RVSC Boys U15/U16's compete for Ireland's Foyle Cup...
The Ramapo Valley Soccer Club, Under-15 & Under-16 boys teams have combined under the name of Counties United, NY, to play in one of Europe's top soccer tournaments, the Foyle Cup, in Derry, Northern Ireland. Now firmly established as one of Europe's premier Youth Football tournaments, the Foyle Cup takes place in Derry City, Northern Ireland and surrounding areas from July 24th - 28th, 2007. This year we have teams from all over Europe, as well as Asia and North America.
Buidling on a very successful Spring League play, the team has continued training and recently played in the Mad Dog College Showcase Tournament in Albany winning 3 games and losing one by a 2-1 scoreline. The team leaves for Ireland on the 18th July, arriving 5 days early to play 3 top local teams before final preprations for the tournament. The u16 age group is very strong with top teams such as Ajax from Holland, Armenia Beleifeld from Germany, the African National development squad, as well as the Irish National youth team to name but a few. See all the teams competing in the School Boys U16 Division.
The team is guided by Graham Brown, Kenny Reilly, Peter Spadaro and assisted by the team Fitness trainer John Harkte.
Trip Update - 7/22/2007
Team Manager, Pete Spadaro, checked in to share the terrific news that the team won it's two friendlies before the start of the Foyle Cup play on Tuesday. In their first match, they defeated the County Fermanaugh Select Team, 2-1, with goals being provided by Alex Laird and Sean Reilly, combined with very strong defense. In their second match, the RVSC boys defeated Oxford United, 4-2, with another great performance! Next up, the start of cup play...
Trip Update - 7/24/07
Coach Graham just reported that the team won their first match defeating Colerain FC, 1-0, with John Spadaro delivering the winning goal off an assist from Sean Reilly. The loan goal combined with spectacular saves from Andrew Tartara, gave the USA team their first win! Next up is Germany. In other news, the team has been seen on local television where they marched in a local parade, and Sean Reilly was interviewed.
Trip Update - 7/26/07
The boys schedule continued to be challenging as they faced the Armenia Bielefeld team from Germany, who had a number of players at 17 yrs old due to the German System. The Germans won the game 4-0 and were truly a world class team in all aspects. The RVSC boys battled all the way despite a driving rain throughout.
The team bounced back with an excellent performance vs. group leader Dundarik Schools, which had beaten Germany the day prior, but lost a close one 2-1 as Dundarik scored in the 57th minute. Based on our record, we advanced to the " B" cup tournament and played Derriaghy from Ireland and scored a 2-0 win with goals from Mike Raible and Mike Vucinaj and a strong game in goal by Ian Huxel.
Our next match was the ‘B" Cup semi-final vs. ANB, one of the top ranked teams in Canada, and in another intense match, we won 1-0 on a beautiful goal by Mike Vucinaj and some great goaltending from Andrew Tartara. This win advanced us to the final of our group.
The final was another tight, physical, emotional match which was won by our opponent, Derry and District 2-1. We were awarded the Silver medal and earned great praise and respect from opposition and the many local fans in attendance.
Recap - 7/27/07
The team ended its European journey with an excellent 5-3 record, 12 GF and 10 GA, as they beat some of the best teams in Northern Ireland, Canada and the Republic of Ireland. The team represented Ramapo Valley, Counties United, ENY, and the USA with dignity and class, as they were a big hit with the locals as they walked around town with their matching USA shirts. Many youngsters sought autographs and souvenirs for the boys and one of our players, Andrew Tartara was sought after by a professional scout from the Sunderland club in England!
The boys had a magnificent and successful time due to the preparation and efforts of Coach Graham Brown and Assistant Ken Reilly. These men made this trip much more than about soccer, as they focused on a total life experience, allowing the boys to develop as young men, learning to comport themselves in the right way at all times, and learning how to prepare themselves both on and off the field. The commitment of these 2 men to this team as individuals and soccer players was awesomeand embodies the culture that the Ramapo Valley SC has engendered with its players and families over the years.
In closing, many thanks to John Martin, Glyn Russell, Dan McEnery, and Connie Raible for all their support of the 2 RVSC teams represented on the trip. Special thanks to Val Reilly for all her hard work and planning both before and during the trip.
From the entire soccer club, we wish the team safe travels and the best of luck in this world class event!!!
| Player |
High School |
Position |
| Kevin Beckley |
Don Bosco |
Forward |
| Joseph Bottani (Club Captain) |
Lakeland, NJ |
Defender |
| Zac Croce |
Suffern |
Midfielder |
| Brendan Flynn |
Monroe Woodbury |
Forward |
| Patrick Gibney |
Nanuet |
Defender |
| Matthew Harke (Vice Captain) |
West Point Academy |
Defender |
| Ian Huxel |
Newburg |
Goalkeeper |
| Alex Immerman |
Suffern |
Midfielder |
| Alex Laird |
Monroe Woodbury |
Midfielder |
| Michael Lincoln |
Albertus Magnus |
Defender |
| Matthew Mahoney |
Clarkstown South |
Forward |
| Ben Puccio |
Don Bosco |
Midfielder |
| Michael Raible |
Suffern |
Midfielder |
| Sean Reilly (Team Captain) |
Monroe Woodbury |
Midfielder |
| Matthew Rough |
Warwick |
Defender |
| John Spadaro |
Albertus Magnus |
Forward |
| Andrew Tartara |
Albertus Magnus |
Goalkeeper |
| Brian Tonelli |
Suffern |
Defender |
| Michael Vucinaj |
Nanuet |
Midlfielder |
| David Zacharczyk |
Monroe Woodbury |
Defender |
| Steven Zacharczyk |
Monroe Woodbury |
Forward |
