Cosmopolitan Soccer League Round Up from May 16, 2010

By CSL Staff Writer Jay Mwamba

In their last game of the regular season, blue-clad Barnstonworth Rovers trampled ailing Manhattan Kickers 5-0 at Icahn Stadium last Sunday to clinch the First Division [West] title.

The result completed a remarkable double for Rovers whose second unit had bagged the Reserve crown two weeks earlier, and could afford to slip 3-2 to Kickers’ ‘B’ in the curtain raiser.

“I could not be more proud of our guys,” enthused Rovers’ double-winning coach Stavros Zomopoulos.  “We are the First Division West champions for both the first team and the reserves! I don’t know if a club like ours has ever achieved anything like this.”

The Rovers organization is actually celebrating a hat trick of victories this season if you include the NY Metropolitan Women's Soccer League championship garnered by its ladies team.

FIVE-STAR EFFORT

Thrust into first place when former leaders New York Greek-American/Atlas were docked points, Rovers [10-4-2, 32] needed to beat Kickers to fend off the Greeks [9-4-3, 31].

They had the game sewn up by the half hour mark courtesy of Scott Waddell [18th] and Colin Marshall [30th].  Waddell added two more on resumption [50th, 65th] to complete a marvelous hat trick. Sam Minaya [80th] sealed it.

In the process, Rovers recorded their ninth clean sheet or, “more than half the matches we played,” Zomopoulos proudly noted.

“We were consistent all year long, and we deserve our reward. We hope now we can do the same and win the playoffs,” he added.

Oren Nhaissi’s brace wasn’t enough to avert the 3-2 defeat by Rovers’ reserves. Adrian Lopez [two] and Nick Bill scored for Kickers.

PLAYOFFS

In the CSL championship playoffs, both Rovers teams square off with  Lansdowne Bhoys at Icahn Stadium this Sunday [kick-off 3 pm and 5 pm] Lansdowne finished runners-up in both divisions in the East.

The other playoff, tentatively scheduled for May 30, pits Greek-Atlas against perennial Hellenic rivals Pancyprian Freedoms.

IRISH LULL

With Rovers obviously on their mind, under-strength Lansdowne appeared to be unaffected by a 5-1 shellacking administered by Brooklyn Italians at John Dewey High School.

Player-coach Alan O’Hara got their face-saver.

Lansdowne’s reserves, meanwhile, warmed up for their clash with Rovers ‘B’ by thrashing Brooklyn 6-2.

Carlos Abbate, Jason Kennedy, Barry McElhatton [two], Robbie “The Touch” Green and Chris “The Butcher” Hughes connected.

GREEK IRE

 Guy Kpene netted a hat trick as Greek-Atlas vented their ire on New York Croatia with a 5-3 drubbing at Cardoza High School.

Josh Trott added two.

Victor Kotyinsky, Filip Loncar and Chris Karcz tallied for Croatia, whose reserves won 2-0.

CAPITULATION

Eli Vovsha grabbed Central Park Rangers’ consolation goal in a 4-1 drubbing by Polonia at McCarren Park.  He tapped in a cross from the overlapping Josh Wilecki.

Kwesi Mills-Odoi missed a penalty for CPR.

“With nothing on the line and several starters missing, we came out very flat against a strong and motivated Polonia team that was looking to ensure their First Division,” noted head coach Joseph Sullivan. “To Polonia's credit, they played very well.”

The reserves tied 1-1 with Shane Lennon on target for CPR.

STILL INVINCIBLE

Promotion-bound CD Iberia were ten minutes away from their first

defeat of the season in Division Two when Branden Neal forced a 2-2 tie with FC Bulgaria at Red Hook.

The late surging Bulgarians, who’d won two in a row going into this fixture, led twice through Richie Hedeira and Fori Tsochev before Devin Roche and Neal struck.

“It was a very tough battle on [a] terrible field,” said Iberia’s Manny Lago, whose runaway leaders improved to 12-0-2 [38].

“Great game,” chipped in Bulgaria boss Koko Veltchev. “I wish Iberia the best of luck in the First Division. They’re a really good team.”

The aforementioned Roche and Gusmani Sanneh were on target in the Iberia reserve’s 3-2 loss.      

PARTING SHOT

In his final match in charge, player-coach Robbie Walsh propelled the Shamrock reserves to their first Second Division championship since 1996 with an assist and a goal in a 5-3 pasting of FC Japan on Randalls Island.

Down to ten men after five minutes when Ciaran Moloney was ejected, Shamrock had to dig deep against a team they’d beaten 4-0 a week earlier. 

Paddy Geraghty [15th], Paul Bradshaw [off a Walsh cross] [25th], Eoin Merrick [33rd] and Walsh [41st] had the Irishmen up 4-0 at the interval. 

Japan rallied on resumption. Walsh deflected a Tosh Tatezawa free kick into his own net [65th] and with 20 minutes left Shinobu Ninomiya had pulled another back.  But Geraghty [82nd] ended the fight back, rendering Tatezawa’s last goal [88th] academic. 

“This puts the icing on the cake,” said an ecstatic Walsh, who had both Shamrock first and second teams in contention for honors all season.

Later, his first team went down 2-1 to Japan, in a stunning reversal of their 4-0 romp, also the previous week.

David Harvey [75th] converted a penalty after Tussy Yoshida [55th] and Yuya Hamada [60th] had put Japan ahead.

Shamrock [9-5-2, 29] finished the season third in Division Two behind Iberia and Clarkstown.

CLARKSTOWN ENCORE

“Same team, different field, same result,” is how Clarkstown’s Justin Koblish put it after his side hammered Central Park Rangers 7-1 for the second time in a week.

Koblish was instrumental in opening the floodgates. His free kick was turned in by Brandon Gilkes for Clarkstown’s opener [10th]. CPR leveled five minutes later but would concede six unanswered goals after that.

Clarkstown’s John Ricketts, Joe Wright [two], Luigui Marin, Brent Gaylord and Peter Drames saw off the visitors at Kennedy/Zukor Park.

“A good day again for the first team,” observed Koblish, with promotion to the top flight beckoning.

His reserves were blanked 3-0.

TURKEY SHOOT

Ukrainian hot shot Chris Norelli banged in seven goals as Steve Kovalenko’s reserves sent Turkish-American SC reeling 11-3 at Bushwick Inlet.

Josh Nelkin, Larry Crowell and Aaron Stewart accounted for the other goals.

Kovalenko’s first team had double strikes from David Alkasim and Adam Maliniak in a 4-1triumph.  

TIGHT RACE

Abdul Vegaj notched both goals at South Beach where Korabi beat Mr. Dennehy’s 2-0 to move atop the Metro Div. One standings.

Korabi [7-4-4, 25] nudged past former leaders Astoria Lions [23] who were outgunned 6-4 by Missile.

It all comes to a head in the next couple of weekends when Sporting Astoria, in joint second [23], tackle Lions this Sunday [ Randalls Island # 75, 2 pm] and Korabi face the Lions on Memorial Day weekend.

GOTCHA!

Elsewhere in Metro One, Chris Carlo and Sebastian Villa scored for BW Gottschee in a 2-2 tie with NYPD FC at Flushing Meadow Field. 

BRAVEHEART

FCNY Bravehearts ended their season on a high note by stunning previously unbeaten Metro Div. Two champions-designate Gotham Argo

2-0 at Pier 40.

Marcel Nyamsi, who buried a Guillermo Arbeleaz [59th], and Diego Mayanga, with a fierce close range shot [71st], pulled off the upset for the mid-table club. 

Bravehearts’ rearguard was stellar on the day, with goalie Hernando Santamaria in particular, pulling off five great saves to record the shutout.

“It was a great finish to our season, to beat a team that had not lost a game all season tells a lot about Bravehearts,” said coach Bob Chacko. “This team definitely will be a contender for the top spot next season.” 

ROVERS RAMPAGE

Hat trick hero Brandon Rowley led Barnstonworth Rovers' scoring spree against New York Galicia on Randalls Island that ended 10-1 in their favor.

Brian McLaughlin, Darrel Crane, David Schlatter, Gavin Dick [two], Sergio Restrepo and Okechukwu Obudulu also were on target.

Alexis Escobar had Galicia’s face-saver.

HOME WIN

Also in Metro Two, Vahe Boyajian [60th pen.] and Marcos Roland [88th] scripted Homenetmen’s 2-1 decision over Maltese Dolphins.

ROYAL EFFORT

Nine-man SC Eintracht battled Over-30 Div. One [North] title winners Manhattan Kickers to a 1-1 draw at Bushwick Inlet.

Eintracht kicked off with ten players and were duly punished by Paul Cowler [10th].  However, Ronnie Gotz leveled from a corner [20th] not long before Eintracht were reduced to nine men. 

“Jose Mourinho would have been impressed with our efforts from that point on,” smiled Tom Strumpf.

PREMIER CLASS

Some tenacious defending in the last ten minutes paid off for Barnstonworth Premier as well in a 3-2 decision over New York Greek-American/Atlas on Randalls Island.

Duane scored twice -- including the eventual winner – while Rob bagged the other.

ONDER DOUBLE

 At McCarren Park, Shamrock edged Albion 3-2, thanks to an Onder Koksol brace [43rd, 70th].

 Benny Ljuja [30th] was the other Shamrock marksman. 

Sam Carroll and James Carrico scored for Albion.

GUYANA SWEEP

Germaine Scott, Howard Beaton and Sheldon Jules tallied in Guyana Veterans ‘A’s’ 3-1 defeat of Barnstonworth Rovers on Randalls Island.

Earlier, Guyana ‘B’ had pipped Westchester FC 2-1 on goals by Nigel Allen and Linden Angel.

ROCKY III

A Rocco Leone-inspired fight back saw Brooklyn Italians erase a three-goal deficit before Tesoro pulled away to win 6-3 at the College of Staten Island.

The Italians were in a hole when Leone reeled in three unanswered goals – two made by Freddie DeMarco and the third assisted by Angelo Lamatina.

But Tesoro struck three more times to take full points.   

CELTIC TIE

And at Pier 40, Ian Pollard [assisted by Rob Jonson] and Scott Lomaz connected in Manhattan Celtic’s 2-2 draw with NYPD FC.