George School completed a perfect regular season and clinched first place going into the playoffs with a pair of wins; 4-0 over host Moorestown on October 14^th and a come-from-behind 2-1 decision over Friends' Central at home on the 17^th. Germantown, with a 4-0 win over Abington in a make-up game on October 22^nd, wrested second place from Friends' Central.   Other games on the 17^th had visiting Westtown top Select 3-1, host Abington beat Moorestown by the same score, and visiting Germantown blank ANC 4-0.

     In George's win over Moorestown senior Iba Touré netted two goals (9^th, 52^nd).  Assists came from classmates Gene McDermott, Andy Carten and Erik Lowell.  McDermott's brother Jay, a junior, headed in a cross from classmate Mike Bernardini in the 42^nd minute and then assisted on a 72^nd minute goal by freshman Parker Feldman.  Senior Jamie Stevens had three saves in the shutout.  After a scoreless first half in a very even and well played game, Friends' Central opened the scoring at George on a 48^th minute goal by sophomore Tom Vail with an assist from classmate Alex McElroy.  Thirteen minutes later the Phoenix knocked in an own goal, credited to Bernardini, assisted by Lowell.  Artaki pushed in the game-winner after a goalmouth scramble in the 77^th minute.  Bernardini got the assist. 

     Also on the 17^th Westtown got a goal and an assist from junior Robert LaManna to go along with goals by sophomore Zach Bull and senior Javier Song and assists by juniors Max Abbott and Kevin Roose.  The Falcons' tally was by Ho-yun Keum.  Germantown got two second-half goals and an assist from sophomore Mbizo Mzamane to lead the way at ANC.  Senior Andy Soprano, normally the keeper, played striker as he recovered from a back injury and scored the first goal to put the Tigers up 1-0 at the half.  Senior Max Samuel had the fourth goal and classmate Nate Geller contributed two assists and sophomore Brian Pepe-Mooney added one.  Junior John Barstow made 6 saves for the shutout.  The final game on the 17^th saw Moorestown open the scoring in the 7^th minute on a goal by senior Will Stouffer with an assist from classmate Jon Wolf.  'roo senior Josh Simon evened the match in the 17^th minute with an assist from classmate Anthony Casola.  Senior Adam Kornblau tallied the game-winner in the 55^th minute with an assist from sophomore Robert Armstrong.  Kornblau then assisted on Simon's insurance goal in the 74^th minute.

    In the GFS-AFS game the Tigers need a win or tie to avoid having to play their semifinal game against FCS at a neutral site.  The 'roos needed a win or tie to grab the final playoff spot.  A loss would put ANC in as the 4^th place team to face George School.  With their future on the line, the ANC team came out to cheer for GFS to extend their season at least through the semifinals.  The Tigers opened the scoring on an 11^th minute penalty kick by senior Ted Boughter-Dornfeld after a hand ball in the area.  That score held through halftime.  The hosts stepped up the attack in the second period, getting two more goals from Mzamane and a maiden varsity goal (as well as an assist) from classmate David Robb.  Other assists came from seniors Seth Tannenbaum, Jordan Holtzman-Constan, John Evans and Geller.  Soprano, back in goal, made 6 saves for the shutout.

    The semifinal games, set for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 25^th, have # 1 George School hosting # 4 ANC and # 2 Germantown hosting # 3 Friends' Central.  The winners will meet on Tuesday, October 28^th at 2:15 p.m. at the field of the higher-ranked remaining team.

     Congratulations to the GFS JV team which finished their season undefeated at 8-0-2 (6-0-1 in the league), scoring 28 goals while giving up only 3.

    Host Moorestown came back from an 0-1 halftime deficit to beat ANC 3-1 on Thursday, October 2^nd.   Junior Jesse Brown put the Lions ahead on a 10^th minute direct kick to the near post.  The Foxes came back with two early second half goals off corner kicks.  Senior Matt Maddocks headed in a ball redirected off the head of classmate Jon Wolf after a 46^th minute corner.  Three minutes later senior Mark Pelligrini headed in a corner from junior Max Friedman.  Wolf tallied an insurance goal in the 59^th minute with an assist from senior Chris Mauro.  Also on the 2^nd host Friends' Central blanked Abington 2-0 with a goal late in each half.  Senior Chris Campbell netted a penalty kick in the 39^th minute, while sophomore Galen Guindon scored in the 78^th minute with an assist from classmate Tom Vail.

    On Friday the 3^rd ANC blanked Friends Select at home, 2-0.  In the 9^th minute senior Garrett Nash lofted a cross from the right touch line which ended up in the far side netting.  So the score remained until the 79^th minute when Brown finished a breakaway off a booming assist from senior keeper Preston Alden who made three saves for the shutout.  Also on the 3^rd host Westtown handed Friends' Central its first league loss of the season 2-1 in overtime in a game rescheduled from September 19^th.  Junior Tim Howie opened the scoring for the winners in the 37^th minute with an assist from classmate Albie Swartz.  Campbell netted the equalizer in the 69^th minute with an assist from classmate Dean Granoff.  Senior Keith Miller tallied the game-winner off a scramble six minutes into overtime with an assist from classmate Javier Song.  Senior keeper Max Thoeni kept the hosts in the game with 25 saves.

    On Tuesday the 7^th George School visited Germantown and came home with a 1-0 win in a hard-fought game with a playoff atmosphere.  Senior Andrew Carten cracked a 25 yarder into the far side net only four minutes into the game.  He was assisted by junior Alex Artaki.  About 10 minutes later a hard but clean collision going for a high ball sent senior Tiger keeper Andy Soprano to the sidelines, but replacement junior John Barstow kept the Cougars off the board.  George School keeper senior Jamie Stevens was equally as tough.  A potential tying shot in the final minute of play by Tiger defender senior Jordan Holtzman-Constan whistled just a foot wide.   

    Also on the 7^th host Friends' Central topped Friends Select 2-0.   Junior Adam Farrar scored the first goal in the 26^th minute with an assist from Campbell.  Campbell netted the second goal in the 56^th minute with an assist from classmate Dave Berg.  Senior Josh Meltz made 6 saves for the shutout.  Also on the 7^th host Westtown topped Moorestown 3-0.  Junior Robert LaManna opened the scoring in the 15^th minute, assisted by Song.  LaManna tallied again in the 39^th minute.  Howie closed out the scoring in the 55^th minute with an assist from LaManna.

    On Wednesday the 8^th host ANC needed overtime to top Abington 1-0.  Brown's penalty kick after a handball in the second minute of overtime was the only tally of the contest. After the PK Abington pulled their keeper and put a lot of pressure on for the final 18 minutes, but the Lions held them off.   Senior Preston Alden had 8 saves for the shutout. 

    On Friday the 10^th host Abington blanked Westtown 3-0 on a hat trick from senior Josh Simon (1^st, 15^th and 70^th minutes).  Classmates Adam Kornblau (2) and Anthony Casola had the assists.  Ben Roller notched the shutout for the 'roos.  Also on the 10^th host George School continued its unbeaten league season with a 5-0 shutout of Friends Select.  Junior Mike Bernardini had a hat trick.  Seniors Jay McDermott and Iba Touré each scored with an assist from the other.  Other assist makers were seniors Kyle Sanphy and JT Lawrie.  Stevens and McDermott shared the shutout.  The final game on the 10^th saw host Friends' Central and Germantown play to a 1-1 tie in a well and hard played game.  Tiger sophomore Mbizo Mzamane opened the scoring in the 18^th minute with an assist from senior Nate Geller.  Phoenix soph Alex McElroy (assisst from Tom Vail) evened the contest just before half time and the keepers and defenses took over from there to keep the score at 1-1.  The Tigers had a first half goal called back for offsides.

    George School, Friends' Central and Germantown won games on Thursday, September 25^th, while ANC notched their first league win on Friday, September 26^th.  All four winners were visiting teams.  George School continued their high-scoring ways with a 5-0 blanking of defending champion Abington.  The Cougars took a 3-0 half-time lead with a 14^th minute goal by junior Jay McDermott off a through ball by senior Erik Lowell, a 21^st minute goal by senior Kyle Sanphy with an assist from McDermott and a 24^th minute goal by senior Andy Carten off an assist from Lowell.  Sanphy tallied unassisted in the 62^nd minute and junior Alex Artaki closed out the scoring in the 79^th minute with an assist from senior Alex Herman.  Senior Jamie Stevens had 7 saves to preserve the shutout.  Friends' Central jumped to an early 2-0 lead, before alternating goals with Moorestown to end up a 3-2 winner.  Sophomore Tom Vail opened the scoring for the Phoenix with an 8^th minute goal, assisted by senior Chris Campbell.  Sophomore Galen Guindon doubled the lead with an unassisted goal in the 16^th minute.  Moorestown senior Chris Mauro tallied in the 31^st minute with an assist from classmate Mark Pellegrini.  Freshman Josh Aichenbaum put the visitors back up by 2 goals in the 65^th minute with Campbell again assisting, before Mauro closed out the scoring with a 78^th minute penalty kick.  Germantown scored once in the first half and twice in the second to blank Friends Select 3-0.  In the 15^th minute senior Nate Geller headed in a cross from sophomore Brian Pepe-Mooney who got the ball from sophomore Mbizo Mzamane.  Mzamane tallied both second half goals, the first a 25 yard blast and the second a tap in after beating a number of Falcon defenders.  Geller and classmate Ted Boughter-Dornfeld had assists.  Junior John Barstow made two saves for the shutout.  ANC was stymied by Westtown's tough defense for 70 minutes, before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes for a 2-0 win.  Senior Garrett Nash converted a switched ball from junior Johan Steiner at the top of the 18 in the 70^th minute.  Eight minutes later senior Chris David scored on a breakaway on a through ball from sophomore Ivan Asplundh.  Senior Preston Alden had 9 saves for the shutout.

    On Monday, September 29^th Friends' Central pulled off another road win, this time 3-1 at ANC.  The hosts tallied first in the 33^rd minute when senior Blake Holmes knocked in a cross at the near-post from classmate Ben Mansbach.  The Phoenix awoke in the second half with Vail scoring in the 44^th minute with an assist from Campbell.  Aichenbaum netted the game-winner in the 61^st minute with Campbell again assisting.  Senior David Berg put in an insurance goal in the 65^th minute with an assist from Guindon. 

    On Tuesday, September 30^th George School met Westtown School for the 100^th time in their long history dating back to 1915.  The Cougars moved to 3-0 in the league with a 5-3 thriller.  Senior Iba Touré opened the scoring with a 4^th minute header with assists coming from classmates JT Lawrie and Carten.  Artaki netted an unassisted goal in the 13^th minute and McDermott closed out the first half scoring with a 37^th minute goal won off a defender.  Westtown's second half comeback was started by junior Albie Swartz's 56^th minute penalty kick.  Junior Mike Bernardini put the Cougars back up by three with a 60^th minute shot from the far post off an assist from Artaki.  Then things got interesting as junior Robert LaManna tallied two goals on free kicks; a 22-yarder in the 74^th minute and a 25 yarder one minute into stoppage time to bring the hosts to within one goal.  Lowell dashed Westtown's hopes with a goal in the second minute of stoppage with an assist from senior Gavin Dalgleish.    The win was the 41^st for George against 46 losses and 13 ties.

    Also on the 30^th, host Germantown scored three first-half goals on the way to a 3-1 win over Moorestown.  The win kept the Tigers even with George at 3-0.  Boughter-Dornfeld opened for the Tigers with a 20^th minute PK after being tripped in the area.  Mzamane scored 10 minutes later off a perfect through ball from senior Max Samuel.  Geller netted the third goal in the 36^th minute with assists from Samuel and Boughter-Dornfeld.  Mauro put the Foxes on the board in the 65^th minute, knocking in a loose ball after a collision with the Tigers' keeper.

     The final contest on the 30^th resulted in a 4-1 road win for Abington over Select.  Senior Josh Simon had a hat trick for the 'roos, including 2 direct kicks in the second half and a header off an assist from classmate Lee Berman.  Berman had the other goal assisted by senior Adam Kornblau.  Select's goal brought them to within 2-1 before Abington pulled away.

FSL BOYS SOCCER NEWSLETTER

 

VOLUME XXI NO. 1     SEPTEMBER 22, 2003

 

TIGERS, COUGARS AND FOXES NOTCH OPENING WINS

 

     On Tuesday, September 16^th Germantown opened the 2003 season with a 1-0 road win at Westtown.  The hosts focused on defense and particularly the offsides trap.  Despite seven offsides calls, the Tigers were able to generate quite a number of breakaway chances.  Only one was converted into a goal, however.  Midway through the first half senior goalie Andy Soprano dropkicked a ball some 60 yards to classmate Nate Geller who tucked it past senior Westtown keeper Max Thoeni for the only tally of the game.  Thoeni made 17 saves to keep the game close for the hosts.  Two games were played on Friday, September 19^th and two were canceled due to school closings.  The Westtown-Friends Central and Abington-Germantown games were postponed to as yet undetermined dates.  George hosted ANC and found everything rolling their way in a 6-0 whitewash.  The hosts led 2-0 at the half and pumped in four more goals in the second stanza.  Junior Alex Artaki had a goal and two assists while senior Erik Lowell contributed 2 goals and one assist.  Senior Kyle Sanphy scored twice and junior Patrick Rivage-Seul netted the other Cougar tally.  Others contributing assists were seniors Iba Toure, Gene McDermott and Andrew Carten and juniors Jay McDermott and Dan Knaster.  Senior Jamie Stevens garnered 4 saves on the way to the shutout.  In the other game on the 19^th host Moorestown doubled a 2-0 halftime lead for a 4-0 shutout of Friends Select.  Senior Jon Wolf netted a penalty kick and then assisted on a goal by classmate Mark Pellegrini in the first half.  Senior Chris Mauro scored on a PK before Adrian Concepcion closed out the scoring with an assist from Wolf.