The following game recaps were submitted by the Hopewell Valley Soccer Association coaches and edited for clarity. The games were held Saturday, Nov. 4 and Sunday, Nov. 5.
Division Three Girls
Dr. McDonough’s Live Wires played their final regular season game on Saturday against Ewing-1, winning 5-0. Chelsea Kent started off the scoring after receiving a pass from Sierra Mitchell. Katie Clarke was the recipient of Sierra’s next excellent pass and was able to score. Sierra scored a goal in the second half. Natalie Kasprzyk served as goalie and was aided by good defensive work from Zoe Zeng, Olivia Friedrich, Jaelyn Krin, Makenzie Scherbekow and Mariel Haynes. The second half saw Mariel taking over goalkeeping duties. Sierra scored two more goals, earning her first hat trick of the season.
On Sunday, Dr. McDonough’s Live Wires defeated Ewing-2, 5-0. Natalie Kasprzyk scored the first goal of the game off of a pass from Mariel Haynes. Katie Clarke scored the second goal. Chelsea Kent put in a stellar performance as goalie. Natalie took over in goal for the second half of the game. Her defenders kept from facing too many shots, but the ones that she did face, she was able to control or turn aside. Chelsea, now on offense, scored her first goal of the game. Not done with the offensive onslaught, Chelsea made an outstanding pass to Sierra Mitchell, who found the back of the net. Sierra was able to jump on to a Ewing goal kick, knock the ball down, shoot and score the final Live Wires’ goal of the game. Olivia, Jaelyn, Zoe, Makenzie and Mariel kept Ewing’s offense from putting any points on the scoreboard.
Sunday saw the Pre Inter County League championship match between Union Line Garage Firecrackers and Robbinsville 1, with Union Line Garage coming out on top 4-0. Lilla Antal scored two goals in the first half. The first goal by Lilla came from a crossing pass from Lucy Antal, while Amanda Flanders was credited with the assist on the second goal. The midfield for Union Line Garage, consisting of Kate Coyer, Manvi Shah and Lily Ryan, generated the offense by moving the ball quickly upfield, with the third goal having Lilla Antal repay the favor, getting the assist as Amanda Flanders recorded the goal. The final score of the game was by Emilie Sawicki, as she demonstrated outstanding ball control, moving from the halfway mark down the left side of the field avoiding defenders, and finding the back of the net. The defense for Union Line Garage, led by Piper Brant, Reena Fielding, and Shreya Mookherjee, made it difficult for Robbinsville 1 to get inside the 18 yard line, and when they did, goalkeepers Manvi Shah and Lily Ryan made unbelievable saves, and credited with the clean sheet.
Division Three Boys
As the last regular season game on the schedule, DeSimone Orthodontics defeated Dick’s Sporting Goods Saturday, 4-2. Scoring for DeSimone was Noah Pashman, Tommy Irvine, Paul Warznak and Jackson Blackwell, and several of the goals were set up by aggressive midfield play by Teddy Franzino, Robert Taylor and Aaron Nulman. Anchoring the defense was always-dependable Adam Rise in the center position, along with impressive goalie play from Jeffrey Blake, who stopped many scoring chances.
On Sunday, DeSimone Orthodontics did what they do best to overcome a talented Ewing-2 team by a score of 4-0. The goal scorers for DeSimone were Joshua Kohlhepp with two, including his second on a perfectly-placed and timed cross from the right corner from Noah Pashman, Tommy Irvine with one, and Jeffrey Blake with one. The defense continues to play at a high level, with huge defensive plays to stop scoring threats from Shane Sullivan, Robert Taylor, Teddy Franzino and Adam Rise, all of whom have elevated their games during the second half of the season and have made major contributions to the success of this team. On offense, Connor Batcha and Jackson Blackwell kept the pressure on Ewing 2 consistently with aggressive play, and Paul Warznak dominated the goal, with help from teammates, to ensure the shutout victory for DeSimone Orthodontics.
Division Two Girls
The D2 Girls soccer fall season ended this weekend, and Stark & Stark Team Bobs finished the season in second place with a record of 8-7-2. During this playoff weekend, they played third place Franco’s and won 1-0, with Sidney Young scoring a goal in the final seconds. On Sunday, the Bobs played The Blackbirds. They played well with Ana Wilson playing goal and making multiple key saves. Though The Bobs lost 6-0, they kept their energy and their focus the entire game. It was a wonderful end to the season highlighting sportsmanship above score.
Union Line Garage beat Robbinsville 1 Raptors 4-0 for the County Championship ICL game.,
