Warwick youth soccer round up

Warwick Fire 4, Minisink 1 This past Mother’s Day saw a lot of Warwick soccer action at the Warwick Town Park. First, the Warwick Fire met Minisink for the second time this season. The Fire played against type and came on strong only minutes into the game, making every effort to score a goal. Michael Bedross rushed to the net and made it happen for the Fire, giving them a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, it was short-lived, as the Minisink keeper punted the ball across the pitch right to the Warwick keeper who fell on the ball. The ball rolled right through his hands and before defense had a chance to react it was tipped into the net by a Minisink player. The half came to an end tied at 1-1. In the second half the Fire came on even stronger, passing and taking long shots any chance they got. One heartbreaker was a breakaway shot by Phillip Goska that just nicked the outer goal post. Nick Blomfield also had a near-miss, but it was Ryan Killeen who took advantage of a weak throw-in and followed his own kick into the goal with a tap that sent the score to 2-1. Playing aggressively, Minisink paid the penalty when a tripping charge was followed by a direct kick and a solid goal by Nick Blomfield. Minisink never gave up and continued to push hard, but each try was met with a quick save by Jamie Eigo and, in one instance, by Brian McGovern whose quick footwork kept a loose ball out of the net. Warwick’s defense, Ryan Brack, Connor Reynolds and Ryan Stirt, never let up against the Minisink strikers. Finally, Ryan Killeen saw another opportunity with a nearly wide-open goal and “blooped” a kick in just past the goalie. At the whistle, the score was 4-1, Warwick. Warwick Wildcats 1, New Paltz 0 The Warwick Wildcats, the U11 girls team, played against New Paltz in a evenly matched game. The Wildcats passed well and moved to goal, but were met with a strong defense and great goal saves by the New Paltz team. The ball seemed to be stuck in mid-field for the first half, as both sides battled to score a goal. The second half gave the Wildcats a few more opportunities to score, but they were either opportunities lost or saved by an outstanding New Paltz goalie. But the Wildcats never wavered in their intensity and pushed harder toward goal. They finally saw their teamwork pay off when Megan Ryan scored after breaking through the defensive line. The only other opportunity of the afternoon was on an indirect kick, which veered wide of the goal. The Wildcats came away with another well-deserved win; 1-0 over New Paltz. Warwick Purple Titans 7, Pine Bush 0 The U-9 Purple Titans played Pine Bush next knowing they are playing well and improving every week. The Titans made a positive start and poured forward, putting Pine Bush under a lot of early pressure. The Purple Titans managed to open the scoring when Dylan Hayes finished off some superb build up play from Kyra Power and Will Brack with a left-footed goal. Will Brack then went on to score the next two goals. His first, a breakaway down the left side where he then fired a powerful shot into the near corner of the goal. Nick Zintel broke from midfield to score a fourth goal, before Kyra Power netted a fifth. Pine Bush continued to battle and managed to take advantage of a mix up in the Purple Titans defense to score one of their own. Will Brack put hope of a Pine Bush comeback to bed, restoring the five-goal cushion with a perfectly executed lob just minutes before halftime. Pine Bush came on strong in the second half and fiercely defended their goal. The Purple Titans defense did the same, particularly Ian Roeloff, who produced the save of the game when he made a diving rescue on a Pine Bush breakaway and what looked to be a certain goal. Roeloff then quickly turned defense to attack with a huge punt up the field which enabled Sharleigh Carter to assist Will Brack for his fourth goal of the game, and the Titans seventh. The final whistle sounded to mark the end of a very entertaining game and another convincing performance by the Warwick Purple Titans. Will Brack was awarded Man of the Match, not only for scoring four goals but also for his creativity, endless running and effort. Warwick Titans 4, Minisink 3 The Purple Titans game was followed by the U-10 Titans at 3:00 who played against Minisink. In another evenly matched game, the Titans were up by only one at the half, with two goals scored by Brandon Stirt and one for Matthew Bosch. The first half had both teams playing aggressively, but it wasn’t until the second half when things started heating up. For every Warwick drive, Minisink would lay down strong defense, especially from their goal keeper, who grabbed what could have been points out of the air and on the ground. It wasn’t until Dmitri Joanow was within striking distance that the Titans got their chance. Fouled in the box on a tripping charge, Joanow scored on a beautiful direct kick that put the Titans ahead by two. Minisink answered that with a lob over the keeper’s head, but could not pull another one out before the whistle blew. Unfortunately, it was not the end of the game, but the referee warning the Minisink parents to stop arguing calls and urging their players to “take out” the Titan players. A strong caution was offered and play resumed, and the Titans held onto their lead until the final whistle blew. Both teams lined up to wish each other well and to show the true meaning of sportsmanship. Information for these summaries were provided by Pam Eigo and Keith Ellis.