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Standings,
results and other stats
Manhattan Kickers won a cliff-hanger against Barnstonworth Rovers
1-0 at the Verazzano Sports Complex last Sunday but were left floundering
at the foot of the table in Division One (West) after fellow stragglers
New York Albanians pulled off a shocking upset in the Bronx.
Colin O’Banion’s late strike (75th) appeared to have hauled
Kickers (3-7-4, 13) out of the relegation zone. However, Albanians
stayed a point ahead of Mike Fitzgerald’s men with a dramatic
4-3 defeat of New York Athletic Club at Evander Childs High School.
The Albanians (4-9-2, 14) stormed back from 3-0 down to stun NYAC
whose Ryan Kneipper and Fritz Ladd (two) connected.
Marius Kapxhiu, 22, and veteran Naum Kove, who’s 42, starred
for Albanians with a brace each.
“Given Albanians’ result, it’s tremendous,”
Fitzgerald said of Kickers’ victory.
Goalie Chris Schilling was the Kicker hero with his brilliant save
from a Steve Pugliese penalty.
Kickers have two more games to salvage their season: against NYAC
on June 3 and against Pancyprian Freedom in a rescheduled fixture.
Rovers’ table-topping reserves prevailed 5-1.
BROOKLYN TOPS
Atop the West standings, Brooklyn Italians nudged NYAC out of first
place on goal differential, this after thrashing Central Park Rangers
5-1 at the Metropolitan Oval.
Brooklyn and NYAC both have 26 points from 15 games.
Steve Holloway had the requisite hat trick, while Roland and Issam
Daoud chipped in with a goal each.
Jimmy Smyth had CPR’s lone effort.
“Mistakes have cost us dearly this spring and did yet again,”
said CPR manager Yuval Lion.
EASTERN FRONT
There was no change in the East where Polonia (10-1-4, 34) and second
place Pancyprian (8-2-4, 28) both benefited from forfeits by CD
Iberia and New York Fury, respectively.
RESERVE EFFORT
Elsewhere, New York Greek-American/Atlas knocked off the Lansdowne
Bhoys reserves 4-1 at Cardozo High School.
Chris Megaloudis, Sekou Cox, Kevin Alexander and Gene Smalls tallied
for Atlas while Michael Walsh netted Lansdowne’s face-saver.
STAL PROMOTED
Undefeated Stal Mielec earned promotion to the First Division with
a 4-1 romp over FC Bulgaria in their top-of-the-table clash.
Mielec (11-0-4, 37) went eight points clear of the Bulgarians, courtesy
of Mariusz Plizga (two), Irek Zagrobelny and Dariusz Cioczek.
New signing Michael Velikov replied for Bulgaria at Francis Lewis
High School.
The Poles need just one point to clinch the Division Two title and
are rooting for their long-time Bulgarian foes to join them in the
First.
“I hope we move up to the First division together with our
old nemesis and good buddies - FC Bulgaria,” said Artur Kurasiewicz.
“Two years ago we moved up together from Metro Two to Metro
One. A year ago we moved up together from Metro One to the Second
Division, and this year I really hope the history will repeat itself.”
CELTIC THRILLER
Manhattan Celtic, meanwhile, missed an opportunity to close in on
Bulgaria after playing catch-up to youthful Kandia in a 5-5 tie
under floodlights at Pier 40.
Celtic (7-3-4, 25) were left four points behind Bulgaria (29) with
a game in hand and four in all to play.
The 10-goal thriller began with Ed McPherson drawing first blood
for the home side and Kandia replying twice through David Kyere
(15th) and George Darquah (22nd).
Then the chase began.
First Keith Doyle pegged back the Jamaicans then Kemar Henry (47th)
restored Kandia’s lead. Celtic’s Bryan Lewis (50th) equalized
but Dominic Powell (63rd) put the visitors ahead. Then Fritz Ettl
(65th) responded only for Kyere (79th) to give Kandia a late lead
that Fio Gyrullis (88th) canceled.
“The lads put up a good fight and did not drop their heads,”
said Celtic coach Ian Woodcock. “Credit to Kandia -- they played
a good game.”
Kandia boss Colin Hemmings was equally rapt over his young team’s
performance.
“We started only two players over 21 – they showed guts
and maturity and it augurs well for next season,” he noted.
Celtic took the reserve tussle 4-0.
JAPAN BACK
Tomohiro Tsuchiya (25th, 75th) and Kenta Hidaka (50th, 85th) both
struck twice in FC Japan’s 4-1 drubbing of Central Park Rangers.
“We hope that this will be the beginning of (a) winning streak
until the end of the season,” said Japan GM Tosh Tatezawa,
whose side had lost two straight.
CPR’s reserves won 5-0.
CLARKSTOWN ROCKED
Under-strength Shamrock returned from Clarkstown’s Kennedy/Zukor
fortress with a new hero in Shawn Baron whose hat trick steered
the Rocks to a 4-1 victory.
Sean Kelly also scored for Shamrock (8-3-3, 27) who climbed into
second place in Metro Div. One West with two games left -- one of
them against leaders Sporting Astoria (9-4-1, 28).
“We had to get the result – we still have a mathematical
chance (of promotion),” said coach Robbie Walsh.
RIDGEWOOD CLOSE
Ridgewood (10-3-1, 31) hammered BW Gottschee 4-0 at Queens Children’s
Hospital to blow open the Metro Div. One East title race.
This, after Guyana Juniors were a surprise no-show against Ukrainians
at the Parade Ground.
Gheorghe Radulescu (25th, 80th), Calin (55th) and Mike Godi (73rd)
cut Guyana’s lead at the top to one point with two games apiece
left -- including a potentially decisive title decider between the
two on June 10.
L.I. STREAK ENDS
Even as their remarkable one hundred percent record in the league
was ending after 13 games, Long Island United still managed to raise
eyebrows with their rally at Wards Island.
The Metro Div. Two title contenders came from 3-0 down with 20 minutes
left to tie EMC 3-3.
Frank Savocchi was the catalyst, tucking in a penalty (70th) after
Todd Baron was fouled. He then headed in a Russell Starr cross (80th).
Savocchi was involved in the equalizer, too, collecting a long ball
from Matt Starr and seeing Baron slide in the leveler.
“It was a tough surface to play on for both teams and our guys
showed the heart to comeback,” Savocchi said. “We still
control our own destiny towards a division title.”
Long Island (13-0-1, 40) slipped into joint second place, two points
behind new leaders Korona Bay Ridge.
ARGO ANGUISH
Korona beat Gotham Argo 4-1 at New Utrecht High School to knock
Long Island out of first place.
Argo had their chances against an opponent that improved to 14-1,
although only James Carrico, off an excellent cross by Darran Cronshaw,
was able to execute.
“Good goalkeeping and the woodwork stood in Argo’s way,”
summed up Gotham’s Ronnie Swinkels.
FROSINONE TRIUMPH
Frosinone edged Zenith FC 3-2 to join Long Island on the 40-point
mark.
Jose Aquije (two) High Campbell tallied for Frosinone
DENNEHY’S DASHED
At O’Connor Field, Bobby Brennan and John Imundo scored for
Dr. Dennehy’s who let slip a 2-0 lead to tie New York Enforcers
2-2 in another Metro Two fixture.
TOP CLASS
Barnstonworth Premier, the Over-30 division’s best club by
dint of their 12-0-4 (40) record, held off their closest pursuers
in the West, Guyana Veterans ‘B’, 3-1 at Verazzano to
finish the regular season undefeated.
Hernan Paredes, Marlon Johnson and Andre Honore were on target.
Mortimer Innis scored for the Vets, whose sister club, Guyana Veterans
‘A’ battled Pele Masters to a 3-all tie atop the East
and could also finish unbeaten.
Chris Giles bagged all three goals for Guyana (9-0-6, 33) who could
take the regular season honors in their conference if they avoid
defeat against SC Gjoa on June 10.
MIXED MATCH
What do you get when you have a soccer match and a baseball game
going on at the same time on the same field? A 2-2 tie.
That was the outcome at Wards Island when, according to Barnstonworth
Old Boys’ Dave Sheeran, the ref insisted that his team’s
Over-30 game with Westchester go ahead despite a ball game in progress.
“We had three outfielders (stand) literally across the center
of our field for the entire game, and every minute or so, they’d
take off chasing a fly-ball -- how there wasn’t a serious collision
of injury from a flying baseball, I’ll never know,” he
wondered.
Nonetheless, a soccer match was played with Old Boys top scorer
Brian McLaughlin and Paul Rochester exchanging goals with Westchester’s
David Kasolo and Sean Maher.
“A bit of a disappointing end to what’s been a very encouraging
season,” said Sheeran whose lads (6-6-4, 22) finished in mid-table
in the West.
His Westchester opponent Hugo Guaglianone lauded his team after
its fifth straight draw.
“I want to congratulate everyone in our team for having the
best second half of season: Carlos Trinones, Erik Donis, Peter Owgal,
David Seal, Pablo Diaz, Miguel Diaz, Julio Cesar, Henry Tebba, Franco,
George Nunez, Laurent Kettela and Mark Price,” Guaglianone
said.
GOTTSCHEE EDGE
Mike Giaccobone (two), Cesar Rosales and Bruno Zappavigna connected
in BW Gottschee’s 4-3 squeaker over Argo Silver at Pier 40.
And in their season finale at the Met Oval, Shamrock succumbed 2-0
to SC Eintracht.
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