Men's White News

State Cup Final Match Report

toph — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:27:00 GMT

Central Park Rangers 2 - 2 NY Pancryprians (Pancyprians 4 - 2 on PKs)

Sunday afternoon saw CPR Whites finish their season in stylish fashion, outplaying the newly crowned CSL 1st Division Champion NY Pancyprian for large parts of the afternoon. In the first half CPR did a great job of neutralizing Pancyprians attack - with their strikers getting no clean looks at goal. Ben Lucki had little to do in the first half outside of handling a few routine crosses and calmly handling a clearance or two off of backpasses from his resolute defenders. Offensively CPR was able to find space down the right wing with Danny D'Angelo and Caesar Lopez causing their left back problems throughout the first half. Danny D'Angelo had a very good look from the right side of the 18 yard box in the first half that narrowly missed the far post and Eli Vovsha had a half chance with a very difficult header that their keeper was able to gather. Meanwhile, Conor O'Donaghue, Eli Vovsha, Danny D'Angelo and Chris Brunet provided Pancyprians all they could handle in midfield, continually dispossessing the opposing midfielders and starting smart attacks through their quick passing and non-stop movement. Across the back, it was a similar story with Elie, Ethan, Pat and Josh winning first balls and manhandling the opposing forwards while up front, Kwesi and Caesar provide muscle, speed and determination.

However, credit to Pancyprians as they were solid enough throughout the first half to hold us scoreless. CPR made 1 change at half time, bringing on
Kevin Lue for Caesar Lopez and Kevin took up where Caesar left off; causing Pancyprians problems with his size and quickness. We also continued to do a great job of maintaining possession and keeping Pancyprians on the back foot. Our hard work finally paid off with Danny D'Angelo again causing problems down the right and after a strong run into the box he laid the ball off for Kwesi Mills-Odoi who struck the ball far post, scoring off the the inside of the post. It was a deserved goal as Kwesi ran his socks off for 90 minutes both getting forward as well as tracking back to provide his teammates cover.

We continued to pressure Pancyprians and as they started pushing up looking for the equalizer, they began leaving gaps in the back which we capitalized on when Pat Ouckama released Kevin Lue down the right channel. Kevin carried the ball 35 yards into the box before clinically beating the keeper near post.

Unfortunately that's when things started to go against us. First, Eli was forced out of the game after an ugly tackle by one of the Pancyprian midfielders. It was the first of several momentum changing events; because off the re-start, Pancyprians drove the ball down the left wing before crossing into the center. With the ball having eluded Ben Lucki, Ethan and Pat jumped to clear the ball from the goal line and instead collided with each other, leaving both crumpled on the pitch and the ball sitting 3 yards out for a Pancyprian player to tap in. The game was then halted for 5 minutes as Ethan had smashed his knee against the goal post in the collision causing a gash on his knee which required a trip to the hospital. Having used our subs minutes earlier - with Mark Supplee replacing the injured Eli and David Briefel (making a much awaited return) replacing Chris Brunet - we were forced to play the final 20 minutes with 10 men. Although we defended admirably, we finally gave up the equalizer. However, we refused to hang our heads and off some nice distribution from Dave Briefel, continued to press forward. We saw out the final minutes chasing and pressing whenever we could and were able to maintain the scoreline.

As this was a State Cup game, we went immediately to penalty kicks where we couldn't muster enough luck to overcome some very refined finishing by Pancyprians. Although we finished as State Cup Runner's Up we have nothing to hang our heads over as we outplayed our opponents and we played the way we set out to play. Due to our great showing CPR has been invited by the NY State Board to represent the 1st Division in a Champions League style tournament which will be held in the fall.

Congratulations to this years medal winners: Ben Lucki, Pat Ouckama, Elie Zenner, Ethan Mulligan, Josh Kwilecki, Conor O'Donaghue, Eli Vovsha, Danny D'Angelo, Chris Brunet, Mark Supplee, David Briefel, Kevin Lue, Caesar Lopez and Kwesi Mills-Odoi, Jay Jones, Andy West, Tony DeLorenzo and Yannick Reyering.

Goals: Kwesi Mills-Odoi, Kevin Lue

CPR Whites Reserves are League Champions!!!

toph — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:08:00 GMT

CPR reserves 1 - Lansdowne Bhoys reserves 1

Lansdowne came out playing their typical direct football, attempting to throw long balls in behind the Rangers' back line. The battle quickly became fierce and CPR gave up a foul a few yards outside the box. The Irish squad took advantage of the early opportunity and scored from their free kick. CPR didn't drop however. In fact the side seemed to rise up at this point, controlling the ball for most of the game and even proving to dominate physically. The Rangers' midfield asserted itself particularly well early on, with Andreas and Dan Riso letting no ball go uncontested. After gaining possession, the two central midfielders did well to switch the point of attack by swinging 30 and 40 yard pin point passes out to the flanks. We were unlucky to have not equalized in the first half. We missed a couple of good chances with both Shane and Tony banging in perfect crosses from the flanks, and even taking a few difficult first time volleys that were not too far off target.

In the second half CPR came out even stronger and began to keep the ball for longer stretches. Good play from the entire squad saw us defending and attacking well as a group, Jacopo, Dan Riso, and even Muzza often tracking 40 - 60 yards back to close down Lansdowne's attachers. Our well marshaled defense ably coped with anything that was thrown at them.

The equalizer finally came in about the 65th minute. Jay Jones, who had looked composed and threatening all game long, broke clear of the Bhoys defense and had his shot saved by their keeper. The ball fell to Amos Zereoue in the box, who with his back to goal turned and cooly placed the ball into the net from close range. We had a few more chances and in the final minutes the game became stretched as both teams tried to grab the winner. Regular time ended 1-1 and we went straight to PKs.

We chose to shoot first and Amos's kick was saved. Dan Cohen and Tony DeLorenzo scored the next two PKs and Lansdowne had their third kick saved by our keeper, Ben Roberts to tie it up. Dan Riso, Shane Lennon and Andres Padilla scored our next 3 kicks that meant Lansdowne had to score their next kick to stay in it. Their player blasted the ball over the goal and we won.

This was a well deserved first division reserve championship victory and a fantastic achievement for CPR FC - our first honors at this level.

Goal: Amos Zereoue

Penalties: CPR 5 - Lansdowne Bhoys 4 (after 6 PKs each)

Starting Line Up: Ben R (K), Brettski (LB), Toph (LCB), Dan C (RCB), Joakim (RB), Shane (RW), Andreas (CDM), Dan Riso (CAM), Amos (F), Muzza (F)

Subs: Jacopo (LW), Jay Jones (F)

Rangers Reserves end regular season with draw 1-1 against Polonia

toph — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:43:00 GMT

At an early morning 10am kick off, the Rangers reserves took on a lively Polonia reserve side at McCarren park in Williamsburg.

Seeking to revise the line-up before going into playoffs, the Whites reserves took on a slightly new look against the Poles with winger Shane Lennon dropping back into more of a wing back position. With the ref absent for the first half, the game got off to slow start. But it would be CPR who took first blood through the aforementioned Englishmen. Pushing up during a right-sided attack, Lennon struck a shot off the near post. He was able to collect his own rebound and seal the deal from close range. 1 - 0 CPR.

Defensively, the early part of the game saw CPR looking relatively solid at the back, with keeper Ben Roberts tipping the Poles single early shot over the crossbar.

With the Poles may have struggling to create clear cut chances, it was a surprise that they were able convert inside the first half. The pesky Polish playmaker found a yard of space outside the box and unleashed a low strike to the far post. Unsuccessful at closing the wily Pole down, the Rangers could only watch as the shot slipped under Roberts arms.

The second half saw the Rangers sure up defense with great midfield displays by Brettski, Andres, and Dan Riso, as well as solid defending by Dan Cohen, Lennon, and "Big Man" Rudd. On the attacking front, the Rangers' striker "Muzza" made several exciting forays behind the Polonia back line only to see his efforts sail just wide or fail to find a teammate at the back post.

The game ended 1 -1, but should have seen the Rangers take all three points. Hopefully, the mistakes have been exorcised from the team heading into playoffs.

Starting Lineup: Ben Roberts (K), Dan C (LB), Toph (LCB), Nick "Big Man" Rudd (RCB), Shane Lennon (RB), Joakim (RW), Andres (CDM), Dan Risso (CAM), Roman (LW), Jacopo (F), Steve Murray (F)

Subs: Brettski

Goals: Shane Lennon (1)

Brooklyn Italians Forefeit to Rangers Reserves

toph — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:22:00 GMT

The whites reserves were handed their spot in the playoffs thanks to Brooklyn Italians reserves no show at John Dewey High School.

This result sees the reserves on 28pts [9 - 5 - 1] for the season with one game to go against Polonia Reserves at McCarren Park next Sunday.

Dissapointing Finish for Firsts'

Biffo — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:53:00 GMT

CPR Firsts' ended their regular season in somewhat disappointing fashion in Williamsburg this past Sunday with a 4-1 defeat to Polonia. Without being particularly outplayed, The Whites found themselves 3-0 down at half time and though able to control much of the second half, where still unable to salvage anything from the game. Ultimately the difference between the two teams proved to be the athletic and skillful front pairing for the Polish, whom CPR where never really able to come to grips with, and indeed this is where all of Polonia's goals came from. A well taken goal from Eli in the second half after good work from Josh down the right hand side, along with the majority of play hinted at a possible comeback after the break, but following a missed penalty this failed to materialize.

TEAM: Ben, Chris Brown, Elie, Ethan, Josh, Eli, Mark, Andy, Tony, Danny, Kwesi - SUBS (used): Caesar

Firsts' Blown away in the Wind

Biffo — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:16:00 GMT

The firsts played against a tough Brooklyn Italians team On Sunday who are fighting for their first division survival. On blustery day the more physical Italians where able to make better use of the big pitch, and after going down to an early goal CPR never really got going and found it hard to build any momentum. There still wasn't a great deal in the game at half time, with the score 2-0, but the second half sore the Firsts' tire and two more goals towards the end of the game sealed the result for the Italians. The game finished 4-0 and all but ends our chances of making the play-offs.

TEAM: Ben, Pat, Elie, Ethan, Chris Brown, Eli, Andy, Mark, Danny, Chris Brunett, Kevin - SUBS: (used) Yanik, Andreas, Shane

Late Scare, but Firsts' Hold on to Win

Biffo — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:39:00 GMT

The firsts played out a hard fought 3-2 win this past Sunday at home to a strong Croatia team. Eli was put through early on to give CPR the lead, and the score remained 1-0 at half time even though the 'Croats' where able to put the home team under some pressure and where unlucky not to score on more than one occasion. The game opened up considerably in the second half and with Ben making some fine stops CPR where able to exert some dominance and seemingly end the contest after scoring two more goals through Conor and Kevin. However, the last five minutes saw the away team grab 2 quick goals and in the end a nervy final couple of minutes had to be negotiated before the final whistle brought the game to a close.

TEAM: Ben, Pat, Elie, Ethan, Josh, Eli, Conor, Mark, Danny, Chris B, Kwesi - Subs: (used) Kevin, Andy, Amos

Reserves continue push for playoffs with victory over NY Croatians

toph — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:10:00 GMT

On a humid Sunday afternoon at the Met Oval, the reserves finished off a Croatian Reserve team playing most of the game with 9 men. The final score was 9-3.

Starting Line Up: Justin (K) Brett (LB) Nick Rudd (CB) Joakim (RB) Shane Lennon (RW) Andres (CDM) Toph (CDM) Tony (LW) Dan Riso (CAM) Muzza (F) Amos (F) Subs: Dan C,

Goals: Tony (2), Jay (2), Brett, Dan R, Steve, Andres, and Shane.

Firsts' Romp to 7-1 Victory!

Biffo — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:35:00 GMT

The firsts came up against a strong, speedy and hard working Manhattan Kickers team, who proved to be quite a handful in the first 25 minutes. But as their energy level eventually dropped we grabbed hold of the game and started to find space for our passing game. After carving out a couple of half chances, we finally got the breakthrough close to the half time break. Conor sprayed out an excellent pass behind the defense to Chris Brown on the right wing. He took a great first touch and squared the ball to an unmarked Kevin Lue, who gratefully passed the ball into the empty net. We came out in the second period and were given an immediate boost as their impressive goalkeeper suffered a groin injury and had to be replaced by their rather less impressive reserve keeper. And it wasn't long before we increased our lead. This time it was a sumptuous set piece goal straight off the training ground... that is, if we ever practiced set-plays! Elie chipped the free kick at the edge of the area to Conor who had run behind the defensive wall and looped a header over the on-rushing keeper. Lovely! But what happened minutes later was not so lovely. Ben went to take a drop kick and inadvertently hit it off Pat, with the ball running to their grateful striker who finished with ease. The Kickers had been given a boost and pushed for an equalizer. But to our credit we didn't let the mishap get us down and pushed to reclaim our two goal cushion. And with about 20 minutes to go it came.... again from our captain and man-of-the-match, Conor O'Donoghue. He received the ball at the edge of the area, turned his man and fired a shot that evaded the keeper at the near post. What happened in the last 15 minutes was amazing. First, on a break away, Kwesi was taken down in the area by the keeper, who after some deliberation was shown a red card. Conor dispatched the penalty against the stand-in keeper to claim his first hat-trick for the club. Amos came on for the somewhat shaken Kwesi, and in the remaining 10 minutes against a tired and demoralized 10 men, was put through on goal three times to score what must be one of the fastest hat-tricks in CSL history. Congratulations to the team on an excellent game and result: 7-1!

Team: Ben, Pat, Elie, Ethan, Josh, Danny, Conor, Mark, Chris Brown, Kevin, Kwesi - Subs: Andy, Chris Burnett, Amos (all used)

Rangers Reserves Edge out Kickers in tightly contested 2-1 Victory!!!

toph — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 23:34:00 GMT

The reserves took an early lead from a Nick Rudd header supplied by Shane. We then conceded a goal, but kept plugging away and had a majority of possession. We deservedly got the winner with a few minutes left as Roman proved to be the hero. The speedy Frenchman put into practice what he has been threatening to do for a few weeks. Picking the ball up at the half way line he drove at the Kickers defense and cut a swathe through, before unleashing an unstoppable shot past the floundering keeper. I must also commend the excellent goal celebration! The win, coupled with the Greeks reserves loss yesterday, moves us into second place and a play-off birth. Everything is in our own hands now, as three wins from our last three games will guarantee a play-off spot.

Starting Line Up: Ben R (K) Shane Lennon (LB) Nick Rudd (DB) Dan Cohen (CB) Joakim (RB) Roman (RW) Andres (CAM) Toph (CDM) Jacopo (LW) Dan Riso (F) Muzza (F) Subs: Famous Amos Zereoue, Tony DeLorenzo

Goals: Nick "Big Man" Rudd (1), Roman Harper (1)

RESERVES KNOCKED OUT OF CUP

toph — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:43:00 GMT

The reserves could not continue their cup run, as we came up against a talented Astoria Lions team. We started off the game a bit disjointed, but settled the ball after a while and started to move it around crisply without creating too many clear chances. Roman was particularly proving to be a handful for the opposition down the wing. But near the end of the half we lost our concentration on a couple of occasions and conceded two poor goals. We came out with new determination in the second half and quickly had a good chance saved by their keeper. We continued to press throughout the second period and played some very good football, seeing several chances go begging. With 15 minutes to go we finally made the breakthrough as Amos put over an excellent cross from the right and Shane popped up with a header from close range. We continued to press for an equalizer and had some more half chances. Deep into injury time, Jacopo made a run at the edge of the area and was felled for a free kick. But we couldn't convert that last chance and are out of the cup.

Team: Ben, Dan C, Chris, Joakim, Nick, Andres, Roman, Shane, Steve, Amos, Jacopo. Subs (used): Dan R, Bill

CPR MAKE FIRST EVER CUP FINAL

Biffo — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 23:13:00 GMT

The firsts pulled out an amazing and historic victory against Mineola Portuguese under very difficult conditions to reach the state cup final for the very first time in the club's short 11 year history. The game was moved at the last minute from a turf field to a very poor, all but unplayable, "natural" surface, and the kickoff was delayed by more than an hour. On top of that, we had a team short of several first team starters and a few players carrying injuries. Once the game started these problems were compounded by our going behind to an early goal. But the boys on the pitch kept plugging away and put in an amazing effort to put us ahead in the second half through goals from Danny D'Angelo and Eli Vovsha - the first a powerful strike from the edge of the area, assisted by an unselfish pass from Josh; and the second a header placed in the corner with expert precision from a tight angle. With ten minutes to go the referee awarded Mineola a soft penalty and the game was tied 2-2 and headed to a penalty shootout. While we missed a couple of kicks ourselves, Ben Lucki, the team's longest serving player, appropriately emerged the hero as he made 3 PK saves and ensured we reached the final. Special mention goes to Kwesi, Eli and Jay, who all made herculean efforts playing with injuries... and to Roman, who did not see any action on the pitch but made the early morning trip to the game as a substitute.

Team: Ben, Pat, Josh, Elie, Mark, Conor, Danny, Eli, Chris, Kwesi, Jay. Sub (unused): Roman

Barstonworth One Nil Victors Again

Biffo — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:51:00 GMT

The Firsts' suffered their second 1-0 reverse of the season to Barnstonworth at McCarren Park on Sunday. Despite starting brightly and creating chances - Shane in particular was unlucky not to convert following one fine move down the right - the game developed into a tightly contested affair and it became clear that a momentary lapse or flash of brilliance was going to settle things. That 'flash' appeared to have come from Kwesi but his second half goal was somewhat dubiously flagged for offside, and then with 15 minutes to go a slick interchange between the Barstonworth strikers culminated in a well taken goal.

Team: Ben, Pat, Mark, Ethan, Josh, Shane, Danny, Connor, Chris Brunet, Chris Brown, Kwesi - Subs (used): Caeser, Kevin

TOUGH LOSS BUT GOOD SIGNS FOR RESERVES IN SPRING OPENER

toph — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:33:00 GMT

The reserves lost 5-2 in a game that was much closer than the score suggests. The Greeks had the majority of possession in the first half but we were able to find space down the wings and made forays there. About 30 minutes in we failed to close down an opposing player on the edge of the area and his shot found the top corner, leaving Ben with no chance.
We ended the half strongly and continued the same way in the second period, the game now almost entirely being played in the opposing half. Man of the match Shane Lennon drew us level with a great strike from the right. After that we continued to press and looked the likelier team to take the lead. However we were caught on the break by their speedy winger and conceded again. We lost a bit of momentum and then a defensive mix up saw us concede again. We pushed players forward and Amos forced in a goal to make it 3-2 with 5 minutes to play. But in the short time remaining, and as we both committed players to attack and tired, we were caught shorthanded at the back and gave away two late goals. Despite the result, this was an encouraging display - we mostly played with energy and focus, only losing that at the very end. On another day we would have taken the lead and the result would have been very different.

Team: Ben R, Chris, Nick, Joakim, Dan C, Toph, Brett, Jacopo, Shane, Andres, Amos. Subs: Steve, Roman

HISTORIC WIN SEES CPR BEAT LEAGUE CHAMPS

Biffo — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:31:00 GMT

The firsts beat the reigning league champions, the Greek Americans, for the first time in the club's history. The achievement was all the greater as we entered the match with five first team players out injured and will only 11 fresh players.
The player crisis forced us to play a more defensive 4-5-1 formation, and in the end this went some way in helping us achieve victory, as the Greeks found it very hard to break down our stubborn resistance. The first 20 minutes did not foreshadow the result as we were constantly under pressure and could not gain any meaningful possession. Ben made a couple of fine saves and as the half progressed we started to figure out the Greek mode of attack and get a hold of the ball. After about 30 minutes our corner kick was cleared to the edge of the area and man of the match Conor expertly placed the ball into the bottom corner to give us the lead.
The second period saw the Greeks make a tactical change as they brought on a big target man up front. They started resorting to a long ball game, but our resolute defense hardly gave them a sniff at goal. In fact, we had some decent goal scoring chances ourselves as we got the ball wide and played crosses in that only needed a finishing touch. As the game neared its end we had to play with 10 men for a few minutes as the brave Eli Vovsha needed treatment for an injury he was playing on. Special mention also goes to Kwesi who played most of the game with a tight hamstring. He finally came off with 20 minutes to go and Amos came on for his second game of the day. And having scored earlier for the reserves he soon scored his second goal of the day, catching the Greeks on the break and toe-poking the ball past the onrushing keeper when through on a break away. The 2-0 win was richly deserved as everyone had excellent games, including CPR debutants Chris Brunet and Ethan Mulligan.

Team: Ben L, Ethan, Elie, Pat, Josh, Conor, Mark, Eli, Chris, Danny, Kwesi. Sub: Amos