Yorktown Topples Somers in OT, Could Tango Again in Class A Semis
By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
YORKTOWN’s George Popovic certainly drilled some of the biggest goals of the regular season last week, including last Tuesday’s OT stunner over visiting SOMERS when the state-ranked (No.13) Huskers (14-1-1) knocked off the top-ranked Tuskers, 2-1, on the senior strikers 40-yard bomb into the top corner of the far post. Popovic followed that up with Saturday’s game-winner, sending a free kick into the top left corner for a 1-0 OT triumph of visiting Horace Greeley.
The senior, who has drawn D-I interest from several programs, is on the kind of roll that has the Huskers dreaming about a second sectional title in the last five years.
“Luckily I’ve been doing my thing,” said Popovic, who has 19 goals and 16 assists through 16 games. “Number one, my teammates have made life easy for me. When everyone is making the right and simple play, it’s easy to win games and tally up individual success. Another thing is my coaches put me and the team in the best position to succeed, they are geniuses when it comes to recognizing strengths and weaknesses within our opponents, and listening to their insight on who I should line myself up against or where I should position myself has been a huge factor to our overall success this year.
“The regular season is in the past now, and we are happy with how we performed there,” Popovic added, “but now it’s a new season and all of that is in the past so now we have to prove we can keep getting results when it really matters.”
What matters now is the path to the finals, which got a heck of a lot tougher when Somers was dealt the No.2 seed and Yorktown drew the three, which means the two best teams in Class A will likely meet in the semifinals should they handle their business. Tappan Zee, who Somers staggered by eight goals earlier this season, earned the No.1 seed while Eastchester secured the No.4 and Saunders rounds out the top five (Byram Hills was expecting the 6th seed).
In the Yorktown/Somers game, the Popovic goal, assisted by Mason Murphy, touched off a mad-cap celly as Yorktown’s infamous Crop stormed the field in raucous fashion after the Class A superpowers waged an epic battle. The loss was the first of the season for Somers (13-1).
“The boys left everything they had on the field,” first-year Yorktown Coach Zoran Milojevic said. “We needed that win.
Senior M Peter Tinaj spotted the Huskers a 1-0 lead two minutes deep off an assist from Chris Coppolla, but Somers M Daniel D’Ippolito found teammate Bennett Leitner, who cashed in the equalizer with 27:38 before the break. Tinaj and Somers G Anthony Tucci were delivered a red card and the game ended 10-on-10. Yorktown G J.P. Frucco, who has been a solid keeper of the cage all season, had six saves, including a giant denial in OT. Yorktown’s entire defense was superb, as was Somers in this frenzied pitch rivalry that ranks among the best in the section.
“We needed this one bad,” Popovic said before adding two more tallies in Thursday’s 3-1 win over MAHOPAC.
Popovic has flashed proof of his scoring prowess all season, finishing and dishing with equal ability.
“It’s an incredible achievement, in my opinion,” Milojevic said. “One of my promises at the interview process was to help our players continue to play soccer past high school. George is being lured by several D1 colleges, Peter Tinaj is talking to D2 and D3 schools and Mason has options ranging from D1 to D3.”
Husker Derek Belloff-Davis chipped in with a goal and an assist while Ryan Tomeny and Matt Pozo each set up a goal for the Huskers. Indian Manny Perez knotted the game at 1-all off a first-half PK.
LAKELAND had a shot at the League II-D title but a 1-0 loss to host Lourdes put an end to that on Thursday. Lourdes captured the League II-D title. Lakeland G Chris Ciraco (11 saves) kept the Hornets (8-7) in the game, but the offense could not generate enough flow as the Hornets were shutout for the third straight game.
“I don’t think in my 17 years at Lakeland we have lost three games in a season by a 1-0 score, let alone three in a row by that score,” Lakeland Coach Tim Hourahan said. “It was an absolutely brutal week, having also lost the league title to Lourdes. We were feeling great coming into the week, but now we need to find a way to keep battling and reset with the sectionals coming. Our opponents are just making the breaks for themselves and we are kind of searching. We are a resilient group and I expect to play well in the new season at 0-0 with everyone else.”
PEEKSKILL defeated Lakeland for the second time in the last three matches between the two when Zion Arevalo snagged a rebound off the keeper for the game’s only goal with 19 seconds left in regulation. Angel Menjivar (nine saves) posted the clean sheet for likely No.10 seed Peekskill (11-5) while Ciraco made nine saves in a defensive struggle.
HEN HUD knocked off PANAS, 4-2, when Sailors Helmer Herrera and Zach Zalamea each scored their initial varsity goals. Tyler Robinson and Mateo Castro (2) also scored for the Sailors (6-8), who are potentially looking at an out-bracket playoff game to reach the field of 16. Kyle Arriano scored for the Panthers (4-11), who will find it tough to qualify for the postseason.
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.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.
