toms River United defeated the Player Development Association Power in the New Jersey Youth Soccer Association Girls Under-11 championship on a blustery day at Fort Dix.
"After every league game for the past month, I have the girls shoot penalty kicks after we get done running," McDonnell explained. "That's the best way to train for the real situation is to take them when the girls are tired."
Yezo connected on the goal that gave Toms River United the 3-2 advantage in the shootout and goalie Sarah Spanarkel sealed the victory when she stopped the final attempt by PDA Power.
"When I went to take my shot, the goalie didn't choose a side," said Yezo, whose kick found the upper left corner of the cage. "My shot hit the post and went in. It feels great. I'm happy we won."
It was the second game in a row Yezo came up with the decisive score. In Saturday's 1-0 semifinal victory over the Hunterdon Sonics, it was Yezo's first-half goal that made the difference.
PDA Power, which consists mainly of Somerset County players, trailed 2-0 in the shootout before Caitlin Durgin and Kelsey Sullivan found the back of the net to tie the session at 2-2. After Yezo provided the 3-2 lead, it was up to Spanarkel to save the day.
"I wanted to save every one," said Spanarkel, a niece of former basketball standout Jim Spanarkel. "I could tell by the way they were standing which way they were going to shoot.
"On the final one, the girl was lining up to the right, but she stumbled and her foot hit the ground first before she hit the ball and it went right at me. We went through a lot to get here. It's fun to win something like this."
The teams had to battle the elements before getting to the shootout. A severe crosswind made long passing difficult.
The best opportunity came with 10 seconds remaining in regulation, when a PDA Power forward whiffed on a shot at a wide-open net.
With three minutes left in the first overtime, Toms River United missed an opportunity when a shot went wide right.
"The wind made things tough, but so did PDA," McDonnell said. "They're a real good team. For it to come to penalty kicks means it was a fantastic game. Both teams played their heart out.
"But if a group of girls deserved to win it, it was Toms River United. The girls are all friends and they all pull for each other."
Toms River United 0-0--0
PDA Power 0-0--0
Toms River United wins on penalty kicks, 3-2
Rosters
Toms River United: Kelsey Andersen, Kimberly Bottorff, Heather Carbone, Liz Conrad, Kristina Danella, Kaitlyn Femano, Allison Lawrence, Shannon Lenahan, Casey McDonnell, Kimberly McKenzie, Philomena Menta, Amy Milas, Stephanie Scavuzzo, Sarah Spanarkel, Veronica Yezo.
PDA: Garbielle Barbato, Emily Boyle, Micaela Collins, Caitlin Durgin, Alyssa Fried, Rachel Holt, Rachel Laraway, Lauren McClintic, Brianna Miller, Meghan Nahass, Brooke Nettuno, Kaitlyn Schechter, Allison Slattery, Kelsey Sullivan, Carey Youmans.
© 2000 The Star-Ledger. Used with permission.
Ocean County Observer Article on U11G final 11/07/00
Outside the Boxscores: Dolphins, United should be proud
Published in the Ocean County Observer 11/7/00
As the weather continues to get colder by the day, and winter approaches quickly, it's probably not difficult for some to already be thinking about spring.
And while the chances are better that I'll be talking more about softball when the weather begins to change from chilly to warm, I hope to revisit one topic at least once or twice during the warmer months -- girls soccer, in particular a pair of youth teams called the Dolphins and United.
Both are from Toms River and on Sunday were crowned state champions, winning their respective age divisions during the New Jersey Youth Soccer State Cup tournament.
The Toms River Soccer Association Elite Dolphins 13-and-under squad captured their state title by defeating the PDA Wildcats, 2-1. The Toms River United 11-and-under team won their championship with a 3-2 shootout victory over the PDA Power.
In the Dolphins' championship contest, Stacy Belgiovene scored the first goal on a long pass from Gina Principe to Carolyn Blank, who assisted on the goal. The other Toms River goal was put in by Katherine Torode, who buried a 40-yard shot off an assist from Belgiovene.
For the United, Kristina Danella and Allison Lawrence scored the first two goals, respectively, during the shootout and Veronica Yezo nailed the game-winner. Sarah Spanarkel was in goal and did a fantastic job of stopping four penalty kicks before Yezo tallied the winning shot.
To get to the finals, the Dolphins ousted the Ramapo Wildcats, 2-1, on Saturday, and the United downed the Hunterdon Sonics, 1-0. The next step for these players will be the Eastern Regional tournament in the spring.
Astonishingly, each team had to get through a tournament field of 64 and 47 teams from across the state, which is no easy task, even at the youth soccer level.
Much like many of the summer softball programs I've mentioned in past columns, these soccer programs conduct tryouts and mainly select players dedicated to soccer. They are competitive, yet somewhat laid back and fun for the girls.
They want to win, but these are the players who truly appreciate the game for its strategy, skill level and deep roots -- the making of a very good soccer program.
Soccer is the most popular sport throughout the world, and while soccer is not terribly popular past the recreation and high school levels in this country, these girls take soccer seriously and my guess, judging solely by their success, is they work very hard at improving themselves both physically and mentally.
Having watched soccer since I've been in high school, and covering it in college and for weekly and daily papers, I know soccer players don't get the most credit in the world.
Because of the time of year during which they play, mainly the fall, soccer often gets drowned out by football (the American version). And a lot of times, unless they are associated with the teams and the players, many people don't realize how talented and mentally tough most of these young girls are, or how much time they put in toward playing the sport.
Believe it or not, soccer is a tough sport. Anybody who has tried to kick a soccer ball on a line toward the goal from 30 yards away while making it spin away from the goalie, or tried to dribble by a defender, stop and go back the other way and then drill a left-footed shot into the opposite corner of the net, knows how difficult it can be.
Or try heading the ball toward one side of the net with a defender elbowing you in the back or kicking at your heels. It's pretty tough stuff, and it takes a lot of time to perfect those skills soccer players need, never mind the endurance level they must maintain.
Obviously, the players on the Dolphins -- Belgiovene, Torode, Blank, Principe, Jenafer Newcome, Kylie Stankovics, Alessandra Detata, Tracy Crenshaw, Alex Kitrilakis, Lauren Barker, Caitlin Toome, Kristina Compton, Heather Rae Steadman, Sarah Fylak, Amanda Onysko-Halter, Jenna Murray and Samantha Stefanacci -- have dedicated themselves toward playing the best soccer possible.
And the players on the United -- Yezo, Danella, Lawrence, Kelsey Anderson, Kimberly Bottorff, Heather Carbone, Liz Conrad, Kaitlyn Femano, Shannon Lenahan, Casey McDonnell, Kimberly McKenzie, Philomena Menta, Amy Milas and Stephanie Scavuzzo -- should be just as proud of their efforts during the past weeks.
I'm almost certain most, if not all, of these girls on each team are friends and enjoy playing soccer with each other, and that is a special gift for the coaches, because it's much easier to guide a program toward success with a close-knit group. Teams with such unity tend to reach their goals, no matter how high.
All these girls, along with coaches should be applauded not only for their success, but their dedication to soccer.
Toms River and all of Ocean County should be proud. And we should all look forward to the spring when these girls are playing for bigger stakes.
Congratulations to both squads and best wishes for continued success.
David P. Biggy is an Observer staff writer whose Outside the Boxscores column appears Tuesdays. David welcomes reader feedback and can be contact via the e-mail addresses of biggy@app.com or dpbiggy@hotmail.com, or by phone at (732) 557-5718.
Published on November 7, 2000
Star Ledger Article on State Cup 11/11/00
State Cup has Magical finish
Published in the Community section of the Asbury Park Press 11/11/00
Lacey Magic, two teams from Toms River Soccer Association capture championships in the annual girls soccer tournament.
The Lacey Magic won the State Cup under-14 championship in soccer. Team members are: Jessica Crankshaw, Cassie Gioia, Kristee Paknis, Danielle Collins, Jessica Newport, Traci DePasquale, Laura Padovano, Katelyn Gilanyi, Shana Brady; Brigid Cahill, Lauren Steins, Kate Milstead, Kelly Geffen, Alli D'Amico, Danielle McCullough, Sara Grimsgaard; coaches Tara and Jim Newport, Dana and Mike Stillwagon, Nicole Laureigh.
If there were any doubts about the superiority of girls soccer in the Ocean County area they were quickly erased last weekend during the annual State Cup competition at Fort Dix.
The Lacey Magic U14 won their third state cup as a group. And two teams from Toms River, Toms River Soccer Association United U11 and U13 Elite Dolphins, raced off with championships.
"We still have 12 of the original girls who started out together," said coach Jim Newport, who has been with the team for eight years.
Newport played at Sayreville and found his way to coaching when his older daughter, Dana Jurczyk, started playing.
"She learned well," said Newport. "By the time she graduated from Lacey High School in 1994 she was the Jim Sullivan Award winner as the outstanding female athlete in the Shore."
His Magic has been just as impressive, allowing only one goal in six games on their way to the championship, won when they defeated PDA Stampede, 1-0.
"We play them during the regular season in the Mid Atlantic Premier League," said Newport. "So we had some confidence."
Cassie Gioia scored the goal midway through the second half while stopper Kate Milstead turned away the few chances the Stampede had.
"We try to keep the pressure on the opposing team, keep it on their side of the field," Newport said.
He said the team doesn't just look to one or two players for goals.
"These girls like spreading things around," said Newport. "They are a great group of girls who just love to play."
The two Toms River teams also did stellar work.
United U11 defeated PDA Power in overtime to win its championship.
Kristina Danella and Allison Lawrence scored 2 of the OT shootout goals before Veronica Yezo won it with her kick.
Goalie Sarah Spanarkle stopped four penalty kicks in the shootout.
United defeated the Hunterdon Sonics, 1-0, to reach the final.
The Dolphins U13 defeated the PDA Wildcats, 2-1, to win its crown.
Stacy Belgiovene scored the first goal when Gina Principe sent a pass about 40 yards to Carolyn Blank, who fed Belgiovene.
Katherine Torode took a pass from Belgiovene for the final goal.
The Dolphins had defeated the Ramapo Wildcats, 2-1, to reach the final.
The other Dolphins are Jenafer Newcome, Kylie Stankovics, Alessandra Detata, Tracy Crenshaw, Alex Kitrilakis, Lauren Barker, Caitlin Toome, Kristina Compton, Heather Rae Steadman, Sarah Fylak, Amanda Onysko-Halter, Jenna Murray and Samantha Stefanacci. They next play in the Eastern Regional tournament in the spring.
The other United players are Kelsey Anderson, Kimberly Bottorff, Heather Carbone, Liz Conrad, Kaitlyn Femano, Shannon Lenahan, Casey McDonnell, Kimberly McKenzie, Filomena Menta, Amy Milaf and Stephanie Scavuzzo. They are preparing for the indoor season and next spring.
The Magic are still playing.
"We have a couple of match games left," said Newport. "And we'll play in the Bethesda (Maryland) tournament. Then it's indoors and before you know it, it's spring."
Published on November 11, 2000
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We Are the Champions
"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." - Babe Ruth
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