Fightin’ Angels look to maintain winning ways

By Warren Rappleyea

Fightin’ Angels look to
maintain winning ways

The Middletown Fightin’ Angels under-12 girls soccer team is hoping the momentum generated by their championship at the Pocono Cup Tournament will carry over to the Metro Cup tourney this weekend in Wayne.

The Middletown contingent, which competes in the Monmouth-Ocean Soccer Association (MOSA), played well at Pocono winning against teams from Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.

The Fightin’ Angels won six games in two days, and edged a club from Toms River by a 2-1 score in the final.

Coach Juan Canales originally put the team together as 9-year-olds and, though there have been a few personnel changes, the Fightin’ Angels have been successful over the years.

Twice the team won MOSA championships, and this spring the team played up in the under-13 division.

In addition, the Middletown squad has won a Jersey Area Girls Soccer Tournament title, and reached the finals once and went to the semifinals of State Cup competition last autumn.

In the fall, the team will officially be an under-13 club, but will again play up in age group.

"We want to play in the top tournaments and to be competitive," said team manager Sam Sica. "We don’t put a high price on winning. It’s important that the players learn and have fun."

In the Metro Cup, the Fightin’ Angels will again face strong competition from several neighboring states, but the tourney also marks the end of the team’s summer season.

"Some of the girls will go to camp and some families take vacations and then they’ll be back on the field in September," Sica said. "This is a very dedicated group. They work hard and they love playing soccer. It’s been good to see them keep improving."

The girls and their coaches hope that they can maintain their high level of play as they step up in competition following their break.

Members of the Fightin’ Angels are Jennifer Anzivino, Nicole Canning, Lindsey Carlson, Kristen Cizek, Jane Condon, Kara D’Angelillo, Alyssa Hostnik, Katherine Johnston, Brooke Keany, Courtney Kumm, Kim Pasqualetto, Samara Shulman, Samantha Sica, Lauren Sorrentino, Erin Unsterstein, Ashley Ventura, Michele Whalen, and Annie-Rose Willman.

In addition to Canales, the coaching staff is made up of Jim Canning and Richard Anzivino.