The Jersey Knights Gladiators U15 (fall) girls soccer team will hold tryouts for the 2006-07 season for girls born between 8/1/91 and 7/31/92. The Gladiators are a professionally trained and coached premier-level club team comprising girls from Central Jersey. The team plays in college showcase tournaments throughout the East Coast and in the JAGS league. Tryouts will be held at the Jersey Knights complex June 3 (9-11 a.m.) and June 5 (6:30-8 p.m.). Visit www.jerseyknights.com for directions or e-mail [email protected] for additional information.
The Sayreville Recreation Department will hold a tennis camp. The first session will be held July 10-13, with the second session to follow on July 17-20. Camp for ages 10 and under will run from 2-3 p.m., and for ages 11 and older from 3-4 p.m. The fee is $30 for Sayreville residents and $40 for nonresidents. Participants must bring their own rackets. Sign up Monday through Friday (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at the Recreation office on Dolan Street. Call (732) 390-7092 for more information.
Raritan Bay Cougars Football and Cheerleading will hold registration at its field house on June 2, 7-9 p.m. and June 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The field house is located on Cheesequake Road. Bring original birth certificate and updated photo of the child. For more information, call (732) 721-4375 or check out the Web site at rbccougars.org.
The Old Bridge Lightning, a U17 boys soccer team, took first place at the Whitewater Cup Classic Tournament in Pennsylvania last weekend. Led by the strong goaltending of back-up goalie Anthony Amato (standing in for injured Steven Saada), the inspired defense led by Matt Joffe, John Heffernan, Joe Schneider and Manik Rathee, consistent midfield play from Nick Papapietro, Christian McNallen, Chris Adams and Drew Elsasser, and the outstanding work of forwards Matt Fitzgerald, Brian McCormack and Jefferson McCormack, the team let up only one goal in three games.
The U-9 Old Bridge Breakers soccer team was in Freehold last weekend for a rematch with the Storm. The Breakers were looking to avenge a tough 1-0 home loss in their prior match this season. The opening minutes saw good two-way action, as both teams were looking for the first strike. The Storm were able to stake that initial claim, tallying in the eighth minute to take the lead. However, it was all the scoring they would manage, as the Breaker defense of Jake Perlmutter and Louie Petrozziello completely shut down the Storm for the rest of the half and prevented any further shots on goal. Excellent midfield ball control from Nick Cousillas and Nicky Petrozziello enabled the Breakers to maintain offensive pressure over the opposing 50. The hard work paid off in the 22nd minute as Liam Habel wrestled the ball away from a Storm defender and found the mesh to tie the game at 1-1. Chris Cesario followed up three minutes later by converting a rebound from a Michael Loeffler shot in the closing seconds, with the Breakers taking a 2-1 lead just before the halftime whistle.
The Storm were desperate to even the match as the second half began, and managed to test Breaker goalie Chris Botros on a few occasions. But with Chris turning back their shots and receiving extra defensive muscle from Tyler Earl, the Breakers were able to stick to their game plan by keeping good pressure in the opposing end, along with excellent support from Jonas Melendez and Hazem Miawad. Nicky Petrozziello took a well- placed cross from Cameron Allen in the 30th minute and used his left foot to find the inside of the post for a 3-1 lead. Cameron followed up with an insurance goal on an assist from Jake in the 39th minute as the Breakers rolled to a 4-1 victory, and will next head to Manalapan for a rematch with the Bulldogs.
The Old Bridge Girls Blue Thunder U10 soccer team competed in the Manalapan Soccer Tournament during the Memorial Day weekend. The Blue Thunder recorded a 3-1 record in the Premier Flight with wins of 5-0 over Arsenal Soccer Club, 3-0 against the Ramapo Wildcats, and 3-2 over the Clifton Stallions. The Blue Thunder’s sole loss was a hard-fought 2-1 affair against the Manalapan Mission. The Blue Thunder looked sharp throughout the tournament, combining aggressive defense with excellent teamwork on offense in playing some of their best soccer of the season. The Blue Thunder comprises the following players: Victoria Beake, Jessica Betines, Christina Diakos, Courtney Durstewitz, Cassidy Flynn-Rozanski, Alexandria Grillo, Hannah Hallos, Erin Honan, Shayna Iacoviello, Kelly Kracsun, Alexandra Maurer, Morgan Montgomery, and Elizabeth Thoresen.
The Old Bridge Hustlers U12 girls softball team finished in second place in the 2006 Spring Mid Jersey Cup Tournament held in Old Bridge. The Hustlers advanced to the finals by defeating Toms River, 10-0, and Howell, 6-4. In the finals the Hustlers were matched against a strong Jackson team with the championship at stake. In a tight game that featured great defensive plays, the Hustlers opened a 2-0 lead in the third. Jackson answered immediately with three in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. The fifth was scoreless for both teams as pitching dominated, but in the sixth, Jackson scampered four runs across to build a 7-2 lead, which proved too much for the Hustlers to overcome. In the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded, Jackson pitching got them out of a jam to earn the 7-3 victory and take home the Mid Jersey Cup. The Hustlers fell to 15-4-1 overall and have placed at least third in three out of four tournaments this spring.