The Hopewell Valley Soccer Association’s U8 Lightning opened with a 5-1 win over North Plainfield in travel soccer play. Dylan Napoleon scored two goals, while Gavin McCaffrey, Michael Whitlock and Milan Desai had one goal apiece. Eshaan Doshi, Jeremy Siegelheim and Logan Gonsalves had assists. Jackson Sub, John Jaihan, Noah Rodriguez, Ethan Nau and Ty Becker all played well, while Kyle Yadamiec and Siegelheim played well in goal.
In their first game of regular-season play, the U10 Sun Dogs posted a strong 4-1 home win over the Watchung Hills Chaos. Casey von Oehsen scored three goals while Emme Muller also tallied. Gillian Magner had two assists, while Frankie Somers, Alexa Marino, Chloe Johnson and Ellie Lamond bolstered the defense and midfield. New goalkeeper Kennedy Havens played well. getting defensive help from Madelyn Patterson, Ana Chrnelich, Frankie Somers and Katie Yancey.
Matthew Whitlock scored two goals to lead the U10 Riptides to a 4-1 victory over the East Brunswick Soccer Club. Kieran Karp and Christian Mayer also tallied goals. Assists came from Daniel Golian, Alex Romano, Karp and Whitlock. Lukas Ansari, Garrett Wille and Cameron Velez controlled the midfield for the Riptides, while Rex Peters was outstanding on defense. Charlie Stocks-Natalias was solid in the goal and Will Peters and Brandon Napoleon helped lead the offense.
The U11 Bolts began their season with a 2-2 draw against South Plainfield. Kevin Ellis scored both goals for the Bolts, the second of which came on a free kick from 20 yards with only seconds left in the game. Shane Finnegan assisted Ellis’ first goal. Goalies Bradley Shreve and Gunnar Casano, along with defenders Tom Hooks, Henry Garnich, and Merrick Liu, combined to limit the South Plainfield attack. Han Sol Kim, Liam Sciple and Alex Luedeke played well in the midfield.
The U11 Storm tied the Clark Cobras, 1-1, as Charlotte Kavanaugh scored off an assist from Lucia Salvato. Sarah Javick, Brooke Hutchinson and Lucy Antal played strong defense, while Caileigh Ross, Kavanaugh and Grace Stroman led the offense. Christina Zelin and Caileigh Ross each played well in goal, while Lucia Salvato, Ava D’Alessandro and Paige Dumont worked hard in the midfield.
After a scoreless first half by both sides, eight goals were scored in the second half as the U-12 Avalanche played to a 4-4 tie against the S.P.F.S.A. SPF. Dean DiGiacomo provided a goal and an assist, Lucas Gaissert contributed a goal, and midfielder Nick Tagliareni scored two goals with assists from midfielder Patrick Capstack. Connor Plarre, Kyle Beveridge, Max Johnson and Andrew Neal controlled the tempo. Defenders Alex Tagliareni, Ben Thompson, and Garrett Zimmerman were solid while goalkeepers Sam Neal and Paul Warznak made some excellent saves.
The U-14 Thunder dominated Hunterdon FC Dortmund, 5-0, as Zach Achenbach had two goals and two assists. Alek Michelson, Anand Wetzel and James McLaughlin also scored, while Dylan LeRay had an assist. Goalies Liam May and Sean Lawton combined for the shutout with excellent defensive support from Justin Lauricella, Sid Dhar, Ryan Balog, Matthew Young, Austin Nemec, Achenbach and Wetzel. Luke McManimon, Rehan Yadav and Austin Nemec added offensive pressure.
The Heat won their first regular-season game with a 1-0 decision over the Monmouth Piranhas as Samantha Shaw scored off an assist from Diane Benford. The Heat was led defensively by Erin Popik, Adele Cappucci, Anna Gill, Emily Neal and Ellie Hill, while goalies Sarah Yancey and Gillian Lee notched the shutout. Mea Alexx, Katie Tillman, Ayla Mauk and Sofia Venezia applied offensive pressure and good midfield play came from Ella Zimmerman, Lara Paoloni and Sydney Isaacson.
