Last weekend, the Hopewell Valley Soccer Association played during its fall recreational regular season.
The following is a submitted collection of the weekend’s results.
D3 Girls
In the season opener on Saturday, Sept. 8, the Purple Pandas defeated Dick’s Sporting Goods with a final score of 4-3, in what was a game of two halves.
The first half saw Dick’s open up by quickly scoring two goals, before Sonia Tenbarge scored on a shot from the top of the box from a pass by Lilla Antal. With the score was 3-1 in Dick’s favor by the second half, the Purple Pandas took the kickoff straight down the field, where Lilla scored, with Sonia repaying the earlier assist with one of her own.
The game remained at a 3-2 score for the next 15 minutes, with tremendous saves being made by Dick’s keeper Grace Sullivan. However, the game was tied when Pranathi Kummarapurugu took the ball down field, dishing to Amanda Flanders near center goal for the equalizer.
The last score came off Amanda’s foot for her second goal of the day. The HVSA Purple Pandas midfield was controlled by Juliette Saia and Maren Johnson, with the defenders Lucy Antal, Emma Stowe, and Piper Brant handling the back line. Goal keepers were Amanda F. and Piper B.
On Sunday, Sept. 9, the Purple Pandas played Jack’s Nursery, taking the game by a score of 3-1.
The game was played under cold and wet weather conditions, making the field difficult to gain traction and the ball traveling shorter distances. Jack’s Nursery took an early lead by striking first, holding onto the lead until three minutes remained in the half, where Juliette Saia’s fancy footwork allowed her break free from the defender, and find Amanda Flanders for the tying goal. Midway through the second half, Lilla Antal broke free at the midline, taking the ball down field rocketing one in as it hit the cross bar just over the outstretched goalies glove.
The final score came from a throw in by Emma Stowe to Amanda Flanders near midfield, taking the ball down, with her first shot deflected by the goalie, but able to find the rebound and put it in the back of the net. Pranathi Kummarapurugu continues to show her speed and ball control in the midfield, and Piper Brant held keeper duties in the second half.
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Dick’s Sporting Goods opened their fall season on a cool, cloudy day with a closely-matched game that resulted in a 4-3 loss. The Jack’s Nursery offense struck first in the first quarter when Sy’Rai King found the back of the net. Dick’s Sporting Goods scored again shortly thereafter when Ellie Lamond booted it hard into the net. This was followed up with another goal from Sy-Rai King and assists from Adhya Pandit and Kalina Korov. Dick’s played strong in the first half, but were matched more closely in the second half when Royal got the best of them with four goals.
D3 Boys
HVSA Green opened the fall season against Jack’s Greenhouse & Nursery on a cold and wet Sunday, Sept. 9 and won 5-3. It was a competitively played game and to the boys’ merit, they maintained a highly positive attitude even in the bad weather.
The Green team for their first time together played well on both sides of the field. Offensively, the forwards and mid-fielders attacked aggressively. The Green team had quite a few attempts on goal with five individual players scoring: Luke Hemmer, Emerson Hoagland, Elijah Barnes, Brodie Kushner and Luke Cramer. We also had a few attempts on goal by Ben DeCore, William Carter, Jonathan Sharma and Jack Cramer.
On defense, Jack’s played an aggressive game and had quite a few attempts on goal. Both Jonathan Sharma and Luke Hemmer held strong with some strong defensive support from backs Darius Roman, Oliver Liccardi, Aarush Bhol and Jack Cramer. Overall, everyone contributed as a cohesive team and were a key factor for the win.
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On a Sunday afternoon that felt like early November, with poor field conditions and soaked fans, Stark & Stark edged Pennington Quality Market in a very close game by a score of 2-1 in the rain and wind.
Tommy Irvine put Stark & Stark on the board with a first-half goal, only to be matched by a PQM goal by Mikey Vaggott. In the second half, Aaron Nulman hit a shot from the left to score the game-winning goal. Excellent goalie play by Teddy Franzino and by Adam Rise contributed significantly to the victory, including a fantastic save by Rise on a tough penalty kick in the second half.
Offensively, Stark & Stark kept the pressure on offense via solid play by Jackson Blackwell, Drew Kohlhepp, Ethan Peck and Adam Russell. There was consistent mid-field play from Robert Taylor, Jason Donis-Yuman and Gavin Gola, and reliable defensive play from Shane Sullivan, Jaiden Fielding and Simon Rainey to support the win and the team effort.
D2 Boys
The opening game for HVSA Division 2 Boys soccer matched Rely Mechanical against Soccer Post. While Soccer Post prevailed 4-3 on a series of goals by Landon Pagnotta, Rely Mechanical kept the game extremely close with goals from Andrew Young, Ryan Fornal and Bryson Chase. Anthony Rinaldi, Jake Parker, Michael Fornal and Eli Pashman showed great speed in chasing down the Soccer Post strikers while Conor O’Boyle, Ben Gerstacker, Preston Horvath and Bryson Chase held down the fort in goal.
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On Saturday, Sept. 8, Greenleaf Lawn & Landscape kicked off the season with a strong showing versus Wilson Apple Funeral Home. Justin Edgington led a robust offensive attack, supported by his brother Nathan and Ethan Valenza. Justin scored two goals in the first quarter, assisted by his brother. In the second quarter, Ethan notched his first goal of the season, assisted by Justin. Wilson Apple clamped down on the defense in the third quarter, which was scoreless.
D2 newcomers Nathan Camilleri and Antonio Botero connected for the fourth goal of the game, when Antonio passed the ball down the middle of the field and Nathan scored from outside the 6-yard box.
The final goal for Greenleaf came when Nathan Edgington crossed the ball to Ethan Valenza, who scored for the second time of the match. Wilson Apple came back with a furious flurry in the final minutes of the game. Goalkeeper Liam Buchert had an outstanding leaping save but could not withstand multiple shots from Wilson Apple. The game ended 5–1.
Greenleaf’s impenetrable defense was anchored by Christian Casey and Bodhi Lamontagne. Dylan Somma and Ryan Batcha provided strong support in the midfield and Eli Moyer played both offense and defense and just missed a goal towards the end of the game.
On Sunday, Sept. 9, Greenleaf Lawn & Landscape continued their strong opening weekend with a hard-earned win against a very tough Princeton Nassau Pediatrics. The teams were very evenly matched and ended the first quarter scoreless. Justin Edgington, assisted by Brayden Kennedy, scored the first goal of the game to put Greenleaf ahead 1–0. Striker Liam Buchert scored his first goal of the season when Nathan Camilleri threaded a pass inside the 6-yard box and Liam put the ball in the back of the net.
Princeton Nassau Pediatrics came roaring back in the third quarter with a goal to cut the Greenleaf lead to 2–1. The fourth quarter started with a furious attack by Princeton Nassau which was held off by a defense anchored by Nathan Edgington. On an incredible full-field run, Nathan Camilleri dribbled past five opponents to notch his second goal of the game. Greenleaf’s midfield was led by Ethan Valenza and supported with strong play by Eli Moyer, Dylan Somma and Ryan Batcha. Bodhi Lamontagne and Christian Casey played strong defense and Antonio Botero helped keep offensive pressure throughout the game.
Princeton Nassau Pediatrics played a strong game against Greenleaf Landscaping at Independence Park, but lost in the end 3-1. Despite the constant rain and muddy field conditions, Princeton Nassau Pediatrics fought back with a goal by Allen Ye. Goalies Kaempfer Harjes and Luke Bodhi Brown made many saves and played strong defense. It was a great effort by both teams in the rain.
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Don’t let the score fool you – Team HVSA White played a more competitive game against Princeton Nassau Pediatrics than the 6-1 loss would indicate. The lone goal was a nice shot by Samy Abdel-Mawla, on a beautiful pass by Juan Geller. Team HVSA was able to get a number of key saves in goal by Trevor LiVecchi, who also helped to keep the pressure on at forward, as well as by the persistent play of Samy Abdel-Mawla. They were also assisted by some solid defensive plays and stops by Yaseen Mansour and Brett Streeper in the backfield. The midfield was well managed and at times controlled by Chance Hutnik and Juan Geller and by some promising play by Aidan Rhodes. All the players on Team HVSA continued challenging and consistently going after the ball, until the final whistle sounded.
Princeton Nassau Pediatrics opened with a team effort that concluded in the 6-1 win. Princeton Nassau Pediatrics offense struck quickly in the first quarter with the first goal of the game scored by Allen Ye, followed quickly by another goal by Emil Rybovic. The offensive streak continued with a goal by Zachary Wolff, followed by another goal by Jeremy English and another convincing shot on goal by Jeremy that was stopped by the HVSA goalie. The second half had two more goals, added by Allen Ye and Luke Bodhi Brown. The defense was also superb, with several saves in goal by Kaempfer Harjes and Zachary Wolff.
On a rainy Sunday, Team HVSA White played Soccer Post. Trevor LiVecchi came out strong for Team HVSA, scoring in the opening minutes of the game. Defensemen Jason Jaffe and John Grgurich put forth a great effort. The midfielders saw lots of action, with key plays made by Yaseen Mansour, Brett Streeper and Chance Hutnik. Samy Abdel-Mawla played a solid offensive game and connected with the net in the fourth quarter. In the end, Team HVSA lost to Soccer Post, 8-2.
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On a very rainy, soggy fall Sunday, Princeton Nassau Pediatrics played a strong game against Greenleaf Landscaping at Independence Park, but lost in the end 3-1. Despite the constant rain and muddy field conditions, they played with great heart and skill. Greenleaf quickly scored two goals, but Princeton Nassau Pediatrics fought back with a goal by Allen Ye. Goalies Kaempfer Harjes and Luke Bodhi Brown made many saves and played strong defense. It was a great effort by both teams in the rain.
U10 Boys
The U10B Hopewell Valley Hurricanes had a good start to their fall season this past weekend finishing second in the top flight of the Bridgewater Kick-off Classic with a record of two wins, one loss and one draw.
Despite two goals from Trevor Baratta, the Hurricanes dropped their first game of the tournament 2-3 against the host Bridgewater SA Cosmos. In their second game, the Hurricanes beat Meraki FC Academy 2-1 with a set piece strike from Dylan Kawalek and the game winner from Keegan Fullman.
On Sunday, the Hurricanes defeated Hillsborough 09 EDP 2-0 with a first half score from Michael Cappucci, and Jack Riewe providing the insurance goal in the second half to put the game out of reach.
The final game of the tournament against the Summit SA Barcelona ended in a 1-1 draw as a first half score from Jacob Berman, was matched with a late equalizer by Summit.
The Hurricanes’ defense was solid the entire weekend highlighted by terrific goalkeeping from Logan Gonsalves, while the midfield attack was controlled by Jaxson DeRossett, Archie Seas, Patrick Slajchert, Finn Curley and Connor Quinn.