COUGAR SC 36th Memorial Day Invitational Tournament 2017 Recap

Post date: May 30, 2017 5:12:38 PM

The EYS Turbos geared up early Sunday morning for their first ever Memorial Day tournament. It was a warm Spring day as players and parents arrived and prepared for the day’s festivities.

First off, in true EYS fashion, canopies were raised, tables set up…and plenty of food was put out for the Turbo family to enjoy. We don’t just go to tournaments…we make a feast out of the day! GREAT JOB by everyone involved!

As the time grew near for the first game, the Turbos put their game faces on. As they were warming up, they were dealt the unfortunate news that they would be down two players on the day as M. Olavarria and R. Monteiro would not be available to play. M. Olavarria was not feeling well, and R. Monteiro was dealing with two ankle sprains. But, their spirits were quickly raised as they looked over to the far side of the field and saw R. Monteiro limping his way over to join the team and support his Turbos. With one ankle taped up, and another one swollen, he made his way halfway to the team before they rushed over in excitement to greet him. R. Monteiro would serve as an Assistant Coach for the day as he cheered his Turbos on before leaving for x-rays on his ankles. (Update: No broken bones, but both ankles sprained.)

GAME TIME!!

Game 1: EYS Turbos vs. Cougar SC U8 Academy Thunder

The first game of the day had the EYS Turbos facing off against the tournament host Cougar SC. The Turbos took the field debuting their Memorial Day camouflage jerseys and were ready to go from the opening whistle. They took control of the game early and pushed into the offensive zone. Just 8 minutes into the game, they would draw first blood. C. Henao would link up with L. Henriques on the left wing and blow past the defense before placing a shot across the goal and into the back of the net!

Turbos lead 1-0!

The Turbos would have scored a few more in the first half, but they were just offside on a few chances that were called back as the ball rolled into the back of the goal.

On the other end, the defensive trio of D. Quishpi, N. Henriques, D. Lyons and goalkeeper G. Falcon were in LOCK DOWN mode. Nothing was getting by. NOTHING. The host team was able to break through the midfield a few times, but once they made it to the defensive backline, their shots were either blocked by the defense, or turned away by a pumped up G. Falcon.

The first half would end with the Turbos up 1-0.

The second half would go much the same as the first, but this time the EYS Turbos adjusted to the offside. Again, they would find the back of the net in the 29th minute as I. Nieves would steal a pass from the back and walk in to blast the ball into the back of the net!

Turbos up 2-0!!

Just 4 minutes later in the 33rd minute…they would break through again. After several chances in front, the ball bounced around to the feet of D. Zokner would would lay it off to I. Contreras on the side of the goal. He would make no mistake and finish with a bullet into the back of the goal.

Turbos up 3-0!!

…and then…just 2 minutes later in the 35th minute, I. Nieves’ speed would pay off again as he stole another pass from the defense and put away his second of the game!

Turbos up 4-0!!

The host club was determined to get one back at all costs...and things got a little testy for a moment as they would make it past the defense after a punt from their goalie. G. Falcon flew out of goal to challenge the rushing forward and dove at the ball. He would wrap it up, but the forward continued to kick at the ball. Eventually, the referee would blow the whistle to call the foul on the opposing forward. On the goal kick to restart, the referee would blow the whistle for the final time…TURBOS WIN 4-0!!!

Game 2: EYS Turbos vs. World Class FC 09 Teaneck

The second game of the day had the Turbos facing off against a familiar Academy, but different team. They would face World Class FC Academy. The Turbos took their first defeat of the season the previous weekend against another team from the same academy…now they would face another of their U8 teams, who happen to play in the top flight of the EDP Futures league. The Turbos knew they had their work cut out for them…but they seemed eager for the challenge.

The WC team came out flying…and the Turbos matched their tempo. They would go back and forth exchanging chances early, and both goalies were equal to the task. The WC goalie stopped shots from N. Osorto and D. Zokner early on…while on the other end D. Lyons in goal would turn away some bullets from their speedy forward. Eventually the WC team would break through after defender slipped and get one past a diving D. Lyons. Turbos down 1-0 in the 5th minute of play.

Not to be outdone…the Turbos dusted themselves off and got one right back. It was a team effort on the Turbos first goal of the game. N. Henriques would play the ball across the back to D. Quispi. He would then turn the ball up field to I. Nieves who turned up the field and found I. Contreras rushing in on goal. After a quick move around the defender, he would waste no time and blast one into the net.

Turbos tied 1-1 in the 12th minute.

The WC team didn’t take long to jump back up. Right off the kick off, they would march down into the Turbo zone and again their speedy forward would find himself with the ball after some jousting back and forth. He would rip a shot through a sea of players and into the back of the goal. D. Lyons could do nothing about it as the ball came through the screen of players so quickly. Turbos down 2-1 in the 14th minute.

The half would end with the EYS Turbos down 2-1.

The end half would start, and the pace of the game would slow down a little. Both teams showed a little fatigue as they were playing their second game of the day. The first 10 minutes were almost entirely played in the midfield with both teams trying to take control of the game. The referee didn’t help the flow of the game much either as there were a lot of fouls called on the Turbos. It seemed that every time a WC player would go down, a foul was called…but the Turbos didn’t change their style of play. After another questionable foul called against the Turbos in the defensive zone, the WC team would net another one. Turbos down 3-1 in the 29th minute.

Eventually, the Turbos would get a call their way, and they would make the opponent pay. L. Henriques was taken down along the left sideline near midfield and earn a rare call. He would line up for a free kick and send a line drive shot from near the midfield line into the penalty box. The Turbo midfield and forwards timed the kick perfectly as N. Henriques, O. Rico, N. Osorto and D. Zokner rushed into the box as soon as L. Henriques released the kick. D. Zokner would go straight down the middle of the penalty box and one time the pass out of the air and straight into the back of the WC net. Turbos down 3-2 in the 32nd minute!!

The Turbos pushed hard for the draw…and their hard work would pay off!! After a restart from the back, D. Lyons played the ball to the right side to a waiting D. Quispi. He would send the ball to the sideline to I. Nieves who sidestepped a slide tackle and rushed up field. As he looked up, he found I. Contreras waiting alone at midfield. I. Nieves would play a through ball up to I. Contreras…and the race was on. The two WC defenders rushed at I. Contreras, but he pushed the ball between them and it was a leg race to the net. At the last minute, out of nowhere came a speedy midfielder from the WC team. He was clearly beat and tried to jump on I. Contreras from behind. His effort almost worked as he caught the back of his foot with his hand. Somehow, no foul was called…but I. Contreras played through it and didn’t need the referees assistance. He blasted a shot from just inside the penalty box and beat the goalie to his left side! Turbos tied 3-3 in the 37th minute!!!

The opposing kick off was delayed for a little while as the WC midfielder who tried to dive on I. Contreras sat at midfield in tears. It turned out that he wasn’t hurt after all, but had to leave the field nonetheless as the referee called their coach out to check on him.

Eventually the play would resume. Both teams pushed hard for the go ahead goal with just minutes left to play. With one minute left to play, WC team would benefit from an unfortunate bounce. As the Turbos were setting up for a goal kick, D. Lyons spotted a wide open L. Henriques on the left sideline. As he rushed up to kick the ball in his direction, his foot caught a little too much of the grass, and the goal kick fell just short of L. Henriques. A rushing WC forward would pick up the loose ball and quickly kick it into the back of the net as D. Lyons was rushing to get back in position. Turbos down 4-3 in the 39th minute.

Just seconds later the game would end. It was a tough break for the Turbos. They played their hearts out against a team was a little bigger than them, and only an unlucky bounce at the end of the game prevented the draw. The Turbos may not have won the game, but they were by far the better and classier team on the field that day. They walked off the field with their spirits up and their heads held up just as high…they knew they played a GREAT game!! Turbos loss 4-3.

Game 3: EYS Turbos vs. Hazlet United Kickers

The final game of the day had the EYS Turbos facing off against another familiar opponent. They would play the Hazlet United Kickers, who just a couple of years ago hosted a tournament that some of the Turbos played against.

The EYS Turbos took the field determined to put the last game behind them and put another WIN up on the board for the day.

The Turbos came out firing on all cylinders for this game. With an extra player on the field (playing 8v8 instead of their usual 7v7), the Turbos came out in a different formation. They went from their usual 2-3-1 to a 2-1-3-1 with an extra defensive midfielder. Again, the backline stole the show this game. G. Falcon was back between the pipes for this game, but he didn’t see much action until very late in the second half as the defensive pairing of D. Quisphi, N. Henriques and D. Lyons playing defensive midfield allowed absolutely NOTHING to the opponents.

In the 10th minute of the game, the defense quickly turned a rush around into offense for the first goal of the game. D. Lyons would stop a rush up the middle and quickly pass the ball up to D. Zokner. D. Zokner turned up field and started rushing to the right side..the defense followed him and he turned on a dime and sent a pass to the left to M. Shamy on the left. M. Shamy seized the opportunity and put home the Turbos first goal of the game!

Turbos lead 1-0!!

The Turbos kept pressing and going for more. As the 1st half was coming to a close, the Turbos earned a corner kick with just seconds left to play. N. Osorto would send one of his many crosses on the day into the box from the right side. Rushing toward the back goal post was O. Rico who would make contact with the bouncing cross and send the ball into the back of the net to add to the Turbos lead!

Turbos lead 2-0!!

The half would end…and the Turbos were all smiles. They were dominating play…and they knew it.

The second half played out much like the first. The Turbo midfield controlled play. The defense locked down the back. The forwards worked the ball deep and just missed on a few additional chances. Halfway through the second half, the Turbos were starting to show signs of fatigue. It was hot, and they were playing their 3rd game of the day…but they never stopped playing hard. To keep players fresh, D. Lyons and I. Contreras would pinch in and relieve the defenders of their duty for the day…and D. Quishpi would take another shot up at the forward position. Having just missed on a few chances earlier in the day in Game 1…D. Quishpi was determined to get on the scoresheet. In the 24th minute…he would have his chance. C. Henao fielded a punt from G. Falcon in the midfield and spun around to his left. The defense was pushed up to the midfield line trying to catch the Turbos offside, but they held their line. Quickly, C. Henao played a through ball between 2 defenders to his left...and D. Quishpi read it well and raced after the ball. He got there before the defense could get back and finessed a shot into the back of the net!

Turbos lead 3-0!!!

As the game was winding down, the Turbos would strike again! This time, the speedy L. Henriques would steal a pass from the back on the left side and walk in on goal. He had all the time in the world..and made no mistake. He looked up, made eye contact with the goalie..and froze him with a blast into the side of the goal!!

Turbos lead 4-0!!!

The game would end just minutes later, with the EYS Turbos registering their second clean sheet of the day with a 4-0 victory!!

The EYS Turbos had a TERRIFIC tournament!!!

The defensive pairings of N. Henriques, D. Quishpi, D. Lyons and G. Flacon in goal stole the show. They posted 2 clean sheets on the day, something no other team in the tournament in their age group was able to do on the day!!

The midfield of C. Henao, I. Nieves, D. Zokner, N. Osorto dominated play in the midfield and gave the opposing teams fits all day as they tried to break through!!

Forwards I. Contreras, L. Henriques and O. Rico, along with sideline encouragement from R. Monteiro, drove opposing defenses crazy all day with good movement up front and shot after shot after shot to test the goalkeepers!!

(DNP, but with us in spirit: R. Monteiro & M. Olavarria)

The EYS Turbos ended in second place overall in the tournament, tied on points for 1st place.

Tournament Stats:

Goals For: 11

Goals Against: 4

Clean Sheets: 2

EYS Turbos Scoring Summary:

GAME 1:

GOALS:

L. Henriques (8th minute)

I. Nieves (29th, 35th minutes)

I. Contreras (33rd minute)

ASSISTS:

C. Henao (8th minute)

D. Zokner (33rd minute)

GAME 2:

GOALS:

I. Nieves (12th minute)

D. Zokner (32nd minute)

I. Contreras (37th minute)

ASSISTS:

I. Contreras (12th minute)

L. Henriques (32nd minute)

I. Nieves (37th minute)

GAME 3:

GOALS:

M. Shamy (10th minute)

O. Rico (19th minute)

D. Quishpi (24th minute)

L. Henriques (39th minute)

ASSISTS:

D. Zokner (10th minute)

N. Osorto (19th minute)

C. Henao (24th minute)

The EYS Turbos will be back in action this coming Wednesday, 5/31/17 at 6:00pm for a Friendly against Den Of Lions from Newark. The two teams last faced off in the 3rd place game of the Center Circle Second Winter Session, with the Turbos edging DOL out in Penalty Kicks to take 3rd place overall.

LET’S GO TURBOS!!!

Have Fun!

Play Hard!

Show Respect!