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Saturday, June 9
Sabres finish '06 Season as Runners Up for the PDR U10 C Indoor Soccer Championship
Well I couldn't end let the season end without writing about what happened in the Championship game. This past Sunday the Academy Sabres U10 Boys Soccer team played a tough Championship game against the Torresdale Tornadoes. The final score was Torresdale 6 Sabres 3. Although they did not win the Championship, they played as if they were the Champions, fighting to the very end in front of a packed house at Bridesburg's Recreation Center.
The first half saw the Torresdale team take advantage quickly scoring three unanswered goals in the first ten minutes. The Sabres were able to answer with two of their own scored by Joey Iannacone with assists from Scott Wagner and Chase Nasife. The half ended as the Tornadoes scored two more tallies.
The second half was a tighter half with Torresdale trying to maintain their lead. The Tornado's scored only one goal in the second half as Tyler Matecki and the Sabres Defense shut them down.
The lone goal of the second half for the Sabres came again from Iannacone. With the goal, Joey completed his 11th hat trick of the year. Although the the defense got back into gear in the second half with exceptional play by Chase Nasife and Chris Nelson, it was too late to save the game. Today, the Championship belonged to the Torredale BC but in the hearts of the Sabre's parents, their boys were all Champions too.
With that another soccer season will come to an end. The Sabres did a great job in this game and during the season. They improved their Soccer Skills and Field Awareness 150%. It was a pleasure watching them develop.
One last time, here are the names of the boys who made up this team. When you see them on the baseball diamond this Spring, please take a moment to congratulate them. They came a long way from last season to be the PDR 2007 Indoor Soccer Runner Up. Three Cheers for the Sabres, Hip Hip Horay!
They are:
Nick Colflesh (D, Michael Jack Hatala (W), Joey Iannacone (C), Koree (W) and Tyler Matecki (G), Chase Nasife (D), Chris Nelson (G), Carmen Roscoili (W), Jack Thackrah (W) and Scott Wagner (W).
Congratulations!
A special thanks for the parents for supporting their sons in youth soccer and the Academy Sabres.
See you 'round the field.
Regards,
Coach Jack
Academy Sabres U10 Boys Soccer
(267) 980-3241
Sunday, March 25
Academy Sabres U10 Boys beat Roxborough, Advance to Championship Game!
Today in the first round of the Philadelphia Department of Recreation U10BC Indoor Soccer Playoffs, the Academy Sabre's Boys defeated the Roxborough Indians 4-3. The game was a thriller that took the Sabres overtime before winning.
The game featured spectacular goaltending and gritty play by all the players of this fine team against a bigger Roxborough team that had tied the Sabers once and beat them twice in the regular season.
The game was scoreless for the first ten minutes, when Jack Thackrah busted in on goal with the ball from the left wing. Jack got off a nibbler type of shot that the goaltender should have handled but he collided with a defender on the shot and eventually lost the ball as it went into the net. Jack was in the right place for the shot. The harder Jack work's, the luckier he gets. He works hard and we'll take the luck. Score 1-0 Sabres.
The Sabres notched their second goal of the game on a tally from Joey Iannacone on a rebound from a Koree Matecki shot. Joey's goal marked the 32nd time he has lit the lamp this season, a truly remarkable feat. A team captain, Joey can always be counted on in a tight situation to bring home the bacon! Score, 2-0 Sabres.
During the half, the Indians were able to get a goal off a clean shot that Tyler Matecki couldn't get to. Score 2-1 Sabres.
Prior to the end of the first half, the Sabres went up 3-1 on the mucking and grinding play in front of the net by Scott Wagner and Carmen Roscoili. As the ball laid free in the front of the net, the Sabres strikers hammered away at it until Scotty finally banged it home for the goal. Score 3-1 Sabres.
The first half was all Sabres. They played charged up and inspired, knowing that only one team could go to the Championship game. The Sabres owned the offensive zone and the play stayed there for much of the first half.
The second half took a turn the other way. Roxborough used their size to bull through the neutral zone and launch shots at the Sabres end like missiles from the retired battleship USS New Jersey. The Indians were able to bring the game within one goal with 10 minutes to play. They scored as an Indian player came from the corner with the ball and went right on net. He shot it and scored. Score, Sabres 3-2.
As time ticked down to the three minute mark, Roxborough pressed the Sabres back. The focus of the Sabres seemed lost for a moment. The Indians scored their third goal on a bull rush by their biggest kid, just known by the Sabres as Mikey. Mikey is twice the size of any of our boys and somewhat intimidating in a one on one battle in the corner or free in the midfield. Mikey took the ball at center, bulled his way through to the Sabers defense to the goal and put it past Tyler before Tyler could grab it. No one could have stopped Mikey and now the score was tied, 3-3 with 1:20 seconds left.
Realizing that their season was on the line, the Sabres regained their focus and played to win in the last minutes but couldn't get the winning goal home. The game went into overtime.
The boys were excited, they were tired, but they were still determined to win. They could see the opportunity to play the Torresdale Tornadoes again, who earlier in the day, beat Houston 10-2 to advance to the Championship game.
In overtime the Sabres came out, just as they did in the first half, hungry. Now they were pressing the Indians back into their zone. With about three minutes gone in the sudden-death overtime period, the referee called a hand ball on the Indians 30 feet out on the left side of their goal. Our winger, Scotty Wagner and defenseman, Chase Nasife both had the presence of mind to ask the referee if the kick was a direct or indirect kick. The referee gave the direct kick response and Scotty immediately set up and took the shot, and what a shot he took. He blasted it straight through the wall set up by Roxborough and into the back of the net! Final score, Sabres win 4-3!
In goal, Tyler Matecki played another awesome game, making save after save. Tyler was also big during the game booting to ball up field for the offense. By the end of the game he was sporting a GAA of 3.11 for the year.
On defense Chase Nasife and Nick Colflesh held the Indians in check clearing the ball out over and over. Chris Nelson and Jack Hatala provided strong performances on defense when inserted to replace starters Chase Nasife or Nick Colflesh.
With the win the boys will advance to the final Championship game against the Torresdale Torrnado's. The game will be played tomorrow, Sunday, March 25 at 2:00 PM at the Bridesburg Recreation Center, Richmond and Ash Sts.
It is all up to them now. They have made it to up the mountain. They are ready. Please come out and support your Academy Sabres U10 Boys tomorrow as they go for it all in the Championship Game!
It has been an exciting year for the boys.
Sunday, March 18
Sabres Win Final Game, Finish in Second Place in Indoor Soccer!
One word for the boys yesterday, Congratulations! The game was a nail biter, a 3-1 defeat of a tough Bridesburg team. With the win the Sabres U10 Boys finished in 2nd Place in their first Indoor Soccer Season. For the record they had 6 wins, 4 losses and 2 ties for 20 points, three better than Roxborough.
The scoring started in the first half with Koree Matecki scoring on a shot that was deflected off of a Bridesburg player into their own net. The goal would have never happened if Koree hadn't kept bouncing around like a pinball in the offensive corner to come out with the ball. He made three shots within ten seconds. The resulting goal being a shot that deflected off of two or three playerrs and went in. It was a hard shot to do all that. Koree made it happen!
Our second goal was scored by Carmen Roscoili on a feed from Scott Wagner. Since coming back to play in the second season, Scotty Wagner and Carmen have been exciting to watch. A couple of goals, a couple of assists. Their spirited play set up the second goal. Carmen blasted a Wagner pass from in front of the net just over the left shoulder of the Bridesburg goaltender. Carmen's goal put the Sabres up 2-1 and became the eventual game winner. Great passing!
You know that you have an opportunity to win when your players do the things that you ask them to do. Going into the corners and getting in front of the net are two of the things we have asked the boys to do over and over. Both Michael Jack Hatala and Jack Thackrah did this, playing strong games on the wings. Both Jack's had a couple of shots on goal as a result of fighting in the corners. They didn't score but they helped to keep the pressure on when we needed it. Great efforts!
On defense were Chase Nasife and Nick Colflesh. Nick was back from a two game absence. Nick truely complements Chase Nasife who has anchored the "D" all year long. All game long. especially towards the end of the game, Nick and Chase's play kept the ball out of the Sabres box and away from the net. They cleared at least four or five goals from happening. Outstanding teamwork!
Joey Iannacone and Chris Nelson were both bothered by the flu but played regardless. Both gave it all they had on the field. Joey scored the insurance goal to make it 3-1 and Chris eliminated many a chance for the Bridesburg team, clearing the back court on defefnse. Big hearts, guts!
Finally, in goal Tyler came up strong. As a last minute replacement for Chris Nelson, Tyler held the Bridesburg team to one score. Tyler has sceen more shots in this league than three outdoor seasons and it has definately inproved he goaltending prowlness. Great goaltending!
With the loss Bridesburg was eliminated from the playoffs. The Sabres will go on to face Roxborogh in the semifinals with the winner facing either Torresdale or Houston for the Philadelphia Department of Rec. U10C Indoor Soccer Championship.
The playoff games will be played this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, sites, times TBD soon. More than likely all will be at Bridesburg. I will communicate the information as soon as I have it.
Great game, season & fun!
Monday, March 12
Sabres U10 Boys complete sweep season series with Houston
Yesterday the Sabres U10 Boys completed a sweep of their season series with Houston, winning 6-3 at home. The game saw the return of offensive fire power that the Sabres have displayed on numerous occasions this season. Joey Iannacone scored three goals, Scott Wagner had two goals. Chase Nasife also scored a goal, in addition to playing excellent defense.
In goal Tyler Matecki played a strong game, yielding only three strikes and keeping the ball out of the net during two power plays for Houston. On defense, Tyler's brother Koree Matecki and Chris Nelson contributed one of their best defensive efforts protecting Tyler and forcing the ball upfield.
Finally on offense, the pair of Jacks, Michael Jack Hatala and Jack Thackrah both played hard into the corners and around the net to get ball to their teammates for the scores. They did not yield an inch to the opponents.
Good game boys! Again, this is another rebound for the Sabres in a quest to finish with a winning record and earn a playoff birth. The record stands at W5-L4-T1, good enough for 17 points and a technical second place spot.
At this point it is in our hands whether we finish in second place. To finish in second place and earn the right to play at home in the first playoff game we must win or tie the final game at Bridesburg on Sunday, March 18 at 2:00 PM. If we lose, we will surely play at Roxborough.
We can do it. We have the team. We have the heart. One more game. Then the playoffs. Stay tuned!
Sunday, March 4
Sabres go down to Roxborogh, 6-1
Just a short note on the game last week. Once again we played tough through the first half deadlocking the Roxborogh Indians at 1-1 on a goal by Joey Iannacone and excellent goaltending by Chris Nelson.
The second half again proved to be our challange. The substitute-rich Roxborogh team put it to the Sabres boys, who were playing on fumes at that point. With only one sub on our bench and being at a slight disadvantage when it comes to size, the Rox Team bulled their way to our net and scored five unanswered goals. the constest ended at 6-2 as Korie Matecki scored the final goal of the game and his second of the season.
Three more games to play and we are playing .500 ball at 4-4-2 with 14 points. We should make the playoffs (currently 3rd place) if we can get back to our winning ways. With a full squad, these boys can surely compete with any team in the league.
Monday, February 26
Academy Sabres U10 Indoor Soccer All Star Selections
Each season we have the parents and coach elect the All-Star participants by ballot. Voting allows for everyone to participate in the selection process. In the Fall 2006, Chase Nasife, Tyler Matecki and Joey Valerino were chosen for the Outdoor Classic. It should be noted I asked those who played in the Outdoor Classic to stand by to allow others an opportunity to participate in the All-Star competition. This was done to promote good sportsmanship. In the Fall Season, Joey Iannacone and Anthony Corrado did so without hesitation. With the Indoor game, Chase and Tyler have generously agreed to stand by, allowing other to participate. Sportsmanship is one of the qualities of good All-Stars and they all have it. Thanks boys.
All the boys have had a fun time playing indoor soccer this season. They have vastly improved their skills for competition on the outside come the new fall season. Each team was allowed to send four players to the game. Because we are in second place, we get to add the goaltender (although you voted him in without being added - i.e. he got enough votes).
So without further delay, here are your Academy Sabres U10 Indoor All-Star selections for the 2007 Season as chosen by the team parents and coach:
Academy Sabres
2007 Indoor Soccer All Star Selections
Player
Innacone, Joey - Forward
Colflesh, Nick - Defense
Matecki, Korie - Forward
Thackrah, Jack - Forward
Nelson, Christopher - Goaltender
Thank you again for participating in the selection process, for supporting the Academy Youth Association and thank you for allowing me to coach your boys.
Regards,
Coach Jack
(267) 980-3241
Monday, February 26
Sabres U10 Boys in Second Place in the PDR Indoor Soccer League
The Academy Sabres Boys U10 team is currently enjoying being in second place in the PDR Indoor Soccer league with 4 wins 3 losses and 2 ties for 14 points.
Monday, February 26
Vogt eliminate Sabres from Playoff
The Sabres were eliminated from the championship round of the playoffs by the Vogt Rec team, an undefeated team, 4-2.
Goals by Scott Wagner and Anthony Corrado were not enough to slow the Vogt team down. Look for great things from the Academy Sabres in the Indoor Season.
Saturday, November 18
Sabres Earn First Playoff birth with 3-3 Tie!
The boys played their hearts out on Saturday. What a thrilling game, a 3 - 3 tie on a last minute penalty shot from Joey Iannacone who completed his third hat trick of the year! That may have been the most important goal of our season as it put us in third place by a point (unofficially, read on). Kudos to the rest of the team for playing an all around great game on offense, middle of the field and defense. And let's not forget those goaltenders, Tyler and Chris, they played over their heads. I know it was only a tie but it was the biggest tie they could have gotten this year!
Parents, I am extremely proud of each and every one of those boys for how they played Saturday. They knew what was at stake. They are learning a lesson of a lifetime, winning isn't easy. They have come a long way from last year. They went through ups and downs and now some more ups. Please let them know how good they played and that if they keep playing like this they can win. They can do it one game at a time.
After much research I have cracked the code on the standings. From what I can piece together from the Department of Recreation Standings over the season, we are currently in 3rd place. There is a game that has not been played between the Holy Terrors and Roxborough. I spoke with the ROX coach tonight. He confirmed that he lost both games to the Torresdale team (YEAH!). He has a game that needs to be rescheduled with the Holy Terrors but he has had a difficult time catching up with their coach. This is the same coach we had to replay at night early in the season (seems like yesterday). The Rox Coach said that his team is just about done with soccer this season (parents were fed up), so I do not believe they will be playing any make up game. That is unless the Holy Terrors push for it and if they win we could be bumped down to fourth. That is the worst case scenerio. If that happens we would face the Vogt team. If it doesn't, we will be playing Torresdale again. Play 'em one game at a time. We only need one win to get to the dance. It is all up to the boys.
Whatever the case, I will let you know when I know. Hopefully our first playoff will not be this weekend and hopefully it will not be our last.
Teams Win Loss Tie Points
Vogt 9 0 0 27
Torresdale 6 2 1 19
Academy Sabres 4 4 1 13
Holy Terrors 4 3 0 12*
Roxborough 3 5 0 9*
Houston 1 6 1 4
Bridesburg 0 8 1 1
*did not complete
Saturday, November 11
Vogt Takes Season Series from Sabres
The boys played the toughest team today, Vogt losing 6-2. Sabres lost for the fourth time this season bring their record to 4-4-0 with 12 points. Our bright spot today was a two goals performance by Anthony Corrado.
Vogt is very good at taking advantage of opportunities when given. There is a reason that they are 7-0 this year and there is a reason that they went 9-1 last year, winning the PDR Championship. They are good. We are too. We played a tough game against them. The nice thing about our season is that as in the NFL it is very difficult to beat a team three times in one season. So if we meet in the playoffs, maybe our luck will change. I know their coach feels the same way as he told them after the game that of all the teams they played, ours is the one that they do not want to meet in the playoffs. That was a nice compliment for our boys. Let's hope it proves to be an omen for the Sabres in the playoffs
Monday, November 6
Win some lose some but always go to McDonald's in between games
This weekend the Sabres Boys U10 Team won one and lost one and had a good time at McDonald's in between. In the first game we came out strong scoring first but fell behind 3-1. That was the eventual score as the game ended. The boys played tough and never quit but on this morning, Roxbough was just too tough to overcome. Joey Iannacone had the lone Sabres goal of the game.
In the afternoon game against Bridesburg, the Sabres again opened the scoring but gave up a couple of goals before the end of the first half. In the second half, the boys regrouped to score five unanswered goals. This was probably the most productive game this team has ever played because in it they did everything they had learned in practice and from previous game situations. They overcame a deficit, winning after being down 2-1. They played their positions and when they got out of position they got back in position. They lined up for the corner kicks and made some good attempts toward the net. They passed, they carried the ball and they shot the ball. Everyone contributed in this win. The goaltending made excellent saves and booming boots upfield. The defense pinned the opposition into their zone much of the game not letting any clearing attempts through. The offense was on their game with a hat trick from Joey Iannacone and season's first goals from Korie Matecki, David Murphy and first year player Michael Jack Hatala. They played their butts off and they knew it!
With the days events our team record is now at 4 wins, 3 losses and 0 ties for 12 points. That is good enough to keep us in 3rd place with two games to go. This week we face Vogt at their field at 9:00 AM. No misprint here, it is a 9:00 AM start so mark your calendar's. The teams that finish in the top four will go to the playoffs. First vs. 4th and 2nd vs. 3rd. The winners of those matches will play for the Championship. I am keeping the boys focused on making the playoffs, if we win one more I will bet we are a lock to get in. Keep your fingers crossed. It will only take one playoff victory to get to the Championship game. It is all up to them at that point.
Thursday, November 2
Three Sabres Compete in PDR All Star Game
The Academy Sabres were represented in the Philadelphia Department of Recreation U10 All Star Game recently. They are Tyler Matecki, Joey Valerino and Chase Nasife. All three played key roles in the Blue All Stars defeating the White by a score of 5-1. Chase Nasife assisted on one goal, Joey Valerino played strong defense and Tyler Matecki played goalie in the first half, surrendering only one goal.
This year the team sent a defensive trio to the Mid Season Classic, as opposed to last year when we sent our offensive guns, Anthony Corrado and Joey Iannacone. Each player was chosen by a ballot given to the parents, their true fans. We know every parent would like to choose thier son so we asked them to pick their son and four other players. The top three got to go.
The All Star game is great recognition for a job well done during the season. Everyone who attended had a good time.
Wednesday, October 25
Sabres Loose Second Straight
The Sabres U10 Boys Soccer Team lost on Saturday to the Torresdale Boys Club 4-2 but it was not for a lack of trying. It was the second straight game in which Scott Wagner fired two goals into the opposition nets. Defensive play from All Star Chase Nasife held the TBC from scoring more goals against the Sabres.
Next game is against Bridesburg, Saturday at 12:30 PM.
Wednesday, October 25
Sabres Fall for the 1st time this Season
The Academy Sabres boys U10 Soccer team was defeated by Vogt on Saturday by a score of 7-4. The two goals each by Joey Iannacone and Scott Wagner were not enough to win, as Vogt exploited defensive mistakes of not clearing the ball out of the crease and moving it up field.
Next opponent, Torresdale Boys Club
Wednesday, October 25
Sabres rocked in Columbus Day Tournament
Our team took three onthe chin at the UJSL Columbus Cup held at the Philly Soccer Club. In the first game we faced the U9 Philly Soccer team and we over matched 7-1. In the second game we versed the United German Hungarians and fell to them by a score of 8-1 and in the final game we played the Chestnut Hill team who won by a score of 4-1.
In the first game we never had a chance, stunned by the PSC's excellent ball handling capabilities. In the second game, we held the UGH team for the first ten minutes and then they opened up with the shooting and passing attacks on us. In the final match, we played the Chestnut Hill team even in the second half 0-0.
All the teams we faced we "A" caliper teams so even though we got our pants beat off, we were able to learn some valuable lessons about passing, positioning and performing to take back to our Saturday league and most importantly, the boys had fun together.
Sunday, September 24
Sabres defeat Rox, 5-2
Sabres started off the 2006 Season with a win on Saturday over the Roxborough Indians. Led by Joey Iannacone with three goals, Anthony Corrado with a goal and two assists and a final goal from Chase Nasife, the Sabres brought home their first ever win in competition in the Phildelphia Department of Recreation League (2005 & 2006).
The whole team contributed to this win. Goaltenders were courageous inside the box, diving for the ball and getting rid of it quickly. Our defense aggresively blocked shots and moved the ball out of the box. The midfielders time after time were engaging the offense to slow down the attacks, stealing the balls to move forward for the offense. The offensive was on fire, passing, shhoting and scoring. These kids were hungry for a win today as was displayed in the final score.
In all, it was exciting to see our Sabres win, the first of many in the 2006 Season.
Sunday, October 1
Sabres win vs. Holy Terrors
The Academy Sabres U10 Boys defeated the Holy Terrors 3-2. See game summary under scores.
Sunday, October 1
Academy Sabres defeat Houston 5-1
See game summary under the score.
Saturday, September 23
Academy Sabres U10 Boys Open 2006 Season
Welcome players, family and friends of the Academy Sabres U10 Boys Soccer Team to the Fall Season 2006!
We had a tough year last year. For many it was the first year of competitive travel club soccer. We learned a lot about the game of soccer and how to compete at a high level. It's not easy and it's not for everyone. It takes practice and teamwork. The boys of this team truly worked hard last year. Unfortunately, we only won one game last season, that was in the Thanksgiving Day Tournament. We had a number of the games in which we simply dominated the other team but allowed a goal at the wrong time that we just couldn't get back. We learned for those games.
Fortunately, we are a year older and a year wiser. Some teammates moved on and we have added a seven new players. This has brought added speed to the Sabres line-up. The boys have worked really hard in practice leading up to the first game and they have been focused on the team concept. It has been explained to them that they are all need to work together in order to gain the edge on the competition. WE have talked to them about respect for their teammates, the opposition, the officials and the game. It will be interesting to see the difference between this year and last.
I speak for the boys here because I don't know if they tell you enough, "Thanks Mom and Dad for getting me to the practices and games on time. Thanks for getting me ready to play before the game making sure I eat something so I don't run out of gas on the field. Thanks for getting me a ball, new shin pads and new spikes so I don't get injured or hurt out there. Most of all, thanks for being there when you can to watch my games and cheer me on!"
So now we start the Fall 2006 season. We look forward to seeing everyone out there this season. We look forward to winning some games and advancing into the playoffs. Most of all, we look forward to having some fun!
Thanks for your support.
Regards,
Coach Jack
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