On May 7, the UFA 40 played an away game at East Brunswick on a field that would have been better suited to a tractor rather than a game of soccer. UFA however, went one up after 20 minutes, a nicely taken goal by Amaro Pereira from a free kick awarded after Larry Kaplan was fouled just outside the box. East Brunswick would get the equalizer five minutes before the half when returning veteran Peter Tatinov was unfortunate to see his glancing defensive header get past keeper Brin Reed and into the net.
The second half got under way with some fast-flowing, end-to-end play. UFA went behind when East Brunswick finished a breakaway with a solid shot to the roof of the net. The visitors would then press forward, for the remaining 30 minutes they had the bulk of the play but were unable to get an equalizer. Dan Caruso, Pereira and Kaplan all came close, and even Pat Coburn pushed up from the back only to see his scorching volley rebound off the crossbar and down onto the line where it was cleared to safety.
With time running out, East Brunswick got the goal they needed to put the game out of reach for UFA, and that’s how it would finish 3-1.
Next week UFA 40 returns home for Mother’s Day match against Little Silver.
The Allentown Charge U11 girls soccer team took on the Marlboro Sparks at home on Sunday. Though the Charge had but 11 players and no substitutes for the second week in a row, the girls played up to the challenge. The first half saw great poise as the Charge maneuvered the ball around the Sparks, creating many scoring opportunities. Finally with just three minutes left in the half, Erin Primich was able place the ball past the Sparks goalie and into the right corner of the net for a 1-0 Charge lead, which they took to halftime. For the next 29 minutes, the game continued with the Charge seemingly in complete control. Time after time, the Charge kept the pressure on the Sparks, but they just couldn’t get that insurance goal and it came back to bite them. With under one minute remaining in the game, the exhausted Charge gave up a breakaway to the Sparks forward who raced by the defense and scored the tying goal with 10 seconds left in the match. It was a stunning turn of events for Allentown, as the Charge dominated most of the game. But, the girls still take away an all-important one point for the league standings.
They played very hard with no substitutes to give them a much-needed rest. They can be proud of their efforts. Team members include Krysta Plummer, Sarah Mottram, Lena Campbell, Kelly Rocklein, Jillian Frein, Erin Primich, Bianca Covitz, Kimberly Wilson, Kelly Tohill, Jamie Perritt, and Shannon Abbott. The Charge next take on the Jackson Freedom at home on Sunday.