February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Jay Mwamba
Leaving some of their best for last, St. Barnabas came from a goal down at SUNY-Purchase last Sunday to end New York Albanians’ seven-match winning streak at the top of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League First Division with a 2-1 decision.
The Saints’ triumph in their penultimate match of 1999 was scripted by Jimmy Ford, whose equalizer early in the second half (48th) put the home side back in contention, and goal-poacher Dave Fitzgerald (54th), whose free-kick sealed it.
Sadri Gjonbalaj (5th) had gotten Albanians off to a false start after latching onto a through ball from midfield.
"A classic match," gushed St. Barnabas official Aidan Dennis. "Definitely the best game we’ve been involved in this year."
Albanians’ Joe Shkreli couldn’t hide his disappointment. "We’re a Jekyll and Hyde team," he said. "First half we outplayed them badly. It could have been 5-0. Second half they outplayed."
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Dennis, one of the scorers in the Saints’ reserves 5-1 victory, likened the hard-fought tussle to a local derby. "We have a great rivalry," he added.
The win over Albanians’ first team kept the fifth-placed Saints (6-2-1, 19) six points behind new leaders New York Dinamo. But St. Barnabas, who face Polonia in a rescheduled match this weekend, have three games in hand.
Paddy Murphy (two), Denzil Brown, and Sean O’Flynn also tallied for the second team.
Shamrocks beaten
Shamrock S.C. came out flat against New York Hungaria at Woodbridge, N.J., and paid the price with a 5-2 drubbing in their millennium closer.
The match was more competitive than the scoreline suggests, even though Shamrocks’ response to strikes by Lang Milan (38th), Joe Fulop (51st), Peter Harangi (55th) and Joseph Kovacs (84th) were far and few between.
Austin Welsh (54th) pulled one back with Hungaria ahead by two goals, but it wasn’t until the stroke of full time that midfielder John Guildea got Shamrocks’ second from the penalty spot.
"They were without a doubt the better team, but we didn’t deserve to lose by three goals," Guildea said.
Said Hungaria coach Mike Jambrik: "The game was pretty much even. But they had a better team last year."
Thunder clap
A thunderous shot from 25 yards by Darren Thunder earned the third-placed Shamrock reserves (6-3-2, 20) a 1-1 tie with their Hungaria rivals.
Shamrock’s Third Division team, meanwhile, lost their third straight match, 4-1 to Japanese side SICJA at Randalls Island.
Willie Murphy had the lone Shamrock reply to goals by Shin Furutate (two), Shoehi Fukuda and Kurihara.
Gaels end drought
Astoria Gaels won’t enter the new millennium winless after all. The Second Division side chalked up its first victory of the season, in the nick of time, defeating Ukrainian S.C. 4-2 at McCarran Park.
Andy O’Malley (20th), Derek McKenna (35th, 82nd), and Gerry O’Brien (85th) were Gaels’ heroes. Michael DeSousa and Nazmi Durakovic replied for Ukrainian.
"Most of the guys played two games. I was concerned but they came out fighting. It was tremendous," said manager Jimmy Ralph.
Ralph described McKenna’s second goal, a shot he curled over Ukrainian’s stand-in goalie from near the corner flag, as the "goal of the season."
Gaels, whose reserves were thrashed 5-0, improved to a modest 1-10 at the bottom of the East.
Bronx battle
In a match replete with drama — five red-cards, seven goals, and a last-gasp winner — Lansdowne came up short against B.W. Poughkeepsie at Van Cortlandt Park. They succumbed 4-3 to Luis Garcia’s 89th minute decider.
By then, the visitors had been reduced to nine-men, while Lansdowne were playing with eight.
"The ref was very tight. But you can’t blame him. He did his best," noted Paul Doherty, Lansdowne’s assistant player-coach.
Lansdowne drew first blood through Stephen Cassidy (23rd). The goal only served to stir Poughkeepsie to life, and they reeled off three straight, courtesy of Brian Kennedy (33rd, 40th pen) and their own Irish ace, Brendan Cross (44th), who also played in the reserves’ 1-0 loss.
Lansdowne, however, regained the momentum after the interval, getting a goal back through Edmund Cleery (56th) who nailed a penalty, and Doherty (80th), to tie the game before Garcia struck.
"It was a tough game," Poughkeepsie coach Dennis Skumpia said. The reserve meeting was decided by John Meehan’s lone strike (75th) for Lansdowne.
Dinamo rules
Dinamo held off Polonia S.C. 3-2 at the Allerton Field in the Bronx to claim the leadership in the First Division (25) going into the next millennium. Tony Camaj (54th, 64th) and Mured Ibrahimov (70th) connected.
The reserve fixture ended 3-all.
Still hot
New York Athletic Club had another brace from the in-form Pepper Brill in their 4-1 romp over New York Croatia at Travers Island.
Brill celebrated his 26th birthday with goals in the 15th (pen) and 80th minutes. Greg Smalling (60th) and Chris Mitchell (75th) were the other NYAC scorers.
"We played well and deserved to win," coach Ronan Downs said.
Fair tie
First Division bottom side Banatul picked up their second point of the season from a 1-1 tie with Fairfield/Westchester United at West Beach in Connecticut. Fairfield’s Jimmy Bas (25th) canceled out Alessio Giaccobone’s 15th minute goal.
The Fairfield reserves prevailed 5-3.
Second division
West leaders Ripensia-Romania will start the spring half of the season six points clear on account of their 6-1 rout over Bergen Kickers at the Overpeck County Park.
Adrian Ionete’s hat trick (7th, 20th, 83rd), Razvan Anghel (17th) and Olimpiu Roman (58th, 77th) marred Bergen’s 1999 closer. The reserves drew 3-3.
In the East, Eintracht (22) knocked off New York Wanderers 2-0 at Roosevelt Island to overtake CD Iberia at the top. Tony Alessandro (58th) and Andreas Doczy (70th) were on the mark. Wanderers took the reserve meeting 2-1.
Perfect record
Rookies Guyana Juniors are 10-0 (30) at the halfway mark in the Third Division after rolling over Jersey City F.C. 3-1. Tallo Hudson, Christopher Giles and Hewley French scored for the leaders.
Second-placed Central Park Rangers (25) battled to a 2-all tie with Ridgewood at Mitchel Field in Long Island. Henrik Ottosson (65th) and Alex Parise (80th) starred for Rangers, while Bichi Dumitru (25th) and Robert Cretulescu (37th) replied for Ridgewood.
At Randalls Island, Gunguz Aydmir (two), Alex Carabano and Muamer Altin led Krimean Turkish to their second win of the season, at the expense of Jam’s, whose Kaname Hasunuma scored.
Guyana upset
Over-30 West pacesetters Guyana Veterans fell 2-1 to Paulo Serferle’s double strike for Athletic Club.
Guyana’s sister club, Pele Masters, however, went on a scoring spree against Banatul, knocking 15 past their opponents for one in return. Sam Bunbury, the older brother of Canadian international Alex Bunbury, had four of the 15 goals.
Scala Brasil also lost, 3-0 to B.W. Gottschee, whose Pablo Perez (23rd), Luis Mercardo (61st) and George Lesmes (75th) were on target.
At Downing Stadium, Gus Tsirkas, Jose Luis Leva and Jimmy Xarthakos steered Greek-American/Atlas over Fairfield/Westchester, while Julio had Metros’ only goal in a 2-1 loss to Islip in the Carbone Cup.