From Jay Mwamba
March 20, 2019
Alamisi Burhan bagged a hat trick, getting Metro Div. One Mola SC off to an emphatic start to the spring half of the season with a 5-1 drubbing of Gotham Argo.
Gianluca Giuffrida and player-coach Sal Ingravallo were also on target in the late game at Pier 40.
Nick Chang set up Ikechi Nwanko for Gotham’s face-saver.
Ridgewood Romac had a forfeit win over Kelmendi in the other scheduled Metro One game.
METRO TWO
Jean Rodriguez Coby was on fire for Missile FC with four goals in a 6-3 shootout with Mommas Boys on Randalls Island. The result earned the visitors a share of the North leadership.
Brandy Cineas and Ricardo Casimir added a goal apiece, while Kenneth Swords [two] and Caio Mancanares replied for the Boys.
THREE-WAY TIE
The only one of the top three in the North to claim full points, Missile [7-2-1] joined both SC Eintracht and NYC Metro Stars on the 23-point mark.
Eintracht had goals from Hasan Redzic and Andrea Mazzella in a 3-2 loss to NYC Afghanistan in Flushing Meadow.
Earlier on Randalls Island, Metro Stars and Laberia FC produced a seesaw affair that ended in a 4-4 tie.
It took only three minutes for Laberia new boys Leonardo De Figueiredo and Bryan Cespedes to combine for the opener, notched by the latter.
But two unanswered goals gave Metro Stars a 2-1 lead at half time.
The pendulum swung the other way on resumption. Donald Pepa leveled from the spot [50th] and skipper Alban Dizdari added a brace – one a penalty and the other created by Teon Demarcus -- to put Laberia 4-2 up.
Metro Stars, however, refused to roll over. Two late goals – one on the stroke of full time – salvaged a 4-4 tie. Ivan Reyes and Landry Sanon both netted twice.
“Metrostars showed their championship material by rallying and scoring two late to tie it up. [We] were unlucky to get only one point,” said a Laberia official.
In other Metro II results, Santa Fe NY crushed FC Partizani 8-1, Sons of Queens edged Brooklyn Bound 2-1 and Brooklyn North dispatched FC Ulqini Metro II 5-3.
OVER-30
Player-coach Taso Polydefkis struck once in a 3-2 defeat of Manhattan Celtic Bhoys that lifted Pancyprian Freedoms [8-2-1, 26] three points clear of New York Greek Americans in the East. The Greeks were off.
Mauricio Turizo [two] had the other goals at Bushwick Inlet while
Otavio Barbon and Ben Astin replied for Celtic.
DELUGE
Runaway West leaders Between Rivers FC thrashed Manhattan Kickers Premier 7-1 at East River Park to open up an 11 point lead at the top.
Six different players tallied against Kickers: Yan Averman, Benik Ambar [two], Aleksandr Bidner, Semso Nikocevic, Andriy Voytkiv and Pavlo Kolonifa.
“Take nothing away from Between Rivers -- a very good and deserving squad,” conceded Kickers’ Mike Fitzgerald. “But due to our lack of intensity and our general carelessness we let this one slip away.”
Seamus Kelly got a late consolation [85th] for Kickers on Nick Bill’s assist.
OLD BOYS
Rivers’ closest pursuers, CPR Old Boys, trounced Megas Alexandros 4-1 on Randalls Island.
Paul Clarke, Brandon Levy’s brace and an own goal accounted for the romp.
OVER-39
The only top three side in the Over-39 Division to see action, Manhattan Celtic Masters ran riot at Pier 40, demolishing SC Gjoa 6-1.
David Linn, Jackie Soussan [two], Matthias Schmitt, Jaime González and Ari Raisa upped Masters’ record to 6-2-3 [20], seven points behind first place Manhattan Kickers Legends.
A point behind Celtic Masters, Doxa Legends held off Shamrock Legends 4-3 at Frank Principe Park.
The Irishmen’s Paddy Geraghty had two goals and an assist in the loss. Ger Shivnan was the other Shamrock scorer.
“If we had snuck a draw it would have been a great result," said Rocks coach John Riordan. "They are a good team and they will figure in the play-offs.”
In the lower rungs, Alejandro Monsalve and Edson Rodriguez each had a brace in America FC’s 5-1 rout of SC Eintracht. Breyner Zapata accounted for the other goal.
Vinny Vasconcelos had Eintracht’s lone response.
Elsewhere in Over-39 action, David Sawyer earned CPR Legends a 1-all draw with Greek Americans Legends at the Con Edison Field.
CSL OVER-30 CUP
Tim McSherry [two] and Hans Aponte eased Hoboken FC 1912 into the CSL Over-30 Cup quarterfinals at CPR Grays’ expense. The Jersey side prevailed 3-0 at Laurel Hill Park.
McSherry got off to a whirlwind start, netting 75 seconds after kickoff when the ball fortuitously landed at his feet following CPR’s botched clearance of a Jeff Natale cross.
“‘Twas [the] luck of the Irish and a St. Patrick’s Day gift that this Irishman did not squander, smartly smashing the ball into the back of the net,” remarked Shawn Seiden.
“It would be another 75 minutes -- very stressful minutes at that -- before we found the net again, under the same scenario; Jeff assisting and Tim scoring,” said Seiden. “Tim was involved again in the third goal at the 88th minute, with a flick to Hans who used his head to find the scoresheet.”
Hoboken face another CPR side in next month’s quarterfinals: Old Boys.
Saturday:
By Appointment Only