Shorthanded Vipers Slowed by Tar Heels in Tourney Opener

The Massapequa Vipers were ready to make some noise. Playing their first season in Division 1 of the Long Island Junior Soccer League  after winning the Division 2 title last year, they had high expectations entering the Massapequa Soccer Club's Memorial Day Tournament.

A 2-1 loss Saturday afternoon to the  Toms River, NJ Tar Heels probably tempered those expectations a bit.

Hindered and shorthanded by both injuries and prior player commitments, the Vipers found themselves playing with a patchwork lineup and a fill-in goalie for the opener at Long Island Soccer Park in Plainview. The  Tar Heels, were  filled with younger players, which made for a  difficult loss.

“This killed me,” said injured Vipers' center striker Dan Giorgi. “It was really hard to watch.”

 The match began with uplifting play that shifted momentum immediately to the Massapequa side. Midfielder Taras Zakalyuk scored on an unassisted breakaway just six minutes into the first half.  The Vipers kept their younger opponents at bay for the remainder of the half, aided by several big saves from guest goaltender Justin Masone.  At halftime,  the Vipers held the 1-0 lead.

 But several missed opportunities  would prove costly .  Just six minutes into the second half, Toms River cracked the Vipers stalwart defense and tied the game at one apiece.

 The Tar Heels scored ten minutes later to take their first lead at 2-1 and a sense of urgency set in.  Several more opportunities fell by the wayside for the Vipers, including a 30 yard strike by Bobby Fogelson that grazed the goal’s crossbar.

But the Vipers fell short.   “We didn’t play our game,” Coach Mike Gozley said. “We played too direct and our offensive scheme and finishing on goal needs improvement.”

It's  going to take a motivated effort to help pull the team out of it’s early hole and Gozley admitted he's  "expecting a difficult remaining two games,”  but promised, “we will give a 110 % effort.”  

 The news was better for another local club as  the Massapequa Tomahawks campaign  began with a thrilling 4-2 victory over division rival Auburndale Storm.  Coming off a recent  2-1 loss and a rough 1-1 tie at the hands of the Storm, this game meant something to the rising Massapequa squad.  “You don’t want to put too much emphasis on it,” said Tomahawks Coach Kevin Ferrari. "We just want to show this team we can play with them.”

 The Tomahawks fell into an early 1-0 hole a mere ten minutes into the first half.  The pace  was quick and it seemed  Auburndale was going to dominate the game physically.  But Forward Brian Kelly scored with ten minutes remaining in the half off a head ball to tie the score.

 In the halftime huddle, Ferrari emphasized a need to slow Auburndale's offense.  “We need to play tougher defensively after we score a goal,” he said.

 The advice wasn't immediately followed.  Five minutes into the second half, Bobby Antonnellis scored off a corner kick to give Massapequa a 2-1 edge only to watch Auburndale score to tie the game two minutes later.

 Things tightened after that and it wasn’t until five minutes remaining  that Massapequa struck again.  Seamus Lynch scored off a poor defensive clear giving the Tomahawks a 3-2 lead on their third header of the day.  “I don’t think we’ve had three headers for goals all year,” Ferrari said.

 With time expiring and the Auburndale team slowing with exhaustion,  Tyler Cisek put the finishing touches on the win with a breakaway goal that made it 4-2.

 “We played hard and gave a great effort,” Ferrari said. “it’s a good win against a very tough division rival.

 Both the Vipers and the Tomahawks conclude their tournament schedules Sunday with the Vipers playing the Lake Grove Rebels at 10:10 AM at Soccer Park, while the Tomahawks square off against the New Rochelle Blast at 10:00 AM at the same venue.

Here are some of the  scores for the local Boys teams on Saturday May 29th.

MASSAPEQUA SC BLUE (NYE)-2 FARMINGDALE FURY (NYE)-5

MASSAPEQUA SC BLUE (NYE)-3 BELLMORE PAL BELLMORE UNITED (NYE)-6

MASSAPEQUA RED (NYE)-2 EMSC B U9 EAST MEADOW WHITE (NYE)-0

LEVITTOWN WARRIORS (NYE)-6 MASSAPEQUA SC BROWN (NYE)-0

MASSAPEQUA SC BROWN (NYE)-4 GREAT NECK GREEN WAVE (NYE)-5

MASSAPEQUA FIRE (NYE)-4 BAY SHORE STRIKERS (NYE)-2

MASSAPEQUA FIRE (NYE)-2 LEVITTOWN RAGE (NYE)-1

MASSAPEQUA SC SHARKS (NYE)-6 SMITHTOWN SCORPIONS (NYE)-0

ALBERTSON SC FIRE (NYE)-4 MSC SPARTANS (NYE)-2

ROCKVILLE CENTRE CELTIC (NYE)-4 MSC SPARTANS (NYE)-4

TOMS RIVER SA TAR HEELS ELITE 95/96 (NJ)-2 MASSAPEQUA VIPERS (NYE)-1

BROOKLYN ITALIANS AC MILAN (NYE)-0 MASSAPEQUA VIPERS (NYE)-2

MASSAPEQUA SC ARSENAL (NYE)-2 LITTLE NECK K-9S (NYE)-3

MASSAPEQUA SC ARSENAL (NYE)-3 LJSSL THUNDERBIRDS (NYE)-1

MASSAPEQUA SC TOMAHAWKS (NYE)-4 AUBURNDALE STORM (NYE)-2

HICKSVILLE AMERICAN HURRICANES (NYE)-4 MASSAPEQUA SC TOMAHAWKS (NYE)-3