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Standings,
results and other stats
Over a 72-hour period last week, former champions New York Greek-American/Atlas
pulled off a league and cup double over old rivals New York Athletic
Club -- reviving their title hopes and advancing to the regional
final of the U.S. Men’s Amateur Open Cup in the process.
The Greeks, whose form has been mercurial at best this season, required
extra time to edge Mark Semioli’s hitherto in-form NYAC 2-1
in the Open Cup semis at Ichan Stadium last Thursday.
Chris Megaloudis clinched the winner after Paul Grafas had canceled
out Ryan Kneipper’s first half effort to force OT.
Atlas’ reward is a Pan-Hellenic showdown with another arch-foe,
Pancyprian Freedoms, in the regional decider on December 14.
Megaloudis was on target again three days later at NYAC’s Travers
Island home to spark a 3-0 Atlas romp that lifted the Greeks into
joint second on 16 points with Pancyprian on the First Division
(East) standings.
Giovanni Savarese, Semioli’s one-time MetroStar teammate, and
Hemir Niebles were the Atlas marksmen.
The back-to-back victories left Atlas George Mellis on cloud nine.
“It’s a matter of us having the right people on the field,”
he said shrugging off his team’s recent inconsistency.
“When we have the right players we can play with anyone,”
he stated.
GIANTS STUTTER
Atlas produced the most emphatic performance among the big guns
in the CSL top flight after both undefeated East leaders Polonia
(6-0-3, 21) and Pancyprian could only tie.
Polonia ran into a Manhattan Kickers side at the Grand Street field
that was finally able to reproduce its form of seasons past in an
exciting goalless affair.
There were chances on both ends with Kickers, tail-enders in the
West, shaking the woodwork and then thanking their Australian goalie
and Man of the Match, Bern Sheary, for keeping the Poles at Bay.
“Clearly, we have a lot of ground to make-up in the spring
but if we play the way we did today I’m predicting that we
will do well and salvage the season,” Kickers coach Mike Fitzgerald
observed.
The reserve game finished 1-1.
CD POINT
Mark Rees (75th) canceled out Steve Nyarady’s blistering opener
for CD Iberia (10th) to salvage a point for Pancyprian in a 1-1
tie at St. John’s University.
Iberia were predictably pleased with the draw after they had a man
sent off in the 80th minute.
“They had a few chances to win the game but our goalie Ben
Kartzman made numerous saves to keep the game tied,” said David
Lago, whose reserves lost 3-0.
RAMPANT BHOYS
Six different players scored for Lansdowne Bhoys at Ichan Stadium
where the Irishmen thrashed New York Fury 6-1.
Paul Tierney, also on target in the Lansdowne reserves 1-0 decision,
got on the scoreboard first (10th). Defender David Duffy (17th),
Conor Hunter (55th), Guy Stampur (65th), Damian Mescall (77th) and
Nelly Maguire (83rd) also tallied to give the Bhoys their biggest
win in the league this year.
More importantly, Lansdowne (3-4-2, 12) moved nine points clear
of the sole relegation spot in the East that winless Fury (0-7-2,
2) occupy.
Said president Izhar Harpaz, happy with the Bhoys’ recovery
after a poor start to the season: “We feel that we can finish
in the top three.”
Matt “Baldy” Monroy scored first saver.
ROVERS
FUME
Barnstonworth Rovers left the Verrazano Sports Complex fuming over
the officiating in a tempestuous 2-2 tie with defending champs Brooklyn
Italians.
Steve Pugliese, who’s been scoring at a steady clip and Tamu
Bowen connected for Rovers, while the Italians had Anthony DiMucci
and Andrea Bellack (penalty) to thank for their point.
Rovers, pipped 2-1 in the reserve encounter, closed to within five
points of West pace-setters NYAC. Barnstonworth (4-3-2, 14) are
in second place.
CPR EDGE
Also in Division One, goals by Malik Ashiru (two) and Pedro Chain
(two) enabled Central Park Rangers to hold off New York Albanians
4-3.
“This game had everything -- seven goals, two penalties and
a red card. I’m just glad we came out of it on the winning
side,” said CPR’s Yuval Lion.
CUP FIGHTERS
Ridgewood Romac and FC Bulgaria met in a delayed Flamhaft Cup second
round tie at Verrazano with Stefan Dimitrov (two) and Andy Dimitrov
(no relation) booking the latter a quarterfinal date with Stal Mielec
this weekend.
Gheorge Radulescu scored for Ridgewood.
Kandia’s first team, meanwhile, was ousted from the Flamhaft
Cup 3-2 by College Point at Randalls Island last Thursday. George
Darquah and Kemar Henry struck for the CSL side.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Kandia coach Colin Hemmings
as his reserves earned free passage to the D’Arpino Cup quarters
against unbeaten Long Island United when Integral forfeited their
second round tie.
In other delayed cup action, New York Albanians’ reserves bowed
out of the D’Arpino Cup 2-1 to Queens Liberty United.
CELTIC SURGE
Rob Alexander’s hat-trick (40th, 60th, 85th) in a 4-1 drubbing
of NIFA at Chelsea Pier kept Manhattan Celtic neck-and-neck with
Bulgaria atop the Second Division standings. Both clubs have 19
points from identical 6-2-1 stats.
Anthony Campbell (65th) was the other Celtic hero.
In the curtain raiser, Chris Vega (three) and Rafeet Olin produced
the goods in another 4-1 rout.
“The lads put in good solid performances. NIFA are a good team
so I give credit to our lads for fighting hard and taking the points,”
said Celtic coach Ian Woodcock.
GAELS LIFT
Buoyed by a league ruling awarding them full points from their contentious
clash with Kandia the previous weekend, Astoria Gaels went out and
blanked Central Park Rangers 3-0 to climb out of the relegation
zone in Second Division.
Mike Doherty, Barry Feeney and Mark Currid connected at the Metropolitan
Oval to lift Gaels (3-5-1, 10) off the foot of the table and into
seventh place.
CPR’s reserves prevailed 3-2.
RUEFUL JAPAN
A Koha equalizer five minutes from time dashed hopes of a victory
by FC Japan in their penultimate match of the fall.
They led 2-1 on goals by skipper Tomohiro Tsuchiya (25th) and Kenta
Hidaka (60th) before Koha struck from a corner.
“When we could have scored to lead 3-1, we couldn’t and
that (led) to a painful draw when we needed to have a win going
into the last game before the winter break to stay in the top (half)
of the table,” rued GM Tosh Tatezawa.
The Japanese reserves, however, got the script right, winning 4-3.
BANATUL FALL
Elsewhere in Division Two, Tio and Dominic tallied for Banatul in
a 3-2 loss to second place Stal Mielec (5-0-3, 18).
Andrzej Gornisiewicz, Seweryn Grzywna and Dariusz Cioczek preserved
Stal’s unbeaten record.
METRO DIV. 1
Paddy Geraghty accounted for half of Shamrock’s haul in a 4-2
win over Hoboken FC 1912 in a Metro Div. 1 match at McCarren Park.
He struck once in each half, with Steve Douglas and Cairan Moloney
adding one apiece against the East stragglers.
Indian-born midfielder Sky Yalananchili and skipper Neal Ventola
replied for Hoboken.
Shamrock improved to 4-2-2 (14) in the West.
ASA McCarthy had goals from Scott Cappuzzo (two), Drew Minderler
and Dan Becker in a 4-1 romp over Homenetmen at Aviator’s Sports
Complex that kept them two points behind the Rocks.
Haygaz Aydougdu tallied for the Armenians.
Metro Div. 1 East title contenders Guyana Juniors and Clarkstown
both won: the former beat Sporting Astoria 2-0, while the latter
shutout New York City Infinity All-Stars 3-0.
At McCarren Park SC Ukrainians and New York Wanderers ground out
a goalless draw.
SMITH & McANALLY
In Metro Div. 2, Gerry Smith and Dan McAnally each notched a brace
to lead Mr. Dennehy’s past New York Croatia 5-1 at Aviator’s
Sports Complex. Lance Pitterson was the other scorer.
The victors are now 5-2 (15) in mid-table.
RARE WIN
Issa Clubb and David Jones scripted New York Wanderers’ first
win in Metro Div. 2 this season, 2-0 at the expense of Athletiko
FC.
RONNIE CLINCHER
The talismanic Ronnie Swinkles had the only goal in Gotham Argo’s
victory over Turkish American SC.
Frosinone crushed SC Eintracht 7-0 at the Met Oval, leaving vanquished
coach Wolfgang Radermacher to remark: “I think they’re
too good for our division – they were firing on all cylinders.”
Also in Metro Div. 2, Barnstonworth Rovers and Zenit tied 1-1, while
OMM forfeited to Korona Bay Ridge.
ROCK HARD
Shamrock, a mid-table side in ‘B’ Division East with a
3-2-4 (13) record, played undefeated West leaders Barnstonworth
Premier (6-0-3, 21) to a goalless tie at Randalls Island.
Second place SC Eintracht also unbeaten (6-0-2, 20), blew a chance
to overtake Premier after a wild 4-4 tie with Maltese Dolphins at
Flushing Meadow Park.
BIG MAC
An early blitz during which Brian McLaughlin bagged a rapid hat
trick and Josh Whitford sent in a thumping drive paid off for Barnstonworth
Old Boys who knocked off BW Gottschee 4-0 at Queens Children’s
Hospital.
“All the goals came within the first 20 minutes,” said
Gottschee official John Krische. “After that Gottschee settled
down to play a pretty even game, missing a penalty kick and a wide
open (goal).”
“A great all-round performance,” observed Old Boys’
Dave Sheeran.
At Forest Hills High School, Old Boys’ sister club in the Over-30
division, Barnstonworth Rovers, decisioned New York Greek-American/Atlas
2-1.
Gary Sisto, off an assist by Christian Huguenot, and Rob Bowley,
with a 25-year screamer after a Ron Baskin throw in, scored.
METROS SHINE
And at the Metropolitan Oval, Giovanni Sergio hit a trey while Javier
grabbed a double to hand the indomitable Rory Finn’s GH Metros
a 5-2 victory over New York Croatia.
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