|
Sometimes the margin between winning and losing is subjective.
A referee spots a hold out of the corner of his eye and a game can change in an instant. Such was the case in a heated battle between MHAL powerhouses Spackenkill and Franklin D. Roosevelt on Oct. 2 at the former’s Town of Poughkeepsie campus.
At 24:19 of the second half with the score knotted at 2, FDR defender Sean Noonan was whistled for a hold on Spartan captain Antonio Laveglia. Subsequently, Laveglia lined up one-on one-against FDR goalkeeper Dan Rose and placed the ball cleanly in the left corner of the net to give unbeaten Spackenkill a victory over the previously undefeated Presidents.
The game, played before a raucous crowd, predictably elicited strong feelings on both sides.
“I thought it was a blown call. I saw my players going for the ball and I saw the offensive player leading Sean into him. To lose on a bad call is very disappointing,” said FDR coach Dan Cowan.
Not surprisingly, Spartan coach Manny Blanco viewed the call that led to the deciding goal in a somewhat different light.
“(Noonan) was clearly grabbing (Laveglia). You hate to win the game on a play like that, but at the same time you have to follow the rules,” said Blanco.
Both teams were undefeated
Coming into the highly anticipated matchup, Spackenkill was riding high with an 8-0 record, while Roosevelt sported an unblemished 10-0 mark.
The teams came out strong from the opening whistle, hustling for loose balls, slide-tackling and playing with an overall intensity reserved for bitter rivals.
Roosevelt had the first crack at the scoreboard, but freshman midfielder Pat Noonan had a pass from senior midfielder Henry Garrison broken up right in front of the Spartan goal by keeper Nik Arnoff.
Minutes later, Laveglia booted a ball that came within inches of giving the Spartans an early lead. That early hold was a key play because on the next trip down, Roosevelt forward Jordan Williams poked in a chip shot to give the Presidents an early 1-0 lead. Roosevelt failed to build on the early advantage when Arnoff made a diving save off another Williams shot.
A flag on Roosevelt midfielder Dan Scott led to a looping goal by Spackenkill’s Mario Marotta at 14:41 of the first half. The score tied the game at 1 and sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
Following the score, Spackenkill defenders Steve Derosa and Anthony Ralbo did an excellent job of keeping Roosevelt on its heels by consistently pressuring the ball in the Presidents’ zone. The tenacity paid dividends when, at 30:29 of the first half, Spackenkill’s Morgan Rodriguez received a pass from Osama Tawancy to dribble in and fire a shot past Rose to give the Spartans a 2-1 advantage going into the second half.
A chance for FDR to tie the game went by the boards when Scott headed a ball just over the crossbar early in the second. As the half began, the game became even more physical. Early on, Scott was kicked in the shin, but walked off under his own power.
Roosevelt forward Ross Musumeci was called for delay of game when he kicked the ball into the woods in frustration at a call. Returning to the game, Scott was called for a penalty in front of the his goal, but a kick by the Spartan’s Marotta sailed over the net and out of bounds.
For most of the second half the ball was in Roosevelt’s zone and Rose made several impressive leaping saves.
“Dan played an excellent game, it’s just unfortunate that two goals came on penalties,” said Cowan.
Although they did not have many second-half opportunities, Roosevelt tied the score at 23:00 of the second half when a Williams shot was deflected by Arnoff and booted into the goal on a follow-up by midfielder James Croft.
With the score deadlocked, the competition became even more fierce and multiple yellow cards were passed out. The remainder of the game was a battle of attrition with players going down left and right until the final whistle.
These are two teams that look to be the class of the MHAL and there is an excellent chance that will meet again in the finals. Asked if he was looking forward to a rematch, Cowan replied succinctly, “Absolutely.”
