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!!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
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.
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