Boys’ soccer

Burke ‘hands’ Bulldogs bitter defeat

Missed call of Burke hand ball in the box gives Eagles win

By RICHARD A. ROSS

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — Such a fantastic soccer game with OCIAA Division IV ramifications should never have been decided by an official non-call.

Unfortunately, the September 28 match between John S. Burke Catholic and Sullivan West came down to just that. After first-half play resulted in a 0-0 standoff, Burke struck first early in the second half when Pat Rourke fired a penalty kick by Sullivan West keeper Joe Layman at 5:35.

That goal was not at issue, but its effect was to trigger even more zealous play by Sullivan West, which ramped up its intensity as its players hustled for every ball.

Kienan Garn trapped a ball on the right side of the field and, using hustle and persistence, he kept the ball moving up the sideline. A cross to Jonathan Reynolds put the striker at a great angle to beat Burke keeper Tyler Locatell. Reynolds’ shot was clearly ‘handed’ by a Burke player in the box and the ball dropped directly to the ground.

Bulldog players and their coaches waited for a whistle, but to their shock and awe there was none. Instead of a penalty kick and the requisite ejection of the Burke player, the violation—witnessed by virtually everyone in the stands and on the sideline—was not seen by the officials, one of whom was far backfield, stationed to observe offsides violations at the other end. A successful penalty kick would have tied the score but, alas, it was not to be.

Burke used fine skills to score a second goal that would prove to be the difference maker. The Eagles worked a beautiful set play off a corner kick that had a crossing James Delaney head the ball in for a score at 27:37. Raul Sanchez provided the assist. That put the Eagles up two to zip.

But the Bulldogs wouldn’t quit. Fighting for every ball, Sullivan West continued to dominate play by keeping the pressure on in the Burke end. Kevin Cappiello had a nice chance to drill one in, but his shot went wide. Then, with less than four minutes remaining, Chris Franke picked up a ball from Jonathan Reynolds and headed one in to make the score 2-1. By all rights, that goal should have tied the score, but time soon ran out hastened by Burke’s delaying tactics on their throw ins.

Despite the crushing defeat for Sullivan West, the game featured soccer at its best. The second-half drama followed up an outstanding scoreless first half defined by outstanding defense, as both teams worked hard to keep the ball out of their own end.

Sullivan West got the better of the play and had a couple of good chances, which they couldn’t finish. Jonathan Reynolds blasted a liner over the top of the goal on a direct kick at 30:05. Kienan Garn had a nice shot deflected by the keeper three minutes later. Burke had its chances too, including a direct kick blast by Brad Mortimorel, which Bulldog keeper Joy Layman deftly turned aside. Garn and Reynolds worked a pretty set but Reynolds’ shot went wide of the goal. On the sidelines, Sullivan West coaches Debbie Owens and Ron Bernhardt silently lamented those missed opportunities. You don’t get many against Burke.

Following the game, Owens and Bernhardt gathered their players in the goal. “You guys played great soccer,” said Owen, “They had only two runs. You controlled the game and outplayed them. We’re so proud of you,” said Owen.

Bernhardt told the team, “We earned their respect whether they’ll admit it or not. We had four or five opportunities and they got a big break on that non-goalie save in the box,” said Bernhardt. “I know this loss is tough, but we’ve got to keep our focus,” added Owen.

Burke’s Record improved to 6-2 (3-0 OCIAA). Sullivan West’s record is now 6-5 (1-2 OCIAA)

For additional pictures visit www.riverreportersports.com and click on Sullivan West to find the article by the same title.

Getting up to date with Comets’ soccer

By BRODY EHRLICH, FALLSBURG HS

FALLSBURG, NY — The Fallsburg varsity boys’ soccer team started out the season successfully compiling a 5-0 record. That initial flurry of wins included victories over The Family School by the score of 4-2, over Eldred by the score of 9-0, a 1-0 shutout of Chester, a 6-0 blanking of Chapel Field and a 4-0 shutout of Tri-Valley. It appeared as if the Comets were unstoppable, having yielded only two goals in five games.

But, alas, the run was not to continue. The sixth game of the season featured the team’s first loss of the season as it fell to James I O’ Neill, a class B school. This was a tough game for both teams, with the halftime score reading 0-0. Fallsburg wanted that win, and played their hearts out for the second half. However, the pressure of the O’Neill offense finally took its toll and in the final few minutes Fallsburg gave up two goals, sustaining their first loss of the season.

The woes of the team continued as they faced tough division rival Tuxedo on September 26. The weather was terrible, and the two teams were forced to play in the pouring rain. For Fallsburg, this was a great disadvantage because it took away a key component of their strategy, namely their speed. This showed in the first half as Tuxedo scored two goals, both by Neil Campbell. Despite the deficit, Fallsburg refused to give up in the second half, and repeatedly pressured the Tuxedo defense, but to no avail. The final score was 2-0.

After sustaining two consecutive losses, the team and their coach, Jeremy Levner, looked to correct their mistakes and identified the weakness. The team needed to execute—in the two losses, the team had scored no goals.

Before the next game, with Fallsburg playing Seward, its other division rival, Coach Levner told the team, “the defense plays their heart out every game, now it’s time for the offense to step up. Score for them.” And they did.

Within the first five minutes, Fallsburg striker David Anthony, who had been benched for the two losses due to a disciplinary problem, put one in the net. However, Seward would not go down without a fight, and they tied the game in the final minutes of the first half. Through the second, there was no score, and the game went into overtime. In overtime there was no score, and so Fallsburg was forced to accept a tie, a bittersweet result after having working so hard.

After falling to Sullivan West on October 1, the Comets’ record is 5-3-1 (2-1 OCIAA). Seward sits atop of Division V with a record of 6-0-2 (3-0-1 OCIAA).