Soccer Notebook
Mahopac Raises Cancer Awareness in Win over Carmel
It was a pretty sight, indeed, last Wednesday when the Mahopac Indians hosted the rival Carmel Rams on Breast Cancer Awareness Night when both program invited their local youth teams out on to the field in a show of unity and support against the dreaded that disease that threatens the lives of hundreds of millions worldwide. They linked arms with one another, the youngsters looking up at their trailblazers in awe… the Mahopac gals decked out in pink, the neighboring Rams showing full respect for the event. It was TOWN over RIVALRY, two of Section 1’s chief adversaries coming together for a cause.
The game itself belonged to Mahopac, the Indians cruising to a 7-0 triumph, but the introductions and opening moments stole the show; until Mahopac senior F Grace DiVincenzo (12G, 2A on the year) assumed control by notching a hat trick, several goals off feeds from junior speedster Mia Klammer (1G, 3A), who leads the Indians with 20 points (13G, 7A). Sabrina Nogula, Alyssa Chiulli and Hailey Pereira also scored while Marissa McCarney added an assist for the Indians, who are preparing for potential post-season challenges from state-ranked (No.9) North Rockland and three-time defending sectional champion Arlington, ranked No.4 in NYS.
The Indians (9-2), the current No.4 seed in Class AA, followed that win up with a 2-1 win over John Jay EF Friday when DiVincenzo and Klammer each tickled twine while Pereira added an assist and G Sophia Curcio notched eight saves.
CLASS A
SOMERS (9-2-1) suffered its second loss of the season Friday, a 1-0 setback to John Jay CR. Previously, Somers had pitched its ninth shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over YORKTOWN. Goals Noelle DeMarinis (who had a 4-game goal streak), Megan Blanch and Ella Kittredge broke open a tight game.
BREWSTER (6-3-1) edged LAKELAND (7-5), 1-0, on a goal by Gianna DeRose from Amanda Sherman. YORKTOWN (4-5-2), HEN HUD (4-5) and PANAS (2-8) will need to finish strong the next couple of weeks if they want to avoid facing the top seeds in the opening round, should they crack the qualifying round. They currently sit at No.16, 17 and 19, respectively, in the Class A bracket. Somers, which has allowed just four goals all season, sits at No.4, Brewster at No.11 and Lakeland at 13.
Hen Hud’s Kiara Virada currently has 14G, 2A. Lakeland’s Nadia Parisi has 6G, 8A.
BOYS’ SOCCER
CLASS A
Thursday was one of those days the separated the contenders from the pretenders when defending Section 1 champion SOMERS (9-1, 5-0) struck for five unanswered goals in a decisive 5-1 victory over visiting YORKTOWN (6-4, 3-2) last Thursday, putting a distinct gap between the neighboring league rivals. Somers, winners of six in a row, erased a goal by Yorktown’s George Popvic by shifting a couple of players around, placing them in positions that allowed the Tuskers to change the game’s tempo. Thusly, Somers sophomore Bennet Leitner changed the outcome and finished with two goals and two assists in a game that clearly separated the two league title challengers.
Tusker Diego Giron turned the game on a dime by sending a 35-yard blast home for a 3-1 lead while Daniel Dippolito had a goal and an assist and Derek Marques added a goal.
“Right now we are playing like a family,” said third-year Somers Coach Brian Lanzetta, who has snagged two of the last three Section 1 Class A titles. “The older boys are leading by example and the younger guys are stepping up and playing key roles. The boys are figuring out success is made when they focus their energy on positive play and hard work ethic, backing each other up and helping one another. The boys have one goal in mind getting back to states… we are taking one game at a time. In our program, together, as a unit, we stress positive play and a hard work ethic with sportsmanship. Our boys are doing just that.”
Somers, which also shut out LAKELAND (5-5-1), 3-0, has outscored its opponents 31-3 since there lone loss of the season, winning straight. As big as the win was for Somers, it was equally paralyzing for Yorktown, which has to find a way to recover.
“We really didn’t come to play, especially in that second half, but we have a ton of self-worth on this team and we know we can still be the best team in the section when we are on our game,” Yorktown Captain Tim O’Callaghan said. “We just have to embrace the underdog role now and know that any of the top seeds that draws us come playoff time will be pretty upset about it.”
YORKTOWN’s 8-0 win over BREWSTER came largely on the back of senior O’Callaghan who bagged a hat trick and added an assist for the Huskers, the current No.8 seed. Mikey O’Connor, George Popvic, Peter Tinaj, Mason Murphy and Nabil Kamal each scored once.
PANAS is quietly having one of its best seasons in recent memory, improving to 6-5 and holding down the No.14 seed. Panther striker Tristan Phillips had three goals and an assist, including the go-ahead score with six minutes in a 4-3 win over John Jay CR. Phillips is a finisher, for sure.
CLASS AA
OSSINING improved to 10-2 when Jose Padilla scored two goals and dished one assist for the Pride in a 5-0 win over Port Chester. Nolan Lenaghan, among the finest players in the section, placed a pair between the pipes. Pride playmaker Juan Pablo Estupinan set up three tallies. Lenaghan, who has 21G and 3A, had a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Fox Lane earlier in the week as the Pride worked their way to a potential No.2 seed. Lenaghan, as good a student athlete as they have in Ossining, is having one of the all-time great seasons in program history, no other way to put it.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
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