Another Portledge winter season Varsity team that is going through a rebuilding process is the Varsity Boys Ice Hockey team. Playing with a very young corps of defensemen and many young forwards, the squad is slowly coming together and beginning to be competitive against their very challenging schedule. Recently, the Panthers defeated the Landon School and lost tough but close contests against The Hill and Bergen Catholic. Although their overall record is only 1 win and 5 losses, the Panthers are confident about their post break schedule, and everyone is looking forward to improved results.
How Did the Boys Do at the PDS Tournament?
After a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to La Salle Academy in the opening semi final, the Panthers bounced back with 5-2 win over the Landon School. Freshman defender Par Condon displayed why Coach Coope is so high on him by having an excellent all around tournament, even though he was playing in only his first Varsity games after an early season shoulder injury. 8th grade forward Brendan McGovern was also impressive as he showed no fear in challenging for loose pucks against older and more experienced players. Senior forward Zach Lombardi was selected to the All Tournament team. This honor recognizes fine sportsmanship, as well as excellent overall play. So congratulations to Zach! He is a great leader and an incredible role model for the younger players. It was fantastic to see the Portledge School represented at the PDS Tournament once again, and we in the athletic department look forward to many more years of great hockey at this annual event.
How Did the Team Do in Its First Home Game Down at Beaver Dam?
On a cold night following an exciting Varsity Girls game, the Varsity Boys took the ice for the first time this season down at Beaver Dam. The Portledge games have become quite an event down at the "Dam". On this night the crowd was made up of supporters from the school community and many club members enjoying the opportunity to see some great prep school ice hockey. The opponent was the Varsity from Bergen Catholic, one of the top teams in the state of New Jersey. From the beginning the BC team displayed some excellent skill and speed, as they dominated the early play and kept Portledge pinned down in their own zone. Little by little though, the Panthers found a way break the puck out and establish an offensive presence of their own. The best Portledge line was made up of Freshman Stephan DiBartolomeo centering for Junior Renny Kraft and Senior Austin Prey. This trio worked very hard throughout the game and created many quality scoring chances for themselves. Another player returning from an early season injury was Sophomore defensemen David Wilson. Wilson is a player with tremendous potential. He is a strong skater with a long reach and a great shot from the point. Having Wilson back in the line up on a regular basis should make quite a difference in the Portledge team. Although the final score on this night was 3-1 for BC , everyone who was down at the game was treated to some excellent hockey. When you look at all the young talent on this team it is easy to see how they steadily improve as this season and Portledge hockey goes on. The Panthers next take the ice on Monday, Jan 7th @ Home v. Fairlawn Prep, another strong team from Jersey coached by Portledge alum Mike Goodrich '88.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Rebuilding Varsity Girls Basketball Team Finishes December Schedule on a Positive Note
It has been a tough first month for the Varsity Girls Basketball team. This squad has many new faces and most of the players seeing a lot of game time are largely inexperienced. Add to this, the fact that the December schedule is quite difficult and one can easily see how challenging the beginning of this season has been. Still, the girls managed to start this stretch with a win and they were able to finish it with a win also. In between, there was a good deal of growth and coming together as a group that took place. The team's overall record is 2 wins and 6 losses, but they are a respectable 2 wins and 2 losses in IPPSAL Girls Basketball league play. That mark was secured on the day before holiday break with an impressive 10 point win over league rival Upper Room. Assistant Head Coach Coach Reynolds remarked that it was the girls "best all around game so far this year" and that the team displayed an "ability to play smart" as they protected their lead in the closing minutes.
How Did the Upper Room Game Unfold?
After a first half that saw the evenly matched teams trade baskets, the Lady Panthers took over in the second stanza to get the big W. Sophomore point guard Monique Kelly was at her best as she erupted for 18 second half points on the way to a career high 24 points in all. In addition to her scoring, Kelly added 6 steals and 6 rebounds to lead the girls to victory. Also impressive in the win was the play of Sophomore center Akanksha Trivedi. Trivedi threw in 14 points, mostly from in the paint, as she and Senior forward, and rebounding machine, Yola Yu, controlled the inside play. The 40-30 win ends the early part of the season to on a positive note, and allows the girls to resume their training in January with a sense of confidence and purpose. A birth in the IPPSAL play offs is a difficult but obtainable goal for this group, and we are all behind them as they continue to come together as a team.
How Did the Upper Room Game Unfold?
After a first half that saw the evenly matched teams trade baskets, the Lady Panthers took over in the second stanza to get the big W. Sophomore point guard Monique Kelly was at her best as she erupted for 18 second half points on the way to a career high 24 points in all. In addition to her scoring, Kelly added 6 steals and 6 rebounds to lead the girls to victory. Also impressive in the win was the play of Sophomore center Akanksha Trivedi. Trivedi threw in 14 points, mostly from in the paint, as she and Senior forward, and rebounding machine, Yola Yu, controlled the inside play. The 40-30 win ends the early part of the season to on a positive note, and allows the girls to resume their training in January with a sense of confidence and purpose. A birth in the IPPSAL play offs is a difficult but obtainable goal for this group, and we are all behind them as they continue to come together as a team.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
On A Roll/ Varsity Girls Ice Hockey Rebounds From Tough Loss at Canterbury With Three Straight League Wins
On Wed, Dec 3rd the VGIH team traveled to New Milford, Conn to face a strong Canterbury Girls Varsity team. The game ended in a 4-3 victory for Canterbury, but the level of play and the effort put in by the Portledge girls were both extremely high. This hard fought contest was followed by three straight wins in WIHLMA competition. These impressive results were turned in by the Lady Panther skaters against The Pingry School, The Hill School and Princeton High School, respectively. The team's overall record now stands at 4 wins and 2 losses as they head into a well deserved holiday break. When school resumes in January, the girls will take on the Varsity teams of Millbrook School and Lawrenceville, before heading back down to Hill for a weekend of WIHLMA play over the weekend of Jan 12th-14th.
What Happened Up @ Canterbury?
Well this was a really intense varsity girls ice hockey game. The Portledge girls jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Addie Reilly scored her first goal as a Portledge skater on a rebound of a Siena Falino shot, only to see Canterbury come back to even the score at the beginning of the 2nd period after some prolonged pressure in the Panther zone. The one on one battles in this game were incredible, as both teams struggled to clear their respective defensive zones while facing strong fore checks from their opponents. Portledge went up 2-1 mid way through the 2nd period when Emily Prey launched a rocket of a wrist shot into the top corner of the Canterbury net. Emily surprised the Saint's goalie with the pace of her shot as she also registered her first Portledge goal. Once again Canterbury unleashed some extensive pressure in the Portledge zone and eventually forced a loose puck in the top of the slot area. Eventually a Saint's winger got control of the loose biscuit and fired it by Portledge goalie Jess Sarrantonio to tie the score once again. This goal really enthused the Canterbury team and before long they had added another to take a 3-2 lead going into the second intermission. The Portledge girls have a lot of heart though, and they emerged from the locker room to carry the play in the early going of the third period. As the clock wound down to under 5 minutes left, captain Siena Falino took a perfect breakout pass from captain Kelly Alefeld in center ice and headed towards the Canterbury zone. Falino was being hacked at continuously as she weaved her way around the numerous Saint's defenders and bore down on the goal. At the last second "C", as she's called by the girls on the team, sent a beautiful cross crease pass to a wide open Ashley Wade who calmly knocked the puck into the back of the net to tie the score once again in this amazing game. Unfortunately for the Lady Panther skaters the Canterbury girls had the last say though, as one of their top players found an open teammate on the back post with a slick pass of her own, to give the Saint's the lead as time was running out. Coach Schwam pulled Sarrantonio with well over a minute remaining, but although they had some good chances, the Portledge girls couldn't find another miracle this time. The teams exchanged the traditional hand shakes, and this excellent example of girls prep school hockey was complete. While the loss was tough to swallow, the Portledge team can be very proud of the way they competed on this day. I know that their coaches are very happy with their consistent effort and dedication to the program.
What's Happened During This Run of WIHLMA Wins?
This latest stretch of three league games was viewed by the VGIH team as critical to the overall success of the season. It was a chance for the Lady Panther skaters to stake a claim as one of the top teams in the league, alongside Morristown Beard and Shaddy Side Academy. The first of these contests was against the Pingry School from New Jersey. Pingry's program is not as strong as some of the others in the league, so the game was a chance for all the Portledge girls to get a lot of ice time and really move the puck around. Senior Liz Lanza and Freshman Hope Mulry both scored their first Portledge goals, and Freshman forward Ashley Wade continued her fine play with two goals in the first period and one in the third. Wade is emerging as a solid player at both ends of the rink and has been equally effective as a first line wing and as a second line center. During this game the teams defensive corps, made up of Senior captain Kelly Alefeld, Sophomores Chelsea Caracciolo and Emily Prey, and Freshman Maria "Robbie" Robbins, continuously broke the puck out with ease and confidence. If the "D" can control the game this way , it will make a tough second half schedule a lot easier to deal with. The final score of 10-0 gave the whole team a big boost going into an away game v. The Hill.
Down at The Hill School the Portledge girls faced one of the best goalies the program has ever seen. The Hill netminder made save after save as the Lady Panthers peppered the Hill goal with shots. The game was still scoreless half way through the second when Addie Reilly sent a wrister towards the opposing net and captain Siena Falino darted in to deflect it by what seemed like a brick wall in the Hill goal. This relaxed the Portledge team and they went on to dominate the rest of the game with great puck possession and hard forechecking that pinned the Hill team in their own zone. Falino added a second goal in the third period to reach the final scoreline of 2-0. The Lady Panthers now had just one more hurdle (Princeton High@Home) to complete the sweep of these three pre-holiday break league games.
It was a cold night down at the Dam for this final game before break. Princeton High is a much improved team and they were a determined bunch on this night. After Portledge broke out to an early 2-0 lead on goals by captain Siena Falino and Senior Liz Lanza, PHS came roaring back at the start of the 2nd period with two goals of their own. Each game this year has seemed to have a defining moment and this was definately true on this evening. After the second PHS goal Siena Falino deflected the center face off to herself and took off towards the Princeton zone. After eluding two PHS defenders she threw a few fakes at the keeper before slipping the biscuit by her and into the net. The Portledge lead was restored and the girls went on to play a great 3rd period and extend their lead to three goals. The final score of 5-2 was not indicative of how hard these teams battled during this game. The Lady Panthers go into the break with three straight wins and great deal of confidence. We'll see all you girls hockey fans after the holidays as the story of this inaugural WIHLMA season continues.
What Happened Up @ Canterbury?
Well this was a really intense varsity girls ice hockey game. The Portledge girls jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Addie Reilly scored her first goal as a Portledge skater on a rebound of a Siena Falino shot, only to see Canterbury come back to even the score at the beginning of the 2nd period after some prolonged pressure in the Panther zone. The one on one battles in this game were incredible, as both teams struggled to clear their respective defensive zones while facing strong fore checks from their opponents. Portledge went up 2-1 mid way through the 2nd period when Emily Prey launched a rocket of a wrist shot into the top corner of the Canterbury net. Emily surprised the Saint's goalie with the pace of her shot as she also registered her first Portledge goal. Once again Canterbury unleashed some extensive pressure in the Portledge zone and eventually forced a loose puck in the top of the slot area. Eventually a Saint's winger got control of the loose biscuit and fired it by Portledge goalie Jess Sarrantonio to tie the score once again. This goal really enthused the Canterbury team and before long they had added another to take a 3-2 lead going into the second intermission. The Portledge girls have a lot of heart though, and they emerged from the locker room to carry the play in the early going of the third period. As the clock wound down to under 5 minutes left, captain Siena Falino took a perfect breakout pass from captain Kelly Alefeld in center ice and headed towards the Canterbury zone. Falino was being hacked at continuously as she weaved her way around the numerous Saint's defenders and bore down on the goal. At the last second "C", as she's called by the girls on the team, sent a beautiful cross crease pass to a wide open Ashley Wade who calmly knocked the puck into the back of the net to tie the score once again in this amazing game. Unfortunately for the Lady Panther skaters the Canterbury girls had the last say though, as one of their top players found an open teammate on the back post with a slick pass of her own, to give the Saint's the lead as time was running out. Coach Schwam pulled Sarrantonio with well over a minute remaining, but although they had some good chances, the Portledge girls couldn't find another miracle this time. The teams exchanged the traditional hand shakes, and this excellent example of girls prep school hockey was complete. While the loss was tough to swallow, the Portledge team can be very proud of the way they competed on this day. I know that their coaches are very happy with their consistent effort and dedication to the program.
What's Happened During This Run of WIHLMA Wins?
This latest stretch of three league games was viewed by the VGIH team as critical to the overall success of the season. It was a chance for the Lady Panther skaters to stake a claim as one of the top teams in the league, alongside Morristown Beard and Shaddy Side Academy. The first of these contests was against the Pingry School from New Jersey. Pingry's program is not as strong as some of the others in the league, so the game was a chance for all the Portledge girls to get a lot of ice time and really move the puck around. Senior Liz Lanza and Freshman Hope Mulry both scored their first Portledge goals, and Freshman forward Ashley Wade continued her fine play with two goals in the first period and one in the third. Wade is emerging as a solid player at both ends of the rink and has been equally effective as a first line wing and as a second line center. During this game the teams defensive corps, made up of Senior captain Kelly Alefeld, Sophomores Chelsea Caracciolo and Emily Prey, and Freshman Maria "Robbie" Robbins, continuously broke the puck out with ease and confidence. If the "D" can control the game this way , it will make a tough second half schedule a lot easier to deal with. The final score of 10-0 gave the whole team a big boost going into an away game v. The Hill.
Down at The Hill School the Portledge girls faced one of the best goalies the program has ever seen. The Hill netminder made save after save as the Lady Panthers peppered the Hill goal with shots. The game was still scoreless half way through the second when Addie Reilly sent a wrister towards the opposing net and captain Siena Falino darted in to deflect it by what seemed like a brick wall in the Hill goal. This relaxed the Portledge team and they went on to dominate the rest of the game with great puck possession and hard forechecking that pinned the Hill team in their own zone. Falino added a second goal in the third period to reach the final scoreline of 2-0. The Lady Panthers now had just one more hurdle (Princeton High@Home) to complete the sweep of these three pre-holiday break league games.
It was a cold night down at the Dam for this final game before break. Princeton High is a much improved team and they were a determined bunch on this night. After Portledge broke out to an early 2-0 lead on goals by captain Siena Falino and Senior Liz Lanza, PHS came roaring back at the start of the 2nd period with two goals of their own. Each game this year has seemed to have a defining moment and this was definately true on this evening. After the second PHS goal Siena Falino deflected the center face off to herself and took off towards the Princeton zone. After eluding two PHS defenders she threw a few fakes at the keeper before slipping the biscuit by her and into the net. The Portledge lead was restored and the girls went on to play a great 3rd period and extend their lead to three goals. The final score of 5-2 was not indicative of how hard these teams battled during this game. The Lady Panthers go into the break with three straight wins and great deal of confidence. We'll see all you girls hockey fans after the holidays as the story of this inaugural WIHLMA season continues.
Friday, December 14, 2007
7/8 Girls Basketball Rocks the House
This past Tuesday afternoon, with plenty of Portledge fans in attendance, the 7/8 Girls Basketball team played a great game on the road at GreenVale. It isn't very often that visiting teams are victorious when they visit the Blue and Gold, so when these young LadyPanthers and their coach,Mr. Nick Woll, returned home with a win, everyone was quite impressed. Keys to the the girls success was some slick ball handling by 7th grade point guard Arielle Parris and some crucial foul shooting by Eve Shapiro. Shapiro made some shots at the end of regulation to send the game into OT, then made a few more during the overtime session to help secure the 2 point victory for Portledge. The girls played great team defense throughout the game as Justine Boisits and Ceci Mulry were all over the place grabbing a bunch of rebounds and preventing GV from establishing any offensive flow. Many of the team's 7th graders were part of last years undefeated 5/6 girls team and they are creating a real winning attitude surrounding their play. Congratulations girls and keep it up throughout the season. Please look for more postings about middle school sports following the holiday break as all the middle school teams get into action.
New Postings Coming Soon
It has been a busy few weeks in Portledge Athletics and I have been going to many games at various rinks and gyms. Unfortunately, I have not had the time to complete many postings, but I hope to get caught up starting this weekend. So check the blog out starting Sunday night the 16th, and throughout the holidays for lots of good stuff about the Panther teams.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Revival of an Old Tradition Signals the Start of a New Era/Portledge Varsity Boys Hockey Returns to the Princeton Day School Invitational
This weekend the Varsity Boys Ice Hockey team will be playing in the Princeton Day School Invitational Tournament. This tournament has a very rich history and boasts prestigious hockey programs such as Lawrenceville, The Hill and Brunswick as former champions. The Portledge Panthers are also part of the glorious past of this great event. During the mid 80s, a Portledge team that included current Advancement Director Turk Lewis '87 and was captained by former Headmaster Hugh Gregory's son John '86, was victorious over a competitive field of fine hockey clubs. Then in the late 80s, another Portledge team, whose most dynamic player was current Portledge parent and alum Justin Ort '90, once again hoisted the PDS Trophy in victory. Finally, the 1996 Panthers, coached by Mr. Pierre Ranger and yours truly, and captained by two Sophomores who would go on to make a great deal more Portledge Hockey history, defeated Princeton Day and a heavily favored Millbrook School to secure yet another championship at this annual ice hockey fest. A few years later those two Sophomores, Jordan Karp '98 and James Sedoruk '98, would lead a Panther squad that included several future NHL professionals and Division I college stars, in the first of three consecutive Brooks-Pingree Holiday Tournament championships. Could this return to the Princeton Day Tournament usher in a new era of Portledge Hockey success? We'll have to wait and see. Right now, however, we are all very excited about seeing Portledge return to this classic competition of some of the best schoolboy hockey in the Mid Atlantic region.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Winter Sports Schedules Now Up On The Portledge Website
A blog reader recently asked about the Varsity Girls and Boys Ice Hockey schedules. You can find the schedules for all the Portledge Winter Sports teams by going to (Portledge.org) and clicking on Athletics. Then just hit the schedule tab and you will get the full schedule page. If you would like detailed information on a specific event, use the school calendar tab at the top of the home page. Thanks for checking out the blog and we'll see you down at the rink!
Athletes of the Week
Congratulations to our first Winter Athletes of the Week. From Left to Right: Ashley Wade '11, Siena Falino '09, Tom Parisi '11 and Mark Dourmashkin '10. Tom and Ashley both received and Ice Hockey athlete of the week award for their fine performances both getting two goals against Rye Country Day and Morristown-Beard respectfully. Mark played some great basketball during the Martin Luther tournament this past weekend and finally, Siena Falino earned her award for scoring two goals against Gunnery in a 2-1 overtime win last Wednesday -- the last goal was scored with 1 second left in overtime.GREAT JOB GUYS!!!
A Tough Loss, But What A Game/ Varsity Girls Ice Hockey Takes on League Rival Morristown Beard
When the Portledge VGIH team joined the Mid Atlantic Girls Hockey League they knew that one of the biggest obstacles to becoming champions would be defeating the current league champs, the girls from Mo-Beard. The Lady Panther skaters have played some great games against the girls in crimson and white over the last few years, and their first meeting this season was quite a tussle.
It was a windy and chilly night down at Beaver Dam for this early season contest between WIHLMA powerhouses Portledge and Mo-Beard. The stands filled up quickly with supporters of both sides and the early play had a real fast pace to it. Unfortunately for the Portledge girls, their opponents seemed a bit more ready to go at the beginning, and it wasn't long before Portledge found itself down 2-0. As the period was coming to a close, Freshmen Ashley Wade was able to fire a wrister by the MB goalie and give the Lady Panthers some life, only to see their enthusiasm dashed by another MB goal that made the score 3-1 at the end of the first period. The teams traded goals in the second period as Portledge followed a MB score with a beautiful power play goal by Sophomore Chelsea Caracciolo. Caracciolo's blast from the point was set up by a beautiful cross ice feed from captain Siena Falino. Still, the Portledge girls trailed by two going into the third. This was a great period of hockey with both teams rushing the puck from end to end only to be stopped by some fine goaltending from Portledge net minder Jess Sarrantonio and her opposite # on the Mo-Beard side. As the game was entering its last five minutes the Freshman dynamo that is Ashley Wade took a feed from behind the goal and slid one by the crimson keeper. Now the Panthers were only behind by one and before to long had pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. The puck stayed down in the MB end and the Portledge team had some quality chances, but alas, none found the back of the net and Mo- Beard escaped with a 4-3 victory. Players and coaches from both teams congratulated each other on a fine game and there were a few "can't wait for the next time" uttered around the rink. If this is what league play in girls hockey is about, well....Bring It On!
It was a windy and chilly night down at Beaver Dam for this early season contest between WIHLMA powerhouses Portledge and Mo-Beard. The stands filled up quickly with supporters of both sides and the early play had a real fast pace to it. Unfortunately for the Portledge girls, their opponents seemed a bit more ready to go at the beginning, and it wasn't long before Portledge found itself down 2-0. As the period was coming to a close, Freshmen Ashley Wade was able to fire a wrister by the MB goalie and give the Lady Panthers some life, only to see their enthusiasm dashed by another MB goal that made the score 3-1 at the end of the first period. The teams traded goals in the second period as Portledge followed a MB score with a beautiful power play goal by Sophomore Chelsea Caracciolo. Caracciolo's blast from the point was set up by a beautiful cross ice feed from captain Siena Falino. Still, the Portledge girls trailed by two going into the third. This was a great period of hockey with both teams rushing the puck from end to end only to be stopped by some fine goaltending from Portledge net minder Jess Sarrantonio and her opposite # on the Mo-Beard side. As the game was entering its last five minutes the Freshman dynamo that is Ashley Wade took a feed from behind the goal and slid one by the crimson keeper. Now the Panthers were only behind by one and before to long had pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. The puck stayed down in the MB end and the Portledge team had some quality chances, but alas, none found the back of the net and Mo- Beard escaped with a 4-3 victory. Players and coaches from both teams congratulated each other on a fine game and there were a few "can't wait for the next time" uttered around the rink. If this is what league play in girls hockey is about, well....Bring It On!
Program Shows Real Depth/JV Boys Basketball Opens Season With Fine Play and Lots of Talent
What Does This Year's JV Boys Basketball Team Look Like?
This year's JVBB team is an interesting mix of characters. They are a fun loving group that likes to hang out together (they already have team nicknames) and really compete hard in games. Their leaders are Sophomores Bryce Behar aka "Brizzle" and Bashir Desgrottes aka "B Diddy". Bryce is an energetic shut down defender and Bashir is a talented point guard that has the ability to score as well as distribute the ball. On the forward line we have two powerful players in Freshmen Adeola Adgebite aka "Man Child" and Blake "Tiny" Martin. Both these guys rebound very well and have displayed a deft touch around the basket. Freshmen Vishal Chinchwadkar aka "Cookies", Steven "Stevie D" Dourmashkin, Eddie "Huai Not" Huai and Ben "Lobley" Lobley run the wings and provide the squad with excellent ball handling skills and good overall team speed. Finally, there is Chris McCloskey aka"McCloskey" who flies around the court with reckless abandon and brings some real energy and a spice of dash to the team's play.
The JVBB opened up its season with games against two of their toughest opponents(Upper Room and Columbia Prep), and although both these games ended in losses, you couldn't help but be impressed with the effort and fine play of all the players. Mr Clark is doing a great job of getting the guys to play as a team, and we are all looking for great things out of this group as the season goes on.
This year's JVBB team is an interesting mix of characters. They are a fun loving group that likes to hang out together (they already have team nicknames) and really compete hard in games. Their leaders are Sophomores Bryce Behar aka "Brizzle" and Bashir Desgrottes aka "B Diddy". Bryce is an energetic shut down defender and Bashir is a talented point guard that has the ability to score as well as distribute the ball. On the forward line we have two powerful players in Freshmen Adeola Adgebite aka "Man Child" and Blake "Tiny" Martin. Both these guys rebound very well and have displayed a deft touch around the basket. Freshmen Vishal Chinchwadkar aka "Cookies", Steven "Stevie D" Dourmashkin, Eddie "Huai Not" Huai and Ben "Lobley" Lobley run the wings and provide the squad with excellent ball handling skills and good overall team speed. Finally, there is Chris McCloskey aka"McCloskey" who flies around the court with reckless abandon and brings some real energy and a spice of dash to the team's play.
The JVBB opened up its season with games against two of their toughest opponents(Upper Room and Columbia Prep), and although both these games ended in losses, you couldn't help but be impressed with the effort and fine play of all the players. Mr Clark is doing a great job of getting the guys to play as a team, and we are all looking for great things out of this group as the season goes on.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Tough Weekend for Varsity Basketball Teams As They Step Up In Competition at the Martin Luther Tournament
The Martin Luther High School Varsity Girls and Boys Basketball Tournament is known for its very high level of competition. Martin Luther Athletic Director Jim Reagan always brings in some of the finest teams from around NYC to play in this annual pre-holidays event. It is always a challenge for the Portledge teams, but we like to keep our place to see where our program stands. Just last year the Lady Panthers almost won the tournament only losing by a few points in an exciting final, and this year our boys team was definitely competitive even though they went down to defeat twice.
How Did The Varsity Girls Do?
It was a tough weekend for the VGBB team. They were playing without their starting point guard and many of the young players were experiencing this type of competition for the first time. Although they dropped both games by some considerable margins there were some definite positives that came out of the weekend. Sophomore Robyn Worrall played very well at the point and showed that she can handle the ball well when under pressure. This will certainly give Robyn and the rest of the team increased confidence when they face pressure defenses during league play. Also, Sophomore Akanksha Trivedi illustrated that she can score against some tough defenders, as well as rebound in some heavy traffic. Once again, this experience should pay off down the road. Lastly, watching the girls throughout the weekend one could see the team dynamic starting to evolve as the players got to spend more time together. Great job by coaches Henry and Reynolds in keeping the girls upbeat and making the entire weekend a positive one.
How About The Boys?
The VBBB team played two very tough and competitive games. They were in the lead at various times in both games and they demonstrated that they can score the basketball against some strong defenses. Sophomore Mark Dourmashkin really broke out in the opener against Martin Luther when he scored 25 points, while also dishing out some quality assists. In addition, Senior Ray Weinmann earned the start at center in the second game with his fine overall play and showed that he can be counted on to be a strong presence inside. Although he struggled a bit in the opener, Junior Aaron Lee played so well in the second game that he was selected as All Tournament by the tournament committee. Two losses are never easy to swallow, but the boys played well, and I think the experience they gained will help them as they try to reach their goal-to secure a spot in the IPPSAL play offs. Great job by Mr. Sandoval and Miss Nugent getting the guys ready and we will see you all at the Portledge Invitational next weekend. The girls semi finals will be on Thursday, while the boys will play their semis on Friday. Saturday will see a whole day off basketball at Wellington Gym as we play the girls consolation and final followed by the boys consolation and final. Play will begin at 11:00am and proceed throughout the day.
How Did The Varsity Girls Do?
It was a tough weekend for the VGBB team. They were playing without their starting point guard and many of the young players were experiencing this type of competition for the first time. Although they dropped both games by some considerable margins there were some definite positives that came out of the weekend. Sophomore Robyn Worrall played very well at the point and showed that she can handle the ball well when under pressure. This will certainly give Robyn and the rest of the team increased confidence when they face pressure defenses during league play. Also, Sophomore Akanksha Trivedi illustrated that she can score against some tough defenders, as well as rebound in some heavy traffic. Once again, this experience should pay off down the road. Lastly, watching the girls throughout the weekend one could see the team dynamic starting to evolve as the players got to spend more time together. Great job by coaches Henry and Reynolds in keeping the girls upbeat and making the entire weekend a positive one.
How About The Boys?
The VBBB team played two very tough and competitive games. They were in the lead at various times in both games and they demonstrated that they can score the basketball against some strong defenses. Sophomore Mark Dourmashkin really broke out in the opener against Martin Luther when he scored 25 points, while also dishing out some quality assists. In addition, Senior Ray Weinmann earned the start at center in the second game with his fine overall play and showed that he can be counted on to be a strong presence inside. Although he struggled a bit in the opener, Junior Aaron Lee played so well in the second game that he was selected as All Tournament by the tournament committee. Two losses are never easy to swallow, but the boys played well, and I think the experience they gained will help them as they try to reach their goal-to secure a spot in the IPPSAL play offs. Great job by Mr. Sandoval and Miss Nugent getting the guys ready and we will see you all at the Portledge Invitational next weekend. The girls semi finals will be on Thursday, while the boys will play their semis on Friday. Saturday will see a whole day off basketball at Wellington Gym as we play the girls consolation and final followed by the boys consolation and final. Play will begin at 11:00am and proceed throughout the day.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Exciting Start to a Promising Season/Varsity Girls Ice Hockey Opens Up With a Win at The Gunnery
The Varsity Girls Ice Hockey team is a close knit group of 12 very dedicated young athletes. Under the leadership of Head Coach Zoe Schwam they will play their inaugural season in the Womens Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid Atlantic ( WIHLMA) . This is a great opportunity for Portledge Hockey and the girls are quite enthusiastic about their prospects.
Who Are the Leaders of the Varsity Girls Team?
The VGIH team is led by a trio of veterans who have all been with the program since its first game four years ago. Senior rear guard and co captain Kelly Alefeld and Senior goalie Jess Sarrantonio take charge of the Lady Panthers defensive zone with a combination of great skill and quality leadership, while Junior forward and co captain Siena Falino continues to illustrate why she is so respected in the world of Portledge athletics by maintaining a presence of thorough determination and regal eloquence. These three exceptional young ladies set an incredible example for the younger players by consistently working hard and never losing sight of their commitment to the development of girls ice hockey at Portledge.
Who Are Some of the Other Forwards on the Team?
Senior Liz Lanza returns to the ice after missing last year with an injury and is having a blast playing again. She often teams with Freshmen Alyssa Parke and Ashley Wade to form a line that creates a great deal of offensive pressure. Sophomore Addie Reilly has tremendous potential as a goal scorer and can usually be found riding shotgun on Falino's wing, always fighting hard to control loose pucks. Freshmen Maria Robbins is a consistent skater who loves to play the game, and Freshman Hope Mulry is also working hard in practice and coming along quite nicely as an all around player.
How Many Defenders Does the Team Have?
Only two other girls, Sophomores Chelsea Caracciolo and Emily Prey combine with Alefeld to form the teams blue line corps. They will each get a lot of ice time and have the opportunity to be an excellent and mobile defense. While they are all great skaters, the most impressive thing so far has been their impeccable positioning during fast paced play. It seems that they are never caught up and are always giving Goaltender Jess Sarrantonio lots of protection.
What Happened in the Lady Panthers First Game at the Gunnery?
Gunnery and Portledge have played three times in girls ice hockey with the Gunnery winning all three contests. As the teams took the ice this past Wednesday night it first appeared as if the Gunners would easily make it four straight over the Lady Panthers. Someone, however, forgot to tell Siena Falino and the rest of the Portledge players about this plan. From the drop of the puck it was a hard fought and physical contest as the referees gave the girls plenty of room to play a determined game. Both sides had good scoring chances during the first period, but neither team was able to put one by the opposing goalie and the period ended in a 0-0 tie. The Gunnery girls came out strong in the second stanza and consistently applied forechecking pressure in the Portledge zone. Finally, after a long shift with many attempts on the Portledge cage, Gunnery took the lead when their first line center sent a beautiful backhand shot past Sarrantonio and into the lower right corner of the net. The Lady Panthers steadied themselves though, and created some good chances of their own in the periods closing minutes. Even though they trailed 1-0 the Portledge girls were feeling comfortable and skating well as they took the ice for the third and final period. At the seven minute mark Falino got loose in front of the gunnery net and slid one by the keeper to tie the score at 1. As the period went on the Gunnery girls tired a bit, while the Lady Panthers were able to maintain their overall speed and pace. When the horn sounded to signal the end of regulation it was Portledge that was carrying the play. The overtime was a wild affair with the teams rushing the puck from end to end and almost no whistles to stop the rapid play. When Freshmen Alyssa Parke and a Gunnery player were sent off with coincidental minors for holding with a minute left I think it was an advantage for Portledge in that it created more open ice for Falino to work some of her magic. As the time ticked away and the clock showed 0.12 seconds to play Freshman Ashley Wade gathered a loose puck in the Portledge zone along the left boards. When she looked up she saw Falino streaking across the ice and sent the puck along in her path. The pass was perfect. It caught Falino in full stride and enabled her to get her head up at just the right time to elude one of the Gunnery defenders. Then she turned on the jets and raced towards the Gunnery zone. They couldn't catch her as all of a sudden, with less than 0.05 seconds remaining, Falino was in all alone . A slick move to the backhand and a calm finish put Portledge ahead right as the final horn sounded. THE BENCH EXPLODED IN JOY as the referee signaled goal and the girls realized that all their hard work had paid off in a very improbable victory. The 2-1 win with no time left will fade into Portledge hockey history, but it will never be forgotten by anyone who was there to witness it, or by the lucky girls who played in this amazing game.
Come see the Lady Panther skaters when they take on their league rivals Morristown-Beard this coming Monday, 12/3 down at Beaver Dam @5:30pm. You won't be disappointed, and you might even catch another miracle.
Who Are the Leaders of the Varsity Girls Team?
The VGIH team is led by a trio of veterans who have all been with the program since its first game four years ago. Senior rear guard and co captain Kelly Alefeld and Senior goalie Jess Sarrantonio take charge of the Lady Panthers defensive zone with a combination of great skill and quality leadership, while Junior forward and co captain Siena Falino continues to illustrate why she is so respected in the world of Portledge athletics by maintaining a presence of thorough determination and regal eloquence. These three exceptional young ladies set an incredible example for the younger players by consistently working hard and never losing sight of their commitment to the development of girls ice hockey at Portledge.
Who Are Some of the Other Forwards on the Team?
Senior Liz Lanza returns to the ice after missing last year with an injury and is having a blast playing again. She often teams with Freshmen Alyssa Parke and Ashley Wade to form a line that creates a great deal of offensive pressure. Sophomore Addie Reilly has tremendous potential as a goal scorer and can usually be found riding shotgun on Falino's wing, always fighting hard to control loose pucks. Freshmen Maria Robbins is a consistent skater who loves to play the game, and Freshman Hope Mulry is also working hard in practice and coming along quite nicely as an all around player.
How Many Defenders Does the Team Have?
Only two other girls, Sophomores Chelsea Caracciolo and Emily Prey combine with Alefeld to form the teams blue line corps. They will each get a lot of ice time and have the opportunity to be an excellent and mobile defense. While they are all great skaters, the most impressive thing so far has been their impeccable positioning during fast paced play. It seems that they are never caught up and are always giving Goaltender Jess Sarrantonio lots of protection.
What Happened in the Lady Panthers First Game at the Gunnery?
Gunnery and Portledge have played three times in girls ice hockey with the Gunnery winning all three contests. As the teams took the ice this past Wednesday night it first appeared as if the Gunners would easily make it four straight over the Lady Panthers. Someone, however, forgot to tell Siena Falino and the rest of the Portledge players about this plan. From the drop of the puck it was a hard fought and physical contest as the referees gave the girls plenty of room to play a determined game. Both sides had good scoring chances during the first period, but neither team was able to put one by the opposing goalie and the period ended in a 0-0 tie. The Gunnery girls came out strong in the second stanza and consistently applied forechecking pressure in the Portledge zone. Finally, after a long shift with many attempts on the Portledge cage, Gunnery took the lead when their first line center sent a beautiful backhand shot past Sarrantonio and into the lower right corner of the net. The Lady Panthers steadied themselves though, and created some good chances of their own in the periods closing minutes. Even though they trailed 1-0 the Portledge girls were feeling comfortable and skating well as they took the ice for the third and final period. At the seven minute mark Falino got loose in front of the gunnery net and slid one by the keeper to tie the score at 1. As the period went on the Gunnery girls tired a bit, while the Lady Panthers were able to maintain their overall speed and pace. When the horn sounded to signal the end of regulation it was Portledge that was carrying the play. The overtime was a wild affair with the teams rushing the puck from end to end and almost no whistles to stop the rapid play. When Freshmen Alyssa Parke and a Gunnery player were sent off with coincidental minors for holding with a minute left I think it was an advantage for Portledge in that it created more open ice for Falino to work some of her magic. As the time ticked away and the clock showed 0.12 seconds to play Freshman Ashley Wade gathered a loose puck in the Portledge zone along the left boards. When she looked up she saw Falino streaking across the ice and sent the puck along in her path. The pass was perfect. It caught Falino in full stride and enabled her to get her head up at just the right time to elude one of the Gunnery defenders. Then she turned on the jets and raced towards the Gunnery zone. They couldn't catch her as all of a sudden, with less than 0.05 seconds remaining, Falino was in all alone . A slick move to the backhand and a calm finish put Portledge ahead right as the final horn sounded. THE BENCH EXPLODED IN JOY as the referee signaled goal and the girls realized that all their hard work had paid off in a very improbable victory. The 2-1 win with no time left will fade into Portledge hockey history, but it will never be forgotten by anyone who was there to witness it, or by the lucky girls who played in this amazing game.
Come see the Lady Panther skaters when they take on their league rivals Morristown-Beard this coming Monday, 12/3 down at Beaver Dam @5:30pm. You won't be disappointed, and you might even catch another miracle.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Harmony Is the Design/Varsity Boys Ice Hockey Looks to Effectively Mix Expirience With Youthful Talent
Morale is high surrounding this year's Portledge Panther hockey team. The team has some significant depth on their forward lines and a solid corps of blue liners. When you add in last year's surprise star, goalie Sal Magliocco, it should equal a strong season for the icemen.
Who Are Some of the Key Players On Offense?
Leading the group of returning players is Senior captain Zack Lombardi. Lombardi is set for his 5th campaign with the Panthers, and provides the team with some incredible experience. His ability to see the ice and organize the power play will be critical to the offensive output this winter. Seniors Alfred "Big Al" Vitsentzos, Austin Prey and Dan Leavey all must come up with huge contributions, if the glory days of Portledge hockey are to return to the frozen tundra of Beaver Dam. The team's depth is certainly better as Coach Coope can also call on slick sKating Junior Renny Kraft and a group of very talented youngsters for added firepower. Freshman Tom Parisi looks to be a player that will score many goals as he develops, and the trio of Freshman Stephen DiBartolomeo and 8th graders Matt Crockett and Brendan McGovern are already impressing in practice. As this varied group comes together, the Panthers should produce some exciting and wide open hockey.
What Does the Team's Defense Look Like?
Their will be four key players on the Portledge blue line. Junior Tim Morrison and Sophomore Dave Wilson will get a good deal of the ice time against the other teams top lines, while Freshmen Ryan Gottfried and Pat Condon will look to add experience to their abundant talent. Once Wilson returns from a nagging leg injury look for this group to provide some excellent all around play. Sophomore goalie Sal Magliocco should be great in the nets and keep Portledge in many a tight game.
Was That Portledge Alum Jon Sandos '03 on the Ice the Other Night at Practice?
A very exciting development is the addition of Coach Sandos to the Portledge ice hockey program. A former captain of the Panthers, and college star at Cortland State, Sandos brings his energy and commitment to the ice every day. I always held Jon's character in the highest regard and couldn't be more enthused about him joining Portledge Hockey. Good luck to Jon, coaches Coope and Schwab and all the guys on the team. LET'S HAVE A GREAT SEASON!
Who Are Some of the Key Players On Offense?
Leading the group of returning players is Senior captain Zack Lombardi. Lombardi is set for his 5th campaign with the Panthers, and provides the team with some incredible experience. His ability to see the ice and organize the power play will be critical to the offensive output this winter. Seniors Alfred "Big Al" Vitsentzos, Austin Prey and Dan Leavey all must come up with huge contributions, if the glory days of Portledge hockey are to return to the frozen tundra of Beaver Dam. The team's depth is certainly better as Coach Coope can also call on slick sKating Junior Renny Kraft and a group of very talented youngsters for added firepower. Freshman Tom Parisi looks to be a player that will score many goals as he develops, and the trio of Freshman Stephen DiBartolomeo and 8th graders Matt Crockett and Brendan McGovern are already impressing in practice. As this varied group comes together, the Panthers should produce some exciting and wide open hockey.
What Does the Team's Defense Look Like?
Their will be four key players on the Portledge blue line. Junior Tim Morrison and Sophomore Dave Wilson will get a good deal of the ice time against the other teams top lines, while Freshmen Ryan Gottfried and Pat Condon will look to add experience to their abundant talent. Once Wilson returns from a nagging leg injury look for this group to provide some excellent all around play. Sophomore goalie Sal Magliocco should be great in the nets and keep Portledge in many a tight game.
Was That Portledge Alum Jon Sandos '03 on the Ice the Other Night at Practice?
A very exciting development is the addition of Coach Sandos to the Portledge ice hockey program. A former captain of the Panthers, and college star at Cortland State, Sandos brings his energy and commitment to the ice every day. I always held Jon's character in the highest regard and couldn't be more enthused about him joining Portledge Hockey. Good luck to Jon, coaches Coope and Schwab and all the guys on the team. LET'S HAVE A GREAT SEASON!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Varsity Girls Basketball Looks To Rebuild, While Varsity Boys Hope to Take Advantage of Their Experience
In an attempt to get people fired up for the next sports season, here are some previews of this winter's Varsity Basketball teams. Previews of the Ice Hockey, Fencing and Squash teams will be coming soon. Games have already begun, so don't be shy! Get out and support the Panthers whenever possible.
How Big a Rebuilding Job Do the Varsity Girls Basketball Coaches Have?
In year one of the post Emily Edwards-Bourdrez Era in Portledge Girls Basketball there will be quite a few different faces and some younger players out on the court for the Lady Panthers. Coaches Henry and Reynolds were blessed with a large turnout for tryouts, and they will look to create a positive attitude of hard work that will carry the program forward into the future. In fact, there were so many players out for the team that some extra practices will be added, and some JV games scheduled, to help satisfy all of the interest. Some real thanks should go to Miss Henry and Mrs. Reynolds for taking the initiative and devoting their time to create this opportunity for all the girls interested in basketball in the upper school. It looks as if next year there will have to be a full fledged JV program. Getting back to this year though, the coaches will certainly be faced with some real challenges as the Varsity players are a bit short on experience.
One key returning player on the Varsity will be senior Yola Yu. Yola has been on the team for four years and is a proven rebounder and solid defender. Her competetiveness will be crucial as this young group searches for their identity during the early going. Another important returning player will be sophomore point guard Monique Kelly. Kelly is coming of off a great soccer season and she has looked good in practices and scrimmages so far. After concentrating mostly on passing last year, Kelly will be asked to score the ball more as this season rolls on. Two other returners who will be looking for increased minutes are Junior Leah Heffernan and Sophomore Robyn Worrall. Both these players, neither of whom played much last year, are good shooters, and will have to look to put the ball up when they are open. The player with the most potential to have a big impact is definitely Sophomore Akanksha Trivedi. Trivedi is the tallest player on the team and has worked hard during the off season to develop her ball handling and shooting skills. If Trivedi can score and rebound with some consistency, it will be a big plus for the Lady Panthers. The rest of the Varsity team is made up of a group of freshmen and sophomores who are ready to work hard and improve their skills as the program goes forward. The Lady Panthers won their first game of the season by defeating the Varsity of Mill Neck Manor and will next take the court at HOME on Tuesday v. Solomon Schechter (5:30pm).
How Do Things Look For the Varsity Boys Basketball Team?
The Varsity Boys team will go into its third year under the leadership of Head Coach Sandoval with a good deal of experience and some real talent. It looks to be an unselfish team that takes as much pleasure from setting up a teammate as they do in scoring. The overall play of Junior point guard Aaron Lee will be critical to the team's chances for success. Lee looks be much more comfortable handling the ball and directing the offense this year and it will be his job to spread the ball around to some fine scorers. Senior Kai Stoll returns to the middle of the Portledge line up and will be trying to build on two consecutive strong seasons. Stoll has great touch around the basket and should be counted on for double digit scoring game in and game out. Along side will be Senior forward Reid Ericson. Reid is a consistent player who will probably find more opportunities to score this year, as the ball seems to be moving more freely around the Portledge offense. The starting wing players will be Junior Trevor Wolfson and Sophomore Mark Dourmashkin. These two players might be the best athletes on the team and both have the potential to "fill it up". Wolfson plays solid "D" and loves to get out on the break , while Dourmashkin is kiddingly referred to as "Little Larry" because of his ability to both shoot and pass the ball at a very high level. In a scrimmage last week against Martin Luther, Dourmashkin was in the middle of some really nice Portledge passing plays, as he epitomized the team's unselfish attitude. Help off the bench will come from Seniors Ray Weinmann and Dan Duffy up front, while Junior Mike McCloskey will probably be spelling the back court players. In addition, everyone will be watching for the development of Sohpomores Ben Shapiro and Jon "JB" Brailsford as the season goes along. If these two can become contributors, Mr. Sandoval will have some real depth to work with. The Panthers first match is a tough one, as they open up at HOME v. Upper Room, last year's IPPSAL champ. This game will be on Wed, Nov 28th @5:30 pm.
How Big a Rebuilding Job Do the Varsity Girls Basketball Coaches Have?
In year one of the post Emily Edwards-Bourdrez Era in Portledge Girls Basketball there will be quite a few different faces and some younger players out on the court for the Lady Panthers. Coaches Henry and Reynolds were blessed with a large turnout for tryouts, and they will look to create a positive attitude of hard work that will carry the program forward into the future. In fact, there were so many players out for the team that some extra practices will be added, and some JV games scheduled, to help satisfy all of the interest. Some real thanks should go to Miss Henry and Mrs. Reynolds for taking the initiative and devoting their time to create this opportunity for all the girls interested in basketball in the upper school. It looks as if next year there will have to be a full fledged JV program. Getting back to this year though, the coaches will certainly be faced with some real challenges as the Varsity players are a bit short on experience.
One key returning player on the Varsity will be senior Yola Yu. Yola has been on the team for four years and is a proven rebounder and solid defender. Her competetiveness will be crucial as this young group searches for their identity during the early going. Another important returning player will be sophomore point guard Monique Kelly. Kelly is coming of off a great soccer season and she has looked good in practices and scrimmages so far. After concentrating mostly on passing last year, Kelly will be asked to score the ball more as this season rolls on. Two other returners who will be looking for increased minutes are Junior Leah Heffernan and Sophomore Robyn Worrall. Both these players, neither of whom played much last year, are good shooters, and will have to look to put the ball up when they are open. The player with the most potential to have a big impact is definitely Sophomore Akanksha Trivedi. Trivedi is the tallest player on the team and has worked hard during the off season to develop her ball handling and shooting skills. If Trivedi can score and rebound with some consistency, it will be a big plus for the Lady Panthers. The rest of the Varsity team is made up of a group of freshmen and sophomores who are ready to work hard and improve their skills as the program goes forward. The Lady Panthers won their first game of the season by defeating the Varsity of Mill Neck Manor and will next take the court at HOME on Tuesday v. Solomon Schechter (5:30pm).
How Do Things Look For the Varsity Boys Basketball Team?
The Varsity Boys team will go into its third year under the leadership of Head Coach Sandoval with a good deal of experience and some real talent. It looks to be an unselfish team that takes as much pleasure from setting up a teammate as they do in scoring. The overall play of Junior point guard Aaron Lee will be critical to the team's chances for success. Lee looks be much more comfortable handling the ball and directing the offense this year and it will be his job to spread the ball around to some fine scorers. Senior Kai Stoll returns to the middle of the Portledge line up and will be trying to build on two consecutive strong seasons. Stoll has great touch around the basket and should be counted on for double digit scoring game in and game out. Along side will be Senior forward Reid Ericson. Reid is a consistent player who will probably find more opportunities to score this year, as the ball seems to be moving more freely around the Portledge offense. The starting wing players will be Junior Trevor Wolfson and Sophomore Mark Dourmashkin. These two players might be the best athletes on the team and both have the potential to "fill it up". Wolfson plays solid "D" and loves to get out on the break , while Dourmashkin is kiddingly referred to as "Little Larry" because of his ability to both shoot and pass the ball at a very high level. In a scrimmage last week against Martin Luther, Dourmashkin was in the middle of some really nice Portledge passing plays, as he epitomized the team's unselfish attitude. Help off the bench will come from Seniors Ray Weinmann and Dan Duffy up front, while Junior Mike McCloskey will probably be spelling the back court players. In addition, everyone will be watching for the development of Sohpomores Ben Shapiro and Jon "JB" Brailsford as the season goes along. If these two can become contributors, Mr. Sandoval will have some real depth to work with. The Panthers first match is a tough one, as they open up at HOME v. Upper Room, last year's IPPSAL champ. This game will be on Wed, Nov 28th @5:30 pm.
Friday, November 23, 2007
The Brooklyn Odyssey/Varsity Girls Soccer Goes Down to Defeat in the NYSAISAA Quarter-Finals
There was just something a bit strange about the day. It was dark and overcast, and the weatherman was calling for rain sometime in the afternoon. The 2:45pm start time didn't leave much room for error on such a gloomy day, and it was not without some trepidation that I climbed into Mr. Sandoval's SUV for the trip to the Parade Grounds in Brooklyn. While traffic was bad, both teams finally made it to the field. Not so for many of the fans who were caught behind a large accident on the BQE. Yours truly and Mr. Sandoval, along with our enthusiastic passengers, Miss Nugent and Mrs. Reilly, wound our way around the trouble by traveling down the Jackie Robinson Parkway. Now Jackie Robinson was a great ballplayer, and probably the most influential professional athlete of the 20th century, but the parkway named after him doesn't have a great deal of exits. So by the time we were able to get off the JRP, we were at the wrong end of Brooklyn. It took another hour to travel up Atlantic Avenue before we finally found Prospect Park and the Parade Ground Fields. We were disappointed because we knew that we had probably missed at least the first half, but to our surprise, the game hadn't even started yet. There was some problem with the referee assigning by the tournament officials, and NO refs had arrived. There was some talk about moving the game to Queens, to play at a field with some lights, but in the end it was decided that this was not a good plan. So we all climbed back into our cars and headed home to Long Island in the middle of rush hour traffic on a Friday afternoon. The team bus finally pulled into Portledge about 7:00pm, or 7 full hours after it had left, and the girls were told to report back at 10:00am the next morning to try to play this game all over again.
The next day was sunny and beautiful, if a bit windy. Mr. Sandoval and I thought we would give it another try as well and wound up making to the field at Aviator Park in just over 30 minutes. Somehow I wasn't surprised though when the cellphone rang(that would be Mr. Sandoval's cellphone) and the team bus was, amazingly, lost. This was just the weirdest couple of days ever, and definitely was the game that didn't want to be played. Well, my comrade and I climbed into the car and went in search of the bus. About 45 minutes later the bus passed us on Flatbush Avenue and we were able to get them going in the proper direction. Thus, the Varsity Girls Soccer team lined up to start the state tournament game some 25 hours after they had originally boarded a bus for this purpose. These events were some of the strangest things to happen in my 19 years of coaching, and certainly can be called an odyssey.
What Happened When the Game Was Finally Played?
The Portledge girls were determined to make things difficult for the higher seeded, and significantly favored girls from Berkeley Carroll. The Lady Panthers concentrated on defense, but it was not too long before some sloppy defending led to a BC free kick from just outside the penalty area. The BC #9 sent a rocket into the Portledge net and the girls found themselves behind early on. The Portledge players steadied themselves and actually were carrying the play to BC during the late stages of the first half, but, as the mid way whistle sounded our girls still trailed by a score of 1-0.
During the second half the BC defense proved to be too tough for the Portledge attackers to crack, as one Portledge push after another was turned away by some excellent team defending by BC. Finally the eventual counter led to a BC corner that was knocked into the Portledge net after a goal mouth scramble. This second BC goal really took the life out of the Portledge girls and they couldn't muster much of an answer, as a very talented BC team took over the rest of the game. While the girls were very disappointed, they should be quite proud of making a bit of school athletic history by being the first Portledge Varsity Girls Soccer team to make it to the NYSAISAA Tournament. The team gained valuable experience, and with so many returning players the future of girls soccer at Portledge looks very bright. Besides, reflect on Homer Portledge soccer fans, a little odyssey here and there, only makes you stronger!
The next day was sunny and beautiful, if a bit windy. Mr. Sandoval and I thought we would give it another try as well and wound up making to the field at Aviator Park in just over 30 minutes. Somehow I wasn't surprised though when the cellphone rang(that would be Mr. Sandoval's cellphone) and the team bus was, amazingly, lost. This was just the weirdest couple of days ever, and definitely was the game that didn't want to be played. Well, my comrade and I climbed into the car and went in search of the bus. About 45 minutes later the bus passed us on Flatbush Avenue and we were able to get them going in the proper direction. Thus, the Varsity Girls Soccer team lined up to start the state tournament game some 25 hours after they had originally boarded a bus for this purpose. These events were some of the strangest things to happen in my 19 years of coaching, and certainly can be called an odyssey.
What Happened When the Game Was Finally Played?
The Portledge girls were determined to make things difficult for the higher seeded, and significantly favored girls from Berkeley Carroll. The Lady Panthers concentrated on defense, but it was not too long before some sloppy defending led to a BC free kick from just outside the penalty area. The BC #9 sent a rocket into the Portledge net and the girls found themselves behind early on. The Portledge players steadied themselves and actually were carrying the play to BC during the late stages of the first half, but, as the mid way whistle sounded our girls still trailed by a score of 1-0.
During the second half the BC defense proved to be too tough for the Portledge attackers to crack, as one Portledge push after another was turned away by some excellent team defending by BC. Finally the eventual counter led to a BC corner that was knocked into the Portledge net after a goal mouth scramble. This second BC goal really took the life out of the Portledge girls and they couldn't muster much of an answer, as a very talented BC team took over the rest of the game. While the girls were very disappointed, they should be quite proud of making a bit of school athletic history by being the first Portledge Varsity Girls Soccer team to make it to the NYSAISAA Tournament. The team gained valuable experience, and with so many returning players the future of girls soccer at Portledge looks very bright. Besides, reflect on Homer Portledge soccer fans, a little odyssey here and there, only makes you stronger!
Varsity Girls Tennis Finishes a Great Season
What Happened in the IPPSAL Varsity Girls Tennis Championship?
Several vociferous readers have commented about the lack of a final posting on the girls tennis team. Well, all I can say is that I'm sorry not to have filled everyone in sooner, but there was no intent to slight any varsity team whatsoever. That being said, I would like to congratulate all the girls on the varsity tennis team on a wonderful season. With so many players graduating last spring the outlook for this fall's tennis team was not particularly bright, but the girls on the team didn't listen to the dark prognostications and simply worked hard to be best squad they could.
Under the guidance of the new varsity girls coach, Mr. Henry Stay, the team consistently improved throughout the fall. Seniors Ellen Huai and Sonali Marfatia, and Junior Siena Falino, provided excellent leadership throughout the season and a number of underclassmen rose to challenge of playing in varsity competition. Sophomore Elizabeth Girgenti had a fantastic season as a singles player and the doubles team of Wade-Scheinman was outstanding. This group's work ethic paid off in that they qualified for a place in the IPPSAL Championship against Long Island Lutheran.
The championship match took place at the Portledge courts and was a hotly contested affair. The LuHi #1 singles was able to defeat the Portledge #1, Ellen Huai, but Portledge rebounded with a victory at #3 singles by Siena Falino. After the two doubles matches were split, the championship came down to the only match still going. This was the #2 singles match and Portledge was represented by Elizabeth Girgenti. Lizzie played brilliantly and fought her opponent to the end, but unfortunately the final score of 8-6 was not in Portledge's favor. The Lady Panther tennis team will have many players returning for next year's campaign and hopes are high for another chance at the IPPSAL crown. Thanks again to Mr. Stay and congratulations to all the varsity girls tennis players on a great season.
Several vociferous readers have commented about the lack of a final posting on the girls tennis team. Well, all I can say is that I'm sorry not to have filled everyone in sooner, but there was no intent to slight any varsity team whatsoever. That being said, I would like to congratulate all the girls on the varsity tennis team on a wonderful season. With so many players graduating last spring the outlook for this fall's tennis team was not particularly bright, but the girls on the team didn't listen to the dark prognostications and simply worked hard to be best squad they could.
Under the guidance of the new varsity girls coach, Mr. Henry Stay, the team consistently improved throughout the fall. Seniors Ellen Huai and Sonali Marfatia, and Junior Siena Falino, provided excellent leadership throughout the season and a number of underclassmen rose to challenge of playing in varsity competition. Sophomore Elizabeth Girgenti had a fantastic season as a singles player and the doubles team of Wade-Scheinman was outstanding. This group's work ethic paid off in that they qualified for a place in the IPPSAL Championship against Long Island Lutheran.
The championship match took place at the Portledge courts and was a hotly contested affair. The LuHi #1 singles was able to defeat the Portledge #1, Ellen Huai, but Portledge rebounded with a victory at #3 singles by Siena Falino. After the two doubles matches were split, the championship came down to the only match still going. This was the #2 singles match and Portledge was represented by Elizabeth Girgenti. Lizzie played brilliantly and fought her opponent to the end, but unfortunately the final score of 8-6 was not in Portledge's favor. The Lady Panther tennis team will have many players returning for next year's campaign and hopes are high for another chance at the IPPSAL crown. Thanks again to Mr. Stay and congratulations to all the varsity girls tennis players on a great season.
A Short Lapse In Postings
What Happened to Our Favorite Blog?
The last two weeks of the fall season were so hectic with the all the various playoffs that Portledge teams qualified for, that there wasn't much time for blogging. I realize the lack of postings left a few questions unanswered. I apologize to faithful readers about the lapse, but this is the first time we are doing this and there are always going to be a few wrinkles to iron out. So I appreciate everyone's patience and will try to wrap things up from the fall, before I move on to a preview of the winter sports. This will not be easy though, since some of the winter teams are already playing games.
The last two weeks of the fall season were so hectic with the all the various playoffs that Portledge teams qualified for, that there wasn't much time for blogging. I realize the lack of postings left a few questions unanswered. I apologize to faithful readers about the lapse, but this is the first time we are doing this and there are always going to be a few wrinkles to iron out. So I appreciate everyone's patience and will try to wrap things up from the fall, before I move on to a preview of the winter sports. This will not be easy though, since some of the winter teams are already playing games.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Bon Vite/ A Great Match Is Played
The opening game of the NYSAISAA Boys Soccer Tournament was an incredible contest between Portledge School and the Lycee Francais School of NYC. It was filled with attacking "football" and flowing play, as well as hard tackling and determined defending. All of the players on both sides gave it there all, and anyone who watched the match was treated to some of the finest soccer ever played on Sawyer Field.
How Did This Match Unfold?
Before the crowd could even get settled the Portledge Panthers were on the attack. Soon Junior Trevor Wolfson pounced on a loose ball in the midfield area and headed down the left side. As he approached the 18 yard box, Wolfson made a sharp cut to his right freezing the LFNY defender coming across to shut him down. Momentarily free to look up and see the net, Wolfson released a howling blast the pierced the air with a whizzing sound before crashing into the back netting of the LFNY goal. Portledge was up 1-0 and seemed to be playing with great confidence. The enthusism of the Panthers took a hit though when LFNY side evened the score in the 29th minute. The goal came off a set piece to the right of the Portledge goal. The #9 of LFNY displayed great skill as he flicked a loose ball over the head of the on rushing Portledge keeper, Austin Prey. With the score now tied, it looked as if the teams would head into the break even at 1, but a huge play in the game would take place in the closing minutes of the half. After some skillful passing in the midfield, LFNY found an unexpected opening in the Portledge defense. All of a sudden an LFNY attacker was loose at the 18 with the ball at his feet. Once again Prey tried to challenge only to see a perfectly lofted ball go over his head and into the Panther net. Trailing 2-1 at half Portledge would need some solid defending and creative offense to pull off the upset.
The second half was hard fought to say the least. The play was fast and furious as the ball traveled from end to end with incredible speed. Portledge keeper, Austin Prey, made a highlight reel save to keep the Panthers close, but no matter what they tried the Portledge boys couldn't crack the LFNY defense. As the final whistle blew and the Portledge season came to an end, one could not be anything but happy for the Portledge team. They had erased the sour memory of playing less than a great game in being upset during the IPPSAL Tournament by putting forth an outstanding effort against a very good team from LFNY. So congratulations guys, thanks to the Seniors, and let's get ready for another shot at IPPSAL and the NYSAISAA Tournament next year.
How Did This Match Unfold?
Before the crowd could even get settled the Portledge Panthers were on the attack. Soon Junior Trevor Wolfson pounced on a loose ball in the midfield area and headed down the left side. As he approached the 18 yard box, Wolfson made a sharp cut to his right freezing the LFNY defender coming across to shut him down. Momentarily free to look up and see the net, Wolfson released a howling blast the pierced the air with a whizzing sound before crashing into the back netting of the LFNY goal. Portledge was up 1-0 and seemed to be playing with great confidence. The enthusism of the Panthers took a hit though when LFNY side evened the score in the 29th minute. The goal came off a set piece to the right of the Portledge goal. The #9 of LFNY displayed great skill as he flicked a loose ball over the head of the on rushing Portledge keeper, Austin Prey. With the score now tied, it looked as if the teams would head into the break even at 1, but a huge play in the game would take place in the closing minutes of the half. After some skillful passing in the midfield, LFNY found an unexpected opening in the Portledge defense. All of a sudden an LFNY attacker was loose at the 18 with the ball at his feet. Once again Prey tried to challenge only to see a perfectly lofted ball go over his head and into the Panther net. Trailing 2-1 at half Portledge would need some solid defending and creative offense to pull off the upset.
The second half was hard fought to say the least. The play was fast and furious as the ball traveled from end to end with incredible speed. Portledge keeper, Austin Prey, made a highlight reel save to keep the Panthers close, but no matter what they tried the Portledge boys couldn't crack the LFNY defense. As the final whistle blew and the Portledge season came to an end, one could not be anything but happy for the Portledge team. They had erased the sour memory of playing less than a great game in being upset during the IPPSAL Tournament by putting forth an outstanding effort against a very good team from LFNY. So congratulations guys, thanks to the Seniors, and let's get ready for another shot at IPPSAL and the NYSAISAA Tournament next year.
Rekindled Memories of Days Gone By/ How You Get Shown the Light in the Strangest of Places if You Look at it Right
There was an air of anticipation floating over the Portlege grounds this past Wednesday night. The state soccer playoffs were scheduled to start the next day and the Portledge Varsity Boys team was to take on the Lycee Francais School of NYC on Sawyer Field. Thus, the field needed some preparation and care before we called it a day and went home. So Mr. Coope and myself filled up the paint machines with some environmentally friendly field marking paint and headed up to the pitch. It was late and had turned very cold as the darkness descended over Portledge, however, to my surprise there were sounds coming from the field. As we came closer we realized that it was a lone athlete taking shots at the far goal. We couldn't make the player out at first, but soon we saw it was Senior Ray Wienmann. Ray is the captain of the boys soccer team and he was getting in some final prep for the big game that was to come the next day. Somehow, as it became darker and darker, and I watched the young man shoot the ball into the goal and retrieve it for another attempt, I found myself oddly jealous of the his focus and commitment. You see, Ray was playing the game in his mind a full 24 hours before kick off and all of a sudden it became so clear. There it was... the enthusiasm,optimism and opportunity of youth. Whatever the next day's result would be, Ray was going to have a real experience participating, and the day would probably create a memory that would always stay with him. Fond memories of my own playing days quickly rushed through my head. Eventually, I thought about the games I had played on this very field, and a kind of peace settled over my contemplations. With a wry smile I remembered something someone had said not too long ago while I was attending a ceremony honoring past accomplishments. The speaker was discussing life, when they uttered the phrase,
"always look back, but never stare". So I regained focus on the task at hand, made a mental wish of good luck to Ray, and began thinking about the opportunities the future holds for all of us.
"always look back, but never stare". So I regained focus on the task at hand, made a mental wish of good luck to Ray, and began thinking about the opportunities the future holds for all of us.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
It's Always Nice To See Some History Made. Varsity Girls And Boys Soccer Teams Are Both Selected To Participate In NYSAISAA Tournament
Last Tuesday the Varsity Girls Soccer team was defeated by the girls from Berkeley Carroll in the semi final match of the PSAA post season tournament. When coupled with the Varsity Boys team's loss in the IPPSAL semi final match, it meant that neither Varsity side had earned an automatic bid to the state championships. Thus, both teams would be thrown into the group of at large schools hoping for selection by the respective tournament committees. Overall record, head to head competition and general strength of schedule are all part of a complicated criteria that the committees use to select the field for the independent school tournament. Needless to say, the relative size of Portledge when compared to the larger NYC schools usually paves the road of exclusion for Panther squads, when we are compared to our larger city neighbors. So when the Athletic Dep't phone rang with the news that both of the Varsity teams had been selected to participate, there was a feeling of disbelief that preceded the jubilation of all involved. This is the third time the Varsity Boys Soccer team will play in the NYSAISAA Tournament, with 1998 and 2003 being the other years. While for the girls program, this is the first NYSAISAA Tournament berth, and really is an exceptional achievement considering it is only the sixth year of Varsity Girls Soccer at Portledge. The fact that both teams were selected is an even more amazing event. The facts are that only one other school, Riverdale Country School of the Bronx, a perennial metropolitan soccer power, had both their girls and boys selected to participate in this year's championships. A heartfelt congratulations go out to all the players and coaches of both teams for working so hard to reach this exceptional level of recognition. A particular nod of appreciation is given to the seniors on the respective teams for all their efforts during the last four years and throughout their Portledge soccer careers.
When will the boys compete?
The boys are the #8 seed and will take on the #9 seed Lycee Francais on Thursday afternoon
@Portledge (2:45pm). The teams met early in the season and played to a 0-0 draw, so this should be a hard fought and exciting contest. If victorious, the boys will move on to play #1 seeded Horace Mann on Friday afternoon in the Bronx.
When will the girls compete?
The girls received the #7 spot and will play the #2 seed Berkeley Carroll @ the Brooklyn Parade Grounds on Friday (2:45pm). This is a rematch of the PSAA semi final which was won by BC by a score of 2-0. Portledge was a 3-2 victor in the regular season match between the two PSAA powers. This "rubber match" should be something to see. The winner will play the victor of the Fieldstron v. LuHi (4 v. 5) game.
When will the boys compete?
The boys are the #8 seed and will take on the #9 seed Lycee Francais on Thursday afternoon
@Portledge (2:45pm). The teams met early in the season and played to a 0-0 draw, so this should be a hard fought and exciting contest. If victorious, the boys will move on to play #1 seeded Horace Mann on Friday afternoon in the Bronx.
When will the girls compete?
The girls received the #7 spot and will play the #2 seed Berkeley Carroll @ the Brooklyn Parade Grounds on Friday (2:45pm). This is a rematch of the PSAA semi final which was won by BC by a score of 2-0. Portledge was a 3-2 victor in the regular season match between the two PSAA powers. This "rubber match" should be something to see. The winner will play the victor of the Fieldstron v. LuHi (4 v. 5) game.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Faculty Fan of the Month
Congratulations to the Faculty Fan for the month of October, Mr. Sandoval. Even though Sandoval coached the Junior Varsity Boys Soccer team you could always count on him supporting the teams as they competed throughout the fall. Sandoval even made the trip to the boys and girls varsity soccer games on Saturday, 10/20 at Lawrence Woodmere!!
The athletic department would like to note that Mr. Greene was a very close second place as he also made it out to Lawrence Woodmere and even ventured into Brooklyn for the girls PSAA Semi-Finals.
Thanks to all the faculty who came out this fall we were very pleased with the support and the players really appreciated seeing you. We hope you will come to the courts and the rink for what proves to be an exciting winter season!!
Athletes of the Week
Dressed up in their Halloween costumes Cross-Country runners,"McLovin" aka Bryce Behar and Supertrooper Ranger, Steven Pardo were awarded athletes of the week for their stellar performances during the IPPSAL Championships. Both runners achieved personal best times in the race that took place at Eisenhower Park. Way to go Boys!!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Strong Through the Finish/ Varsity Cross Country Participates in IPPSAL and PSAA Championships to Close Out Successful Season
On Monday, Oct 29th the Portledge Varsity Cross Country team competed in the IPPSAL Cross Country Championships @ Eisenhower Park, and on Wednesday, Nov 7th it was off to Van Cortland Park for the PSAA Championship run . The IPPSAL and PSAA Championship meets are the primary focus of the Porledge runners and one can easily see that the Panthers were ready.
How Did Portledge Fare @ the IPPSAL Championsips?
The IPPSAL Cross Country Commissioner, Ken Johnson from Martin Luther High School, created a special new 5K grass course for the championship meet. It was a tough track with some testing hills and rugged terrain. So it was especially great to see the top two Portledge boys runners,Junior Steven Pardo and Sophomore Bryce Behar, have their best individual performances of the season. Pardo and Behar both ran their strongest times of the fall and both placed in the coveted top 15 medal earning slots. In addition, Sophomore Delphine Starr and Freshman Millie Stallings both earned top five honors and medals in the girls division. Other fine performances were turned in by Alan Phipps, 17th overall with a personal best time, as well as Eddie Huai and Nick Hagedorn. As a team Portledge placed third out of the seven schools competing.
What Happened @ the PSAA Meet?
Portledge sent a limited group to the PSAA Championships because it is not our primary league and has more of an individual focus. Once again, Steven Pardo was the top Portledge runner and finished in the top twenty out of some 100 runners or so. Junior Adam Kravietz, probably inspired by his father's completion of the NYC Marathon a few days earlier, ran one of the best races of his cross country career. Not an easy feet given that the blustery and cold conditions were not ideal for running.
The Portledge Cross Country program has a bright future with almost all of the team returning next year and many fine runners in the Freshman and Sophomore classes. We are also considering offering cross country as a 7/8 athletic option in the fall season. I would love to hear what people think about that. Are there any 6th or 7th graders out there that would consider taking up cross country next fall?
How Did Portledge Fare @ the IPPSAL Championsips?
The IPPSAL Cross Country Commissioner, Ken Johnson from Martin Luther High School, created a special new 5K grass course for the championship meet. It was a tough track with some testing hills and rugged terrain. So it was especially great to see the top two Portledge boys runners,Junior Steven Pardo and Sophomore Bryce Behar, have their best individual performances of the season. Pardo and Behar both ran their strongest times of the fall and both placed in the coveted top 15 medal earning slots. In addition, Sophomore Delphine Starr and Freshman Millie Stallings both earned top five honors and medals in the girls division. Other fine performances were turned in by Alan Phipps, 17th overall with a personal best time, as well as Eddie Huai and Nick Hagedorn. As a team Portledge placed third out of the seven schools competing.
What Happened @ the PSAA Meet?
Portledge sent a limited group to the PSAA Championships because it is not our primary league and has more of an individual focus. Once again, Steven Pardo was the top Portledge runner and finished in the top twenty out of some 100 runners or so. Junior Adam Kravietz, probably inspired by his father's completion of the NYC Marathon a few days earlier, ran one of the best races of his cross country career. Not an easy feet given that the blustery and cold conditions were not ideal for running.
The Portledge Cross Country program has a bright future with almost all of the team returning next year and many fine runners in the Freshman and Sophomore classes. We are also considering offering cross country as a 7/8 athletic option in the fall season. I would love to hear what people think about that. Are there any 6th or 7th graders out there that would consider taking up cross country next fall?
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Devastation Road/Varsity Boys Soccer Season Ends With Upset by Solomon Schechter
The stage was set. A big crowd of supporters from both Portledge and SSDS jammed the sidelines of Sawyer field and there was a great sense of anticipation that this was the first step on a march to Portledge's first IPPSAL championship in 5 years. It was not to be though, as the upset minded Lions of Solomon Schechter prevailed on this perfect day for "football".
How Did the Game Unfold?
The game began with SSDS carrying the play through extended possession. The Lions midfield worked the "rock" around with crisp short passing and confidence. For their part, the Portledge Panthers seemed a bit tentative and did not really challenge or pressure the Lions possession in the early going. It was Portledge though, that had the best early chance. Junior Trevor Wolfson, a key to the Panther attack throughout the season, broke loose at the top of the box and sent a hard shot towards the Schechter net. Wolfson's effort passed the goalie, but struck the post solidly before bouncing harmlessly to the corner. The rest of the half was dominated by fine defensive play from both sides and the halftime score was nil/nil.
The second half opened promisingly for Portledge as Senior captain Ray Weinmann sent a quickly played free kick forward in the direction of Freshman striker Chris McCloskey. McCloskey skilfully chipped the ball over the Schechter keeper's head and into the yearning Lion's goal. Now that the Panthers had the lead, it looked as if a date in the championship game was set. This, however, was not to be, as the Lions of Solomon Schechter had other ideas. Mid way through the half SSDS evened the score at 1 when one of the Lions headed in a perfect corner kick to the back post. Portledge seeemed to lose their composure a bit in the following minutes and before too long SSDS added another tally to take a 2-1 lead. This one came from a scramble in the home side area during which the Portledge defense was momentarily confused. All of a sudden the unthinkable was happening, as Portledge trailed 2-1 with time dwindling down. The Panthers threw everyone forward to try and get the equalizer, but the SSDS defense was very solid on this day. When the final whistle sounded the Portledge players were stunned, but to their credit they held their heads high, congratulated the winning side and thanked their loyal fans for all the support throughout the season. Thus, although the scoreboard said they did not win, in my mind the Portledge players were victors. The boys had a great season and displayed some excellent sportsmanship at a very difficult time. Great thanks go out to the seniors on this team. You provided fantastic leadership and helped elevate the entire Portledge soccer program. Also, congratulations to all the underclassmen on a great season, and get ready to work hard next year to get yourselves another shot at "football" glory.
How Did the Game Unfold?
The game began with SSDS carrying the play through extended possession. The Lions midfield worked the "rock" around with crisp short passing and confidence. For their part, the Portledge Panthers seemed a bit tentative and did not really challenge or pressure the Lions possession in the early going. It was Portledge though, that had the best early chance. Junior Trevor Wolfson, a key to the Panther attack throughout the season, broke loose at the top of the box and sent a hard shot towards the Schechter net. Wolfson's effort passed the goalie, but struck the post solidly before bouncing harmlessly to the corner. The rest of the half was dominated by fine defensive play from both sides and the halftime score was nil/nil.
The second half opened promisingly for Portledge as Senior captain Ray Weinmann sent a quickly played free kick forward in the direction of Freshman striker Chris McCloskey. McCloskey skilfully chipped the ball over the Schechter keeper's head and into the yearning Lion's goal. Now that the Panthers had the lead, it looked as if a date in the championship game was set. This, however, was not to be, as the Lions of Solomon Schechter had other ideas. Mid way through the half SSDS evened the score at 1 when one of the Lions headed in a perfect corner kick to the back post. Portledge seeemed to lose their composure a bit in the following minutes and before too long SSDS added another tally to take a 2-1 lead. This one came from a scramble in the home side area during which the Portledge defense was momentarily confused. All of a sudden the unthinkable was happening, as Portledge trailed 2-1 with time dwindling down. The Panthers threw everyone forward to try and get the equalizer, but the SSDS defense was very solid on this day. When the final whistle sounded the Portledge players were stunned, but to their credit they held their heads high, congratulated the winning side and thanked their loyal fans for all the support throughout the season. Thus, although the scoreboard said they did not win, in my mind the Portledge players were victors. The boys had a great season and displayed some excellent sportsmanship at a very difficult time. Great thanks go out to the seniors on this team. You provided fantastic leadership and helped elevate the entire Portledge soccer program. Also, congratulations to all the underclassmen on a great season, and get ready to work hard next year to get yourselves another shot at "football" glory.
Varsity Girls Soccer Earns Some Respect
The Ivy League's Girls Varsity Soccer Division is widely regarded to be the strongest private school girls soccer league in the metropolitan area. So this past week when the Portledge Lady Panthers were scheduled to take on two of the perennial powerhouses of this league (Poly Prep and Riverdale), there was a good deal of anticipation from the Portledge faithful.
How Did the Girls Do Against Poly Prep?
What turned out to be the toughest thing about this match for the VGS team was trying to regain their momentum and spirit following their huge win at LWA. The Lady Panthers just could not find the same type of spark and struggled to create quality scoring chances against the Dark Blue side of Poly. Towards the end of the game Poly's dynamic #4 sent a long ball into the Portledge penalty area that was misplayed a bit by the home side's defense and goalie. A Poly Prep attacker pounced on the loose ball and Portledge trailed by a score of 1-0 with time running out. Although they fought hard in the closing minutes and almost put one away from some excellent dribbling by Alex DeVivo, it was not to be on this day, as Poly was victorious by a score of 1-0. Things would not get any easier two days later when the Lady Panthers would face an even higher rated Ivy opponent in the Riverdale Country School.
What Happened in the Riverdale Game?
What happened was that the Portledge girls played some of the finest soccer in the history of the program. In an incredibly quick and fast paced game, with hard tackling throughout, the Lady Panthers stood up to everything the Riverdale girls threw at them and then some. The play moved with amazing speed from end to end as both teams created some excellent scoring chances. Sophomore goalie Chelsea Estevez was sensational in the Portledge net making 10 tough saves in all, only to be matched by the solid play of the Riverdale keeper. Portledge's best chance came when Midfielder Mo Kelly got loose down the right side and sent a rocketed cross in front of the RCS net. With both DeVivo and Caracciolo speeding towards her, the Riverdale goalie handled the tough chance with great aplomb and the opportunity went for not. The game was called because of darkness with 8 minutes remaining on the clock and both sides were left to wonder "what if" a bit. The Lady Panthers can take a great deal from this game though. They competed at an equal level with one of the best teams in the city and came away with a renewed sense of confidence and purpose. The girls will be playing on the road this Tuesday in the PSAA semi finals, probably @ Berkeley Carroll in Brooklyn. Please check the athletic hot line (515-750-3162) on Tuesday morning for more specific details. Good luck girls- go get em'.
How Did the Girls Do Against Poly Prep?
What turned out to be the toughest thing about this match for the VGS team was trying to regain their momentum and spirit following their huge win at LWA. The Lady Panthers just could not find the same type of spark and struggled to create quality scoring chances against the Dark Blue side of Poly. Towards the end of the game Poly's dynamic #4 sent a long ball into the Portledge penalty area that was misplayed a bit by the home side's defense and goalie. A Poly Prep attacker pounced on the loose ball and Portledge trailed by a score of 1-0 with time running out. Although they fought hard in the closing minutes and almost put one away from some excellent dribbling by Alex DeVivo, it was not to be on this day, as Poly was victorious by a score of 1-0. Things would not get any easier two days later when the Lady Panthers would face an even higher rated Ivy opponent in the Riverdale Country School.
What Happened in the Riverdale Game?
What happened was that the Portledge girls played some of the finest soccer in the history of the program. In an incredibly quick and fast paced game, with hard tackling throughout, the Lady Panthers stood up to everything the Riverdale girls threw at them and then some. The play moved with amazing speed from end to end as both teams created some excellent scoring chances. Sophomore goalie Chelsea Estevez was sensational in the Portledge net making 10 tough saves in all, only to be matched by the solid play of the Riverdale keeper. Portledge's best chance came when Midfielder Mo Kelly got loose down the right side and sent a rocketed cross in front of the RCS net. With both DeVivo and Caracciolo speeding towards her, the Riverdale goalie handled the tough chance with great aplomb and the opportunity went for not. The game was called because of darkness with 8 minutes remaining on the clock and both sides were left to wonder "what if" a bit. The Lady Panthers can take a great deal from this game though. They competed at an equal level with one of the best teams in the city and came away with a renewed sense of confidence and purpose. The girls will be playing on the road this Tuesday in the PSAA semi finals, probably @ Berkeley Carroll in Brooklyn. Please check the athletic hot line (515-750-3162) on Tuesday morning for more specific details. Good luck girls- go get em'.
Varsity Girls Tennis Prepares For Championship Match
The dreary weather of this past week caused the postponement of the IPPSAL Girls Tennis Championship until this coming Tuesday (10/30) . The competing teams will be Portledge and LuHi and the match will be played at Portledge beginning @ 4:00pm. In their only meeting of the season LuHi was victorious in a hard fought match, so the Portledge girls will be looking for some revenge, as well as to extend the amazing Portledge streak of five consecutive championships. I'm sure Portledge coach, Henry Stay, will have the girls ready to go on Tuesday. The team's leader,
Senior Ellen Huai, has been playing solid singles, as has Junior Siena Falino and Sophomore Elizabeth Girgenti. Doubles teams of Maria Wade-Rachael Scheinman and Steph Hegarty-Robyn Worrall have also been very consistent throughout the season. Let's get some fans out there to support the girls in this big match. Go Girls-Beat Those Crusaders!
Senior Ellen Huai, has been playing solid singles, as has Junior Siena Falino and Sophomore Elizabeth Girgenti. Doubles teams of Maria Wade-Rachael Scheinman and Steph Hegarty-Robyn Worrall have also been very consistent throughout the season. Let's get some fans out there to support the girls in this big match. Go Girls-Beat Those Crusaders!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
On A Roll With Work Left To Be Done/ Varsity Boys Soccer Finishes Regular Season and Looks Towards Playoffs
The IPPSAL Division I Boys Soccer League has made great strides over the last few years. The competition in this league has certainly improved, and any soccer fan can see that the overall play is of a higher quality. Still, the league fails to match up with the level of play in the other three metropolitan area leagues, whose top teams will make up the field in the NYSAISAA Boys Soccer Tournament. Thus, only one spot in the eight team field is reserved for an IPPSAL squad. The IPPSAL representative to the NYSAISAA Tournament is determined by the outcome of the IPPSAL playoffs. So, while the Portledge Panthers have dominated the regular season in IPPSAL play, reaching a mark of 9 wins, 0 losses and 1 tie, their ultimate goal of reaching NYSAIS is still a few hurdles away. All this might seem somewhat complicated and a bit unfair, however, the facts support the situation. Although Portledge has dominated IPPSAL play this fall, the Panthers are only 1-4-1 in non league competition. Other IPPSAL teams have fared similarly. The task facing the Portledge boys is to maintain their strong play into these elimination games, come out on top, and then make some noise in the NYSAISAA Tournament. This will be a great accomplishment for the Panthers and could ultimately serve to elevate the status of IPPSAL Boys Soccer. Just a little bit pressure......yes. To much for this excellent team to handle........no.
How Did the Team Finish Off the Regular Season?
Following their Runner Up showing in the Portledge Invitational, the Panthers had four big IPPSAL games remaining. The team's performance in these games would determine their playoff seeding. The first match was away @ LuHi. This is always one of the toughest contests of the season, and this game was no different. After a hard fought but scoreless first half, the LuHi Crusaders broke through for the opening goal mid way through the second half. The Panthers were facing the possibility of their first league loss of the season. The Portledge team started to pick up their pace of play and before long the LuHi net was being peppered with shots. Finally, captain Ray Weinmann sent a free kick into the Crusader penalty area that Junior striker Trevor Wolfson directed to the back of the net. With the score tied 1-1 Portledge had the better of the chances as both Wolfson and Freshman Chris McCloskey broke in alone but were unable to score. The game ended in a draw and I think that both teams were satisfied with a hard earned point.
Next came a trip to LWA on that school's Homecoming Day. Building on the momentum of the big win earlier in the day by the Varsity Girls, the Panthers played some of their best soccer of the year on the way to a 4-3 win over the Tigers of LWA. Weinmann and Wolfson had two goals each as the big guns for Portledge were firing on all cylinders this day. Outside midfielders Renny Kraft and Nick Leask were very effective in pressing the Panther attack, and the defense was quite solid against a talented Tiger offense. The victory guaranteed that the regular season championship would belong to Portledge, and that the Panthers would have home field throughout the playoffs.
The last week of the season saw the Panthers take on the sides from Our Savor New American and The Waldorf School of Garden City. The Portledge team was victorious by scores of 2-0 in both matches. These wins established a undefeated mark in league play and created a strong sense of momentum leading into the crucial playoffs. The IPPSAL semi final v. Solomon Schechter will be played Friday, Oct 26th @ Portledge (2:00pm). The other semi final match pits LuHi @ LWA. The semi final winners will meet for the IPPSAL Championship and a berth in the NYSAISAA Tournament on Monday, Oct 29th @Portledge (2:00pm). GO PANTHERS! Bring home the IPPSAL crown.
How Did the Team Finish Off the Regular Season?
Following their Runner Up showing in the Portledge Invitational, the Panthers had four big IPPSAL games remaining. The team's performance in these games would determine their playoff seeding. The first match was away @ LuHi. This is always one of the toughest contests of the season, and this game was no different. After a hard fought but scoreless first half, the LuHi Crusaders broke through for the opening goal mid way through the second half. The Panthers were facing the possibility of their first league loss of the season. The Portledge team started to pick up their pace of play and before long the LuHi net was being peppered with shots. Finally, captain Ray Weinmann sent a free kick into the Crusader penalty area that Junior striker Trevor Wolfson directed to the back of the net. With the score tied 1-1 Portledge had the better of the chances as both Wolfson and Freshman Chris McCloskey broke in alone but were unable to score. The game ended in a draw and I think that both teams were satisfied with a hard earned point.
Next came a trip to LWA on that school's Homecoming Day. Building on the momentum of the big win earlier in the day by the Varsity Girls, the Panthers played some of their best soccer of the year on the way to a 4-3 win over the Tigers of LWA. Weinmann and Wolfson had two goals each as the big guns for Portledge were firing on all cylinders this day. Outside midfielders Renny Kraft and Nick Leask were very effective in pressing the Panther attack, and the defense was quite solid against a talented Tiger offense. The victory guaranteed that the regular season championship would belong to Portledge, and that the Panthers would have home field throughout the playoffs.
The last week of the season saw the Panthers take on the sides from Our Savor New American and The Waldorf School of Garden City. The Portledge team was victorious by scores of 2-0 in both matches. These wins established a undefeated mark in league play and created a strong sense of momentum leading into the crucial playoffs. The IPPSAL semi final v. Solomon Schechter will be played Friday, Oct 26th @ Portledge (2:00pm). The other semi final match pits LuHi @ LWA. The semi final winners will meet for the IPPSAL Championship and a berth in the NYSAISAA Tournament on Monday, Oct 29th @Portledge (2:00pm). GO PANTHERS! Bring home the IPPSAL crown.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Athletes of the Week
An exciting week of games and matches brings many great accomplishments for our Portledge Athletes. This week we are awarding three students with the title "Athlete of the Week". Congrats to Ellen Huai of Girls Varsity Tennis for her leadership and skills on the courts. Also to two Varsity Girls Soccer players, Monique Kelly and Ashley Gilchrist for their superb efforts against Lawrence Woodmere. Congratulations Girls!!!
Anxiety, Despair, Desperation and Joy/ Varsity Girls Soccer Finishes Regular Season League Play
Last Saturday the VGS team traveled to LWA to compete against their league rivals at the opponents Homecoming. It was the last home game for two exceptional seniors on the LWA team, Pammie Bonaparth and Domanique Robinson. These two excellent and classy athletes have been a dominant force in the PSAA Girls Soccer League over the last three years and were the leaders of last year's championship team. Making the game even more important, from the Portledge pespective, was the fact that Portledge had to win in order to avoid elimination from the PSAA playoffs. Thus, on this bright sunny day with the pitch a bit slick from the rain of the night before, the stage was set for an incredible afternoon of "football".
How Did the Game Unfold?
Throwing caution to the wind, Varsity Girls Soccer coach Mike Coope had the Portledge side configured in a very offensive formation. Having replaced a defender with speedy freshman point forward Alex DeVivo, Coope was going to try and outscore his talented opponents. The question was, would this daring gamble pay off? The game began with the LWA side pressing forward and putting the undermanned Portledge defense under great pressure. Sophomore goalie Chelsea Estevez was called upon several times during the early going to stop some legitimate chances on the Portledge net. Estevez, however, held strong through the early onslaught, and before long the game was going back and forth from end to end. Mid way through the opening half Sophomore half Monique Kelly corralled a ball in the center of the field. Seeing she had space, Kelly began carrying the "rock" forward towards the LWA penalty area. Confused by the overloaded offense, the LWA defenders let Kelly proceed close to the goal before someone finally left their mark to confront the wily orchestrator. Kelly chose the exact perfect moment to slip a deft ball through, to the now unmarked DeVivo, who quickly deposited it right into the back of the "ol' onion bag" giving Portledge a 1-0 lead and a momentary feeling of relief. The closing minutes of the half changed the entire mood though, as the tough LWA team registered back to back goals. The first came from a remarkable piece of dribbling and shooting on the the part of the dominant striker in the league, Domanique Robinson. After receiving the ball some 30 yards out, Robinson eluded two Portledge defenders before blasting one into the Lady Panther net. It was a definite statement to the Portledge girls that this was going to be a battle right to the end. Just before the halftime whistle things got a bit more bleak when the LWA star Pammie Bonaparth took over the game. The exceptional midfielder, whose older sister plays on the NCAA champion University of North Carolina Ladies Soccer team, put on a display of amazing skill as she weaved her way in and out of at least three Portledge players down the right sideline. When she eventually broke into the clear and unleashed a right footed rocket into the Portledge net, the Lady Panthers took on a look of gloom as they saw their season drifting away. The girls heard some encouraging words from their coaches though, and were soon back on the pitch and ready to challenge for another 40 minutes.
The Lady Panthers came out strong in the second stanza and before long equaled the score at 2. The goal came from a free kick along the right touch line that Mo Kelly accurately put to the far post. Waiting there was midfielder Addie Reilly, who adroitly headed the ball back across the net. Once again DeVivo was in the right spot at the right time as she headed Reilly's headed cross into the LWA net to even the game. At the 56 minute mark Portledge surged to a 3-2 lead
from a corner kick opportunity. Kelly, who was putting the ball right where she wanted to all day, sent a perfect corner across the LWA net and Sophomore Chelsea Caracciolo was there to finish it off. All the Portledge fans wondered if the Lady Panthers could hold their advantage over the last twenty minutes of play. Eight minutes later, in the 64th minute, the question was answered with a thunderous NO. The incredible Pammie Bonaparth let the Panthers have it again, as she buried a free kick from about 20 yards out into the side netting. The goal tied the score, and if the game were end this way, Portledge would be eliminated from the PSAA playoffs. So the entire season was riding on the last 12 minutes of play. Things looked bleak as the game entered its second to last 60 seconds. Then, Caracciolo made a dynamic run down the left side. Her attempted cross was deflected out by a LWA defender setting up a corner kick that almost certainly would be the last offensive opportunity for the Portledge girls. Mo Kelly took her time placing the ball and preparing herself for this last chance, knowing a good service was necessary. Kelly's kick was excellent, and it headed to the front of the LWA net. Somehow, Freshman Ashley Wade was able to find her way to Kelly's cross and knock it into the net. All of a sudden, and unbelievably, it had happened. Portledge was ahead and there was only a minute remaining. The clocked ticked down and the final whistle blew. The Lady Panthers were in the PLAYOFFS, having pulled off one of the biggest wins in the relatively short history of Portledge Varsity Girls Soccer. Congratulations girls, and good luck in the tournament. Come see the Lady Panthers as they face two strong non league opponents this week. On Wednesday @ HOME v.Poly Prep, and Friday @ HOME v.Riverdale.
How Did the Game Unfold?
Throwing caution to the wind, Varsity Girls Soccer coach Mike Coope had the Portledge side configured in a very offensive formation. Having replaced a defender with speedy freshman point forward Alex DeVivo, Coope was going to try and outscore his talented opponents. The question was, would this daring gamble pay off? The game began with the LWA side pressing forward and putting the undermanned Portledge defense under great pressure. Sophomore goalie Chelsea Estevez was called upon several times during the early going to stop some legitimate chances on the Portledge net. Estevez, however, held strong through the early onslaught, and before long the game was going back and forth from end to end. Mid way through the opening half Sophomore half Monique Kelly corralled a ball in the center of the field. Seeing she had space, Kelly began carrying the "rock" forward towards the LWA penalty area. Confused by the overloaded offense, the LWA defenders let Kelly proceed close to the goal before someone finally left their mark to confront the wily orchestrator. Kelly chose the exact perfect moment to slip a deft ball through, to the now unmarked DeVivo, who quickly deposited it right into the back of the "ol' onion bag" giving Portledge a 1-0 lead and a momentary feeling of relief. The closing minutes of the half changed the entire mood though, as the tough LWA team registered back to back goals. The first came from a remarkable piece of dribbling and shooting on the the part of the dominant striker in the league, Domanique Robinson. After receiving the ball some 30 yards out, Robinson eluded two Portledge defenders before blasting one into the Lady Panther net. It was a definite statement to the Portledge girls that this was going to be a battle right to the end. Just before the halftime whistle things got a bit more bleak when the LWA star Pammie Bonaparth took over the game. The exceptional midfielder, whose older sister plays on the NCAA champion University of North Carolina Ladies Soccer team, put on a display of amazing skill as she weaved her way in and out of at least three Portledge players down the right sideline. When she eventually broke into the clear and unleashed a right footed rocket into the Portledge net, the Lady Panthers took on a look of gloom as they saw their season drifting away. The girls heard some encouraging words from their coaches though, and were soon back on the pitch and ready to challenge for another 40 minutes.
The Lady Panthers came out strong in the second stanza and before long equaled the score at 2. The goal came from a free kick along the right touch line that Mo Kelly accurately put to the far post. Waiting there was midfielder Addie Reilly, who adroitly headed the ball back across the net. Once again DeVivo was in the right spot at the right time as she headed Reilly's headed cross into the LWA net to even the game. At the 56 minute mark Portledge surged to a 3-2 lead
from a corner kick opportunity. Kelly, who was putting the ball right where she wanted to all day, sent a perfect corner across the LWA net and Sophomore Chelsea Caracciolo was there to finish it off. All the Portledge fans wondered if the Lady Panthers could hold their advantage over the last twenty minutes of play. Eight minutes later, in the 64th minute, the question was answered with a thunderous NO. The incredible Pammie Bonaparth let the Panthers have it again, as she buried a free kick from about 20 yards out into the side netting. The goal tied the score, and if the game were end this way, Portledge would be eliminated from the PSAA playoffs. So the entire season was riding on the last 12 minutes of play. Things looked bleak as the game entered its second to last 60 seconds. Then, Caracciolo made a dynamic run down the left side. Her attempted cross was deflected out by a LWA defender setting up a corner kick that almost certainly would be the last offensive opportunity for the Portledge girls. Mo Kelly took her time placing the ball and preparing herself for this last chance, knowing a good service was necessary. Kelly's kick was excellent, and it headed to the front of the LWA net. Somehow, Freshman Ashley Wade was able to find her way to Kelly's cross and knock it into the net. All of a sudden, and unbelievably, it had happened. Portledge was ahead and there was only a minute remaining. The clocked ticked down and the final whistle blew. The Lady Panthers were in the PLAYOFFS, having pulled off one of the biggest wins in the relatively short history of Portledge Varsity Girls Soccer. Congratulations girls, and good luck in the tournament. Come see the Lady Panthers as they face two strong non league opponents this week. On Wednesday @ HOME v.Poly Prep, and Friday @ HOME v.Riverdale.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
5/6 Soccer Teams Are Impressive v. East Woods
Last Thursday I did not travel with the 7/8 Soccer teams to their away games, so that I could get a could look at the progress of our 5/6 Girls and Boys Soccer teams. Both teams were taking on their opposing sides from East Woods, and what I found was that the competition, sportsmanship and general enthusiasm around the grounds were all at a very high level. Parents from both schools mingled with each other, and thoroughly enjoyed watching their children compete in programs that seem to emphasize all the right things about sports.
What Happened At the 5/6 Girls Game?
The Portledge 5/6 Girls Soccer team has come a long way since the early days of September. The squad's teamwork and spirit were both excellent on this day, as they played their way to a 1-0 victory over the green and white. Many individuals were particularly impressive, but what struck me the most was the way the girls supported each other with cheers and encouraging screams. 6th grader Lauren Dorsey was fantastic in goal. She turned away several good attempts by East Woods in the first half, before giving way to Nicole Alechman, who played some fine net during the second half. Once again, Claudia Ruiz provided the scoring as she finished off a nice passing play by the young Panthers. There were many fine performances on offense though. Grace Keough was creating opportunities all day from her wing position as was Elizabeth Gahagan. Also, the play of Mira Lerner in midfield was key in enabling Portledge to control the flow of play. The defense was solid in front of Dorsey and Alechman in denying East Woods many good scoring chances. Outstanding among this group were Ashley Herzig, Priyanka Ninan , Carley Tsiames and Imani Sewell. Congratulations to all the girls on this fine team. You have come a long way and all improved so much this fall season. In addition, I would like to commend the East Woods players and coach on their fine sportsmanship and play. The green and white was a pleasure to compete with on this day.
How Did the 5/6 Boys Game Go?
The 5/6 Boy's soccer game with East Woods was just as exciting as the girl's game. In fact, I still have a crick in my neck from turning my gaze too quickly from field to field every time I heard a loud cheer ring up. This was a fast paced contest between two solid and evenly matched sides. The play went from end to end, and the goalies of both teams were consistently called on to make great saves. James Anderson was particularly impressive in the goal for Portledge, in that he turned back several East Woods' chances that looked like certain goals. The game ended with East Woods on top by a score of 2-1, but really either side could have won this exciting match.
Patrick Byrnes continued his torrid scoring pace by getting the goal for Portledge. His fine play was supported by great hustle from Cameron Daniels and by some skilled dribbling and distribution from Ronel Juste. The sportsmanship on this field was just as apparent as it was on the girl's field. When the game ended players from the opposing sides spoke and congratulated each other on such a fine game. All in all it was a great afternoon on the Portledge pitches.
What Happened At the 5/6 Girls Game?
The Portledge 5/6 Girls Soccer team has come a long way since the early days of September. The squad's teamwork and spirit were both excellent on this day, as they played their way to a 1-0 victory over the green and white. Many individuals were particularly impressive, but what struck me the most was the way the girls supported each other with cheers and encouraging screams. 6th grader Lauren Dorsey was fantastic in goal. She turned away several good attempts by East Woods in the first half, before giving way to Nicole Alechman, who played some fine net during the second half. Once again, Claudia Ruiz provided the scoring as she finished off a nice passing play by the young Panthers. There were many fine performances on offense though. Grace Keough was creating opportunities all day from her wing position as was Elizabeth Gahagan. Also, the play of Mira Lerner in midfield was key in enabling Portledge to control the flow of play. The defense was solid in front of Dorsey and Alechman in denying East Woods many good scoring chances. Outstanding among this group were Ashley Herzig, Priyanka Ninan , Carley Tsiames and Imani Sewell. Congratulations to all the girls on this fine team. You have come a long way and all improved so much this fall season. In addition, I would like to commend the East Woods players and coach on their fine sportsmanship and play. The green and white was a pleasure to compete with on this day.
How Did the 5/6 Boys Game Go?
The 5/6 Boy's soccer game with East Woods was just as exciting as the girl's game. In fact, I still have a crick in my neck from turning my gaze too quickly from field to field every time I heard a loud cheer ring up. This was a fast paced contest between two solid and evenly matched sides. The play went from end to end, and the goalies of both teams were consistently called on to make great saves. James Anderson was particularly impressive in the goal for Portledge, in that he turned back several East Woods' chances that looked like certain goals. The game ended with East Woods on top by a score of 2-1, but really either side could have won this exciting match.
Patrick Byrnes continued his torrid scoring pace by getting the goal for Portledge. His fine play was supported by great hustle from Cameron Daniels and by some skilled dribbling and distribution from Ronel Juste. The sportsmanship on this field was just as apparent as it was on the girl's field. When the game ended players from the opposing sides spoke and congratulated each other on such a fine game. All in all it was a great afternoon on the Portledge pitches.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Welcome Alumni
This past week I received a comment from an alum who was really enjoying following the progress of the Varsity Soccer teams on the blog. That is great! A big reason I'm doing this is so that former players can remain connected to the programs they participated in. If you are an alum and you are following the blog, please send the link to your former teammates. Also, shoot me an email @ (phills@portledge.org) I would love to hear from any former Portledge athletes.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Athlete of the Week
Though there were many stellar performances during the week the Athletic Department did not choose an Athlete of the Week. Please check back next Wednesday for the next selection.
Congratulations to all athletes this past week!!
Congratulations to all athletes this past week!!
Monday, October 15, 2007
JV Girls Soccer Wins First Game Ever
Did This Really Happen?
Oh yes it did!! This past Wednesday the JV Girls Soccer team took on the JV squad from the Chapin School of NYC, and for the first time in this team's brief history they won. Tatiana Parris scored the only goal of the game and Hope Mulry was very solid in goal to lead the Portledge team to a 1-0 victory. Defenders Haley Tynes and Olivia Poglianich-Soria were outstanding against the Chapin offense and forwards Bianca San Andres and Chloe Tsiames continue to improve with every game. The best performance of the day should be credited to Catherine Ardito though. The Freshman controlled the midfield and demonstrated a willingness to compete that definitely has her headed to the Varsity side one day. Congratulations to the JV girls and their coach, Mrs.Schwam, and good luck in their coming matches. Let's bring home another win.
Oh yes it did!! This past Wednesday the JV Girls Soccer team took on the JV squad from the Chapin School of NYC, and for the first time in this team's brief history they won. Tatiana Parris scored the only goal of the game and Hope Mulry was very solid in goal to lead the Portledge team to a 1-0 victory. Defenders Haley Tynes and Olivia Poglianich-Soria were outstanding against the Chapin offense and forwards Bianca San Andres and Chloe Tsiames continue to improve with every game. The best performance of the day should be credited to Catherine Ardito though. The Freshman controlled the midfield and demonstrated a willingness to compete that definitely has her headed to the Varsity side one day. Congratulations to the JV girls and their coach, Mrs.Schwam, and good luck in their coming matches. Let's bring home another win.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Varsity Girls Soccer Wins,Ties and Looks Forward to a Huge Week
The VGS team played two games this past week, and although a bit tired from their very competitive schedule, they were able to secure a win and a tie. This puts the Lady Panther's overall record at 6 wins, 1 loss and 3 ties. Their PSAA league mark stands at 3 wins ,0 losses and 2 ties and is currently good enough for third place in the PSAA Girls Soccer League. The girls have two of their most important matches of the season coming up this week as they will travel to Staten Island Academy ( currently in 4th place in the PSAA ) on Wednesday, and play Lawrence Woodmere ( currently undefeated in PSAA play) at the LWA Homecoming on Saturday. Victories in these two matches would secure a home field advantage in the semi finals of the PSAA play offs and go a long way to helping the team earn a spot in the NYSAISAA Tournament.
Who Did the Girls Play This Past Week?
Last Wednesday the VGS team took on a defensively minded side from the United Nations School of NYC. The Lady Panthers were able to score two first half goals because of some fine wing play from Sophomore Chelsea Caracciolo and Freshman Alex Devivo. Caracciolo set up the first tally went she got around her mark down the left side and sent one of her patented hard crosses in front of the UNIS goal. Sophomore half Monique Kelly was there to finish up the play and give Portledge a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later the Portledge halfbacks were able to quickly change fields during an attack and Devivo was isolated one on one against her defender along the right touch line. The speedy winger eluded her mark and sent a right footed rocket at the UNIS net. The UNIS goalie could not handle the hard shot and the rebound was there for the taking. An opportunistic Addie Reilly pounced on the loose ball and the Lady Panthers lead was 2-0 at halftime. During a second half that was dominated by Portledge possession Addie Reilly added her second goal of the game to put Portledge up 3-0 before a two goal burst by UNIS made the last few minutes much more tense than they should have been The 3-2 final was a victory for Portledge, but all involved would agree that their play was not that impressive on this day.
On Saturday the girls took on the Varsity Girls from Packer Collegiate in an important non league game. It was tense match throughout with Portledge carrying the play, but unable to break through a stubborn Packer defense. The Lady Panthers were playing without four starters out due to injury and illness, and wound up losing key defender Yola Yu during the game to a broken nose. Young players, such as forwards Alex Devivo and Marian Juste , and defender Natalie Gray stepped up to fill the holes and played some great soccer. Freshman Devivo was arguably the best player on the field as she was a consistent threat to the Packer goal. In fact it was this speedy youngster who finally broke through and gave Portledge the lead with a tremendous individual effort down the left side. After cutting back around several defenders Devivo sent a bullet shot towards the Packer net that the goaltender could not handle. The ball glanced off her hands and into the net and Portledge had a 1-0 lead with only 12 minutes remaining. Victory, however, was not to be had on this day. As the final minutes ticked away a Packer attacker got loose just outside the box and sent a beautiful shot into the Portledge net. The tie shouldn't hurt the girl's NYSAISAA Tournament chances as Packer is a quality team. Congratulations on a solid week and good luck in the big games later this week.
Who Did the Girls Play This Past Week?
Last Wednesday the VGS team took on a defensively minded side from the United Nations School of NYC. The Lady Panthers were able to score two first half goals because of some fine wing play from Sophomore Chelsea Caracciolo and Freshman Alex Devivo. Caracciolo set up the first tally went she got around her mark down the left side and sent one of her patented hard crosses in front of the UNIS goal. Sophomore half Monique Kelly was there to finish up the play and give Portledge a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later the Portledge halfbacks were able to quickly change fields during an attack and Devivo was isolated one on one against her defender along the right touch line. The speedy winger eluded her mark and sent a right footed rocket at the UNIS net. The UNIS goalie could not handle the hard shot and the rebound was there for the taking. An opportunistic Addie Reilly pounced on the loose ball and the Lady Panthers lead was 2-0 at halftime. During a second half that was dominated by Portledge possession Addie Reilly added her second goal of the game to put Portledge up 3-0 before a two goal burst by UNIS made the last few minutes much more tense than they should have been The 3-2 final was a victory for Portledge, but all involved would agree that their play was not that impressive on this day.
On Saturday the girls took on the Varsity Girls from Packer Collegiate in an important non league game. It was tense match throughout with Portledge carrying the play, but unable to break through a stubborn Packer defense. The Lady Panthers were playing without four starters out due to injury and illness, and wound up losing key defender Yola Yu during the game to a broken nose. Young players, such as forwards Alex Devivo and Marian Juste , and defender Natalie Gray stepped up to fill the holes and played some great soccer. Freshman Devivo was arguably the best player on the field as she was a consistent threat to the Packer goal. In fact it was this speedy youngster who finally broke through and gave Portledge the lead with a tremendous individual effort down the left side. After cutting back around several defenders Devivo sent a bullet shot towards the Packer net that the goaltender could not handle. The ball glanced off her hands and into the net and Portledge had a 1-0 lead with only 12 minutes remaining. Victory, however, was not to be had on this day. As the final minutes ticked away a Packer attacker got loose just outside the box and sent a beautiful shot into the Portledge net. The tie shouldn't hurt the girl's NYSAISAA Tournament chances as Packer is a quality team. Congratulations on a solid week and good luck in the big games later this week.
So Close But So Far/ Results of the Varsity Boys Soccer Tournament.
The Portledge Panther Soccer team had not been to the finals of the tournament they host every year since the IPPSAL Championship season of 2003. So when the boys were able to advance to the championship game of this year's tournament it created a very exciting weekend on the pitch.
How Did the Boys Get to the Championship Game?
The semi final victory over Packer Collegiate was one the best, if not the best Portledge game in recent memory. Faced with a very skilled and organized opponent the Panthers played an extremely smart game. They did not chase the Packer players all over the pitch, but waited for the inevitable attacks, all the while keeping a disciplined defensive shape. This strategy depended on getting a great game in goal and this certainly was the case. Senior keeper Austin Prey was brilliant coming out of his cage to grab every Packer cross before an attacker could make contact with the ball. In front of Prey, the dynamic defensive duo of Juniors Aaron Lee and Mike McCloskey were solid as ever and the Panthers all around team defense was awesome. The game was 0-0 at half and the Portledge strategy was working perfectly. As the second half progressed the Panthers started to carefully counter when the opportunity presented itself. Eventually they found a opening when Sophomore half Mark Dourmashkin slipped through a hole in the Packer defense and entered the area with control of the ball. Before Dourmashkin could get off a shot though, he was brought down by a Packer defender. A hush fell over the crowd as Senior captain Ray Weinmann lined up the penalty. Then, after a bit of a stutter move, Weinmann deposited the ball right into the back of the"ol' onion bag" and Portledge had an improbable 1-0 lead. The last few minutes saw Portledge hold off several frantic Packer attacks and secure this most excellent victory. Celebration was jubilant but limited, because the team knew they must face a strong Fieldston team the next day.
The Fieldston game started off with the same excitement as the end of the Packer contest, with Junior Renny Kraft scoring minutes into the match. It was not to be a Portledge day though as the orange wave of Fieldston went on to take over the pitch. It was 3-1 for Fieldston when Senior Corey Axelowitz scored his first goal of the season to make it3-2 at the half. Three second half goals by the orange side guaranteed the result, and the Portledge boys were left feeling both positive and negative about the weekend. As a few days have passed, several of the players have told me that they are very happy about the Packer result, in that it was the first time in a decade that has Portledge defeated Packer, and that even though they were defeated in the championship game, they still feel a degree of accomplishment from the entire weekend. That's good, because they have abig week of league games coming up against LuHi and LWA. GOOD LUCK GUYS AND BRING HOME THE REGULAR SEASON CROWN!
How Did the Boys Get to the Championship Game?
The semi final victory over Packer Collegiate was one the best, if not the best Portledge game in recent memory. Faced with a very skilled and organized opponent the Panthers played an extremely smart game. They did not chase the Packer players all over the pitch, but waited for the inevitable attacks, all the while keeping a disciplined defensive shape. This strategy depended on getting a great game in goal and this certainly was the case. Senior keeper Austin Prey was brilliant coming out of his cage to grab every Packer cross before an attacker could make contact with the ball. In front of Prey, the dynamic defensive duo of Juniors Aaron Lee and Mike McCloskey were solid as ever and the Panthers all around team defense was awesome. The game was 0-0 at half and the Portledge strategy was working perfectly. As the second half progressed the Panthers started to carefully counter when the opportunity presented itself. Eventually they found a opening when Sophomore half Mark Dourmashkin slipped through a hole in the Packer defense and entered the area with control of the ball. Before Dourmashkin could get off a shot though, he was brought down by a Packer defender. A hush fell over the crowd as Senior captain Ray Weinmann lined up the penalty. Then, after a bit of a stutter move, Weinmann deposited the ball right into the back of the"ol' onion bag" and Portledge had an improbable 1-0 lead. The last few minutes saw Portledge hold off several frantic Packer attacks and secure this most excellent victory. Celebration was jubilant but limited, because the team knew they must face a strong Fieldston team the next day.
The Fieldston game started off with the same excitement as the end of the Packer contest, with Junior Renny Kraft scoring minutes into the match. It was not to be a Portledge day though as the orange wave of Fieldston went on to take over the pitch. It was 3-1 for Fieldston when Senior Corey Axelowitz scored his first goal of the season to make it3-2 at the half. Three second half goals by the orange side guaranteed the result, and the Portledge boys were left feeling both positive and negative about the weekend. As a few days have passed, several of the players have told me that they are very happy about the Packer result, in that it was the first time in a decade that has Portledge defeated Packer, and that even though they were defeated in the championship game, they still feel a degree of accomplishment from the entire weekend. That's good, because they have abig week of league games coming up against LuHi and LWA. GOOD LUCK GUYS AND BRING HOME THE REGULAR SEASON CROWN!
Portledge Cross Country On the Move
The Varsity Cross Country team traveled to Eisenhower Park this past Wednesday for the first of two consecutive IPPSAL meets there.
How Did the Panther Runners Fare?
The relatively young and inexperienced Portledge Varsity Cross Country team had a very strong showing at the second IPPSAL meet of the season. Even without the participation of two veteran runners, the Panthers took 2nd place overall and demonstrated that they will be a force in the league this year. Junior Steven Pardo and Freshman Alan Phipps placed 11th and 12th, respectively, to lead the Panther contingent. Other notable performances were turned in by Bryce Behar (15th place), Sam Scheinman (17th place), and John Hambrook (18th place). Among the female runners Millie Stallings took 2nd place in the girls division and finished 21st overall. When Delphine Starr and Millie can both run in the same race, we will be looking for a possible one/two Portledge finish. Way to go runners and good luck in your return to Eisenhower Park this Wednesday.
How Did the Panther Runners Fare?
The relatively young and inexperienced Portledge Varsity Cross Country team had a very strong showing at the second IPPSAL meet of the season. Even without the participation of two veteran runners, the Panthers took 2nd place overall and demonstrated that they will be a force in the league this year. Junior Steven Pardo and Freshman Alan Phipps placed 11th and 12th, respectively, to lead the Panther contingent. Other notable performances were turned in by Bryce Behar (15th place), Sam Scheinman (17th place), and John Hambrook (18th place). Among the female runners Millie Stallings took 2nd place in the girls division and finished 21st overall. When Delphine Starr and Millie can both run in the same race, we will be looking for a possible one/two Portledge finish. Way to go runners and good luck in your return to Eisenhower Park this Wednesday.
5/6 Soccer Teams Continue to Improve and Have Strong Showings
The Portledge 5/6 Girls and Boys Soccer teams took on their respective sides from Green Vale last Tuesday and the results of the contests illustrate that the Portledge teams are working hard in practice and making real headway in the sport of soccer.
The girls game ended in a 1-1 draw. 6th grader Claudia Ruiz scored the goal for the littlest Lady Panthers, thus carrying on the great athletic tradition of the Ruiz family hear at Portledge. Claudia's older sister Alyssa, who now attends Fairfield University, was arguably the best female tennis player ever to graduate from Portledge and her older brother, 8th grader Clark Ruiz, has already played a year of Varsity tennis having great success in both singles and doubles play. So it is great to see another Ruiz athlete coming up through the ranks. Something tells me she might be switching to girls Varsity tennis before too long though. In her game report Coach Reynolds also highlighted the fine play of the team's principle defenders. They are Ashley Herzig, Priyanka Ninan and Imani Sewell. This group effectively controlled a talented Green Vale offense. There is no doubt though that the team's anchor continues to be goaltender Lauren Dorsey. She turned another great performance making over 25 saves. Congratulations on the excellent play girls, and good luck in your matches with Holy Child and East Woods this coming week.
The 5/6 boys also tied their opponents from Green Vale 1-1. Patrick Byrnes scored the Portledge goal and also did a fine job as goalkeeper during one half. Coach Ronde reported that the team got great hustle from Tommy Roel and Zach Kleinwaks, and a great half of goaltending from the squad's other keeper, James Anderson. These draws with Green Vale are fine results and all the young athletes on both the girls and boys teams should be commended for their strong effort and overall enthusiasm. The 5/6 Boys will also take on Holy Child and East Woods this coming week.
The girls game ended in a 1-1 draw. 6th grader Claudia Ruiz scored the goal for the littlest Lady Panthers, thus carrying on the great athletic tradition of the Ruiz family hear at Portledge. Claudia's older sister Alyssa, who now attends Fairfield University, was arguably the best female tennis player ever to graduate from Portledge and her older brother, 8th grader Clark Ruiz, has already played a year of Varsity tennis having great success in both singles and doubles play. So it is great to see another Ruiz athlete coming up through the ranks. Something tells me she might be switching to girls Varsity tennis before too long though. In her game report Coach Reynolds also highlighted the fine play of the team's principle defenders. They are Ashley Herzig, Priyanka Ninan and Imani Sewell. This group effectively controlled a talented Green Vale offense. There is no doubt though that the team's anchor continues to be goaltender Lauren Dorsey. She turned another great performance making over 25 saves. Congratulations on the excellent play girls, and good luck in your matches with Holy Child and East Woods this coming week.
The 5/6 boys also tied their opponents from Green Vale 1-1. Patrick Byrnes scored the Portledge goal and also did a fine job as goalkeeper during one half. Coach Ronde reported that the team got great hustle from Tommy Roel and Zach Kleinwaks, and a great half of goaltending from the squad's other keeper, James Anderson. These draws with Green Vale are fine results and all the young athletes on both the girls and boys teams should be commended for their strong effort and overall enthusiasm. The 5/6 Boys will also take on Holy Child and East Woods this coming week.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Athletes of the Week
An outstanding week of athletics at Portledge produced three great athletes all deserving of the title "Athlete of the Week" Congratulations to Addie Reilly - Girls Varsity Soccer, Trevor Wolfson - Boys Varsity Soccer and Delphine Starr - Varsity Cross-Country for their efforts.
Last Week - Athletes of the Week
Excuse my delay in the posting of the Athletes of the week presented on October 3rd. Congrats to Varsity Boys Soccer defensive duo of Aaron Lee and Michael McCloskey for their terrific efforts protecting their keeper and truly commanding the defensive zone! Come on out to watch these boys in action!
Monday, October 8, 2007
Comments and Corrections Are Appreciated
I am glad to see that people are starting to send comments on the blog's progress. If these can be in the form of questions it would be great, because then I could work them into the next posting. Also, some people have taken the time to point out the misspellings of students names. I admit that in my haste to stay current with the posts, I don't always have the time to check the spelling of every name. Spell check doesn't help because it marks every name as a misspelled word, so please continue to inform me of misspelled names, and I will try to edit the posting in question as soon as possible. Thanks again to everyone who is following the blog.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Varsity Girls and Boys Soccer Teams In Good Position As the Stretch Run Begins
There are no Varsity soccer games this weekend, so it gives us a chance to catch our collective breath and take a look at where these teams stand in the overall picture of their respective leagues, and in terms of qualifying for the NYSAISAA Soccer Tournaments.
Where Do the Varsity Girls Stand in the PSAA Girls Soccer League?
The Portledge Varsity Girls Soccer team has an overall record of 5 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties. Their PSAA league mark is 2 wins and 2 ties and the girls are 1 and 1 in non league play. They have three critical league games left on their regular season schedule. The first will be this coming Wednesday at HOME against the United Nations School. That will be followed by two tough road matches at Staten Island Academy on Wed, Oct 17th and against league champ LWA on Sat, Oct 20th. The Lady Panthers will also play non league contests with Packer Collegiate (10/13), Poly Prep (10/23), and Ivy League power Riverdale (10/25). In regard to the PSAA league, the girls have control of their own destiny in terms of securing home field for a semi final game, but it will probably take victories in all of their final three league games to make this happen. The regular season championship, and its automatic NYSAISAA Tournament berth, is still a possibility, however, the girls will need some help in the form of either a tie or loss by LWA in some of their remaining games before the big regular league season finale on Sat, Oct 20th, and then of course a Portledge victory in that game. Last year three teams from the PSAA were selected to participate in the NYSAISAA Tournament. If the Portledge girls could win four of their last six and gain a semi final win in the PSAA play offs, it would probably be enough to qualify. Needless to say, there is a good deal of tough "football" ahead, and the girls will need all the support they can get during this challenging stretch run.
This past Thursday was one of the team's finest efforts yet. They took on a talented side from Berkeley Carroll here at the Portledge fields. The Lady Panthers forged ahead mid way through the first half when speedy winger Chelsea Caracciolo got loose down the left side. Caracciolo then sent a slashing cross into the BC area. Freshman striker Ashley Wade, playing her best overall game of the year, was able to get a foot on Caracciolo's feed and deflect the "rock" into the back of the BC net. Everything seemed comfortable for Portledge as the teams retired for halftime rest, however, little did we all know. BC came out fired up in the second half and immediately tied the score at 1. After some intense scrambling in front of the BC net, Caracciolo was able to secure control of a loose ball and drive it into the back of the " ol' onion bag" putting Portledge ahead once again, only to see BC equalize yet again from a beautiful header off a corner kick. The stage was set for a dramatic finish. As the sun was beginning to set and shadows started to dominate the pitch, Sophomore half Addie Reilly was able to get off a right footed "rocket" ( just kidding) that eluded the BC keeper and dribbled into the goal. The final few minutes saw several desperate rushes by a determined BC side, but the Portledge defense, anchored on this day by fine play from Claudia Rogers, captain Jess Sarrantonio and 'hard as nails' marking back Ashley Gilchrist, was able to withstand all the challenges. This really was an outstanding game and I know that the girls would like to thank all the fans that were there to cheer them on to victory. Extra Good Luck down the stretch girls! WE ARE ALL BEHIND YOU!
Is the Varsity Boys Soccer Team Also in Good Position?
The simple answer to that is yes, but it also gets more complicated. The Varsity Boys Soccer team has an overall record of 5 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie. They stand at 5-0-1 in IPPSAL
Division I Boys Soccer and have four league games remaining. In IPPSAL Boys Soccer the automatic NYSAISAA Tournament spot goes to the play off champion, not the regular season champ. So the boys still have a good deal of work to do, if they want to participate in the "big enchilada" at the end of the season. The team will have an opportunity to improve on their 0-2 non league record this coming week as they face a tough United Nations side from the ACIS League, before hosting Fieldston, Columbia Prep and Packer Collegiate in the Portledge Invitational Soccer Tournament next weekend. Fieldston is from the Ivy League, long considered the finest private school boys soccer league in the metropolitan area, and Packer has won the Portledge Tournament for as long as anyone can remember. Thus, this coming week will tell us a great deal about the ultimate potential of our Varsity boys side. Will they be able to lift their play and challenge some of the best private school competition this area has to offer? If their recent form has anything to say about it, the answer should be yes!
This past week the Panthers were faced with the daunting challenge of back to back league games on the road against determined opponents. On Tuesday they traveled down the block to Pascucci Field in Glen Cove for a local darby with Solomon Schechter. It was a tense game with hard tackling from both sides, but Portledge was able to secure the victory through goals by Trevor Wolfson, Renny Kraft and Senior captain Ray Weinmann. The defense was very strong, and the switch of Mark Dourmashkin to right back looks to have been an astute move by coach Coleman and his excellent assistant Mr. Patrick Meyers. Austin Prey was very solid in goal, making all the necessary saves and keeping things very organized in the back. Prey's ability to quickly distribute the ball with accurate throws, in addition to his booming kicks, also gives the Portledge attack another dimension. Pascucci Field had been a "House of Horrors" for the Panthers over the last few years, so this victory gave the boys a good deal of confidence. Something they would draw upon when faced with some adversity in the next match.
On Thursday the Portledge boys traveled out east to take on the team from Our Savior New American. The OSNA side has had a difficult time in Division I over the last few years, but a victory over Solomon Schechter and a draw with defending league champs LuHi has the OSNA boys ready to face any challenge. "The OSNA side can score" said coach Coleman after this exciting game. OSNA had a 3-1 lead on the Panthers with time winding down in the second half and Portledge playing without starters Alain Mathieu and Aaron Lee, out due to injury and illness, respectively. Junior striker Trevor Wolfson was about to explode though, and rescue the Panther's unbeaten league mark. Twice in the final 10 minutes Wolfson broke down the right side and pounded home goals to even the score at 3. The dramatic comeback has added to the team's growing confidence and should serve them well in the tough play ahead. Congratulations guys and good luck against UNIS and in the Portledge Tournament.
Where Do the Varsity Girls Stand in the PSAA Girls Soccer League?
The Portledge Varsity Girls Soccer team has an overall record of 5 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties. Their PSAA league mark is 2 wins and 2 ties and the girls are 1 and 1 in non league play. They have three critical league games left on their regular season schedule. The first will be this coming Wednesday at HOME against the United Nations School. That will be followed by two tough road matches at Staten Island Academy on Wed, Oct 17th and against league champ LWA on Sat, Oct 20th. The Lady Panthers will also play non league contests with Packer Collegiate (10/13), Poly Prep (10/23), and Ivy League power Riverdale (10/25). In regard to the PSAA league, the girls have control of their own destiny in terms of securing home field for a semi final game, but it will probably take victories in all of their final three league games to make this happen. The regular season championship, and its automatic NYSAISAA Tournament berth, is still a possibility, however, the girls will need some help in the form of either a tie or loss by LWA in some of their remaining games before the big regular league season finale on Sat, Oct 20th, and then of course a Portledge victory in that game. Last year three teams from the PSAA were selected to participate in the NYSAISAA Tournament. If the Portledge girls could win four of their last six and gain a semi final win in the PSAA play offs, it would probably be enough to qualify. Needless to say, there is a good deal of tough "football" ahead, and the girls will need all the support they can get during this challenging stretch run.
This past Thursday was one of the team's finest efforts yet. They took on a talented side from Berkeley Carroll here at the Portledge fields. The Lady Panthers forged ahead mid way through the first half when speedy winger Chelsea Caracciolo got loose down the left side. Caracciolo then sent a slashing cross into the BC area. Freshman striker Ashley Wade, playing her best overall game of the year, was able to get a foot on Caracciolo's feed and deflect the "rock" into the back of the BC net. Everything seemed comfortable for Portledge as the teams retired for halftime rest, however, little did we all know. BC came out fired up in the second half and immediately tied the score at 1. After some intense scrambling in front of the BC net, Caracciolo was able to secure control of a loose ball and drive it into the back of the " ol' onion bag" putting Portledge ahead once again, only to see BC equalize yet again from a beautiful header off a corner kick. The stage was set for a dramatic finish. As the sun was beginning to set and shadows started to dominate the pitch, Sophomore half Addie Reilly was able to get off a right footed "rocket" ( just kidding) that eluded the BC keeper and dribbled into the goal. The final few minutes saw several desperate rushes by a determined BC side, but the Portledge defense, anchored on this day by fine play from Claudia Rogers, captain Jess Sarrantonio and 'hard as nails' marking back Ashley Gilchrist, was able to withstand all the challenges. This really was an outstanding game and I know that the girls would like to thank all the fans that were there to cheer them on to victory. Extra Good Luck down the stretch girls! WE ARE ALL BEHIND YOU!
Is the Varsity Boys Soccer Team Also in Good Position?
The simple answer to that is yes, but it also gets more complicated. The Varsity Boys Soccer team has an overall record of 5 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie. They stand at 5-0-1 in IPPSAL
Division I Boys Soccer and have four league games remaining. In IPPSAL Boys Soccer the automatic NYSAISAA Tournament spot goes to the play off champion, not the regular season champ. So the boys still have a good deal of work to do, if they want to participate in the "big enchilada" at the end of the season. The team will have an opportunity to improve on their 0-2 non league record this coming week as they face a tough United Nations side from the ACIS League, before hosting Fieldston, Columbia Prep and Packer Collegiate in the Portledge Invitational Soccer Tournament next weekend. Fieldston is from the Ivy League, long considered the finest private school boys soccer league in the metropolitan area, and Packer has won the Portledge Tournament for as long as anyone can remember. Thus, this coming week will tell us a great deal about the ultimate potential of our Varsity boys side. Will they be able to lift their play and challenge some of the best private school competition this area has to offer? If their recent form has anything to say about it, the answer should be yes!
This past week the Panthers were faced with the daunting challenge of back to back league games on the road against determined opponents. On Tuesday they traveled down the block to Pascucci Field in Glen Cove for a local darby with Solomon Schechter. It was a tense game with hard tackling from both sides, but Portledge was able to secure the victory through goals by Trevor Wolfson, Renny Kraft and Senior captain Ray Weinmann. The defense was very strong, and the switch of Mark Dourmashkin to right back looks to have been an astute move by coach Coleman and his excellent assistant Mr. Patrick Meyers. Austin Prey was very solid in goal, making all the necessary saves and keeping things very organized in the back. Prey's ability to quickly distribute the ball with accurate throws, in addition to his booming kicks, also gives the Portledge attack another dimension. Pascucci Field had been a "House of Horrors" for the Panthers over the last few years, so this victory gave the boys a good deal of confidence. Something they would draw upon when faced with some adversity in the next match.
On Thursday the Portledge boys traveled out east to take on the team from Our Savior New American. The OSNA side has had a difficult time in Division I over the last few years, but a victory over Solomon Schechter and a draw with defending league champs LuHi has the OSNA boys ready to face any challenge. "The OSNA side can score" said coach Coleman after this exciting game. OSNA had a 3-1 lead on the Panthers with time winding down in the second half and Portledge playing without starters Alain Mathieu and Aaron Lee, out due to injury and illness, respectively. Junior striker Trevor Wolfson was about to explode though, and rescue the Panther's unbeaten league mark. Twice in the final 10 minutes Wolfson broke down the right side and pounded home goals to even the score at 3. The dramatic comeback has added to the team's growing confidence and should serve them well in the tough play ahead. Congratulations guys and good luck against UNIS and in the Portledge Tournament.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
