Mustangs Have Sluggish Start to Spring/Tryouts for Fall this Thursday

The Tarrytown under age 11 girls Mustang soccer team officially began the spring season at the Rye Kickoff Classic on March 30th.  It was their first time in outdoor competition in four months and they were matched against 3 older club teams and top-level Harrison from their own age group.  Just like in the fall Somers’s tournament the Mustangs were playing in wet upper 30-degree conditions and did not fare well.  They ended with one win, one tie, and two losses for the day with only three goals being scored:  Two by Samantha Nutig and one by Talia Fante. 

The Mustangs then opened the AYSO spring season on the road against rival Mt Pleasant.  The Mustangs were playing without Julia Costa who was instrumental in beating the Wildcats for the first time in the series in the fall.  Without Julia’s ability to change field position with her goal kicks or her outside shooting capabilities the Mustangs struggled to find offense.  They still managed to control time of possession and keep the ball on Mt Pleasant’s side of the field, until the Wildcats scored on a break away opportunity in the third quarter.  The Mustangs fought back and earned a direct kick outside of the Wildcat box.  Samantha Nutig took the shot to the opposite side of the goal as Maya Weitzen ran in expecting a rebound opportunity.  The ball went directly in to the net elating the Mustang parents and dejecting the Wildcat fans.  The mood changed when the referee called Maya offside and nullified the goal. This sealed the win for Mt Pleasant and put the Mustangs at 0-1-0 for the year.

The next week the Mustangs played the older Tarrytown Dominators in an exciting match at Pocantico field.  In the first half Maya Weitzen appeared to score a goal that went through a hole in the net.  The referee thought otherwise and the game remained tied and a tremendous defensive effort ensued ending in a 0-0 tie.  The defense led by Maddy Navin, Julia Costa, Annie Dineen, Sadie Swenson, Carolina Lopez, and Catherine Grimes earned the shutout.  Goalkeeper play was stellar with efforts from Annie Dineen, Carolina Lopez, Catherine Grimes, and Sophie Sylves-Berry.

The Mustangs next played Croton on May 10.  The game was moved to Washington Irving school because of poor field conditions in Croton.  The Mustangs lost their first game ever to Croton in the cold Somers tournament in November but had no trouble this day winning 4-0.  Talia Fante scored two beautiful goals in the first half, one off a throw-in from Carolina Lopez to Maya Weitzen who made the cross, and one off a perfect cross by Emma Clarke.  Sophie Sylves-Berry gets credit for creating her own shot from outside the box and putting the ball through the Croton keeper’s legs.  Sophie also gets credit for an assist to Catherine Grimes who scored the final goal of the game before lightning ended the game early.  The defense got their second shutout of the season led by Maddy Navin, Sadie Swenson, Carolina Lopez, and Julia Costa.  Caroline Grimes and Samantha Livingston were forces at wing almost scoring as well.  Samantha Nutig controlled the midfield and had several shots on goal.  Carolina Lopez, Catherine Grimes, and Samantha Nutig were perfect at keeper.

  The Mustangs next play an older Somers team at Peabody field on Saturday at 4:45.  They will also be holding tryouts for the 2014-2015 season when they make the jump to club level play in the Westchester Youth Soccer League.  Any girl who will be under the age of 12 on July 31, 2014 is welcome to tryout this Thursday at Pocantico field from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.  All games next year will be on Sunday afternoons and home games will be in Tarrytown.  Any questions contact Michael Weitzen at mweitzen@hotmail.com.

In Other Scores:

The under age 9 boys Legends led by Fergus O’Sullivan opened their spring season with a tough loss to Ardsley 2-3 letting a late lead slip away.  They redeemed themselves the following week defeating North Salem 5-1after being down 1-0 in the third quarter.  Their game last Saturday was rained out.

The under age 10 girls Strikers led by Matt Evans used their winter season training to their advantage and won the Rye kickoff classic.  They then lost some momentum and were beat by North Salem 0-3 but rebounded the following week against Croton 5-3.  Their rematch against Croton Saturday was rained out.

The under age 10 boys Tornadoes led by coach Todd Dorman moved into the Westchester Youth Soccer League this spring in search for tougher competition.  They haven’t found it yet as they are 5-0 in the 4th toughest division.

The Under age 12 Girls Dominators let by Tom Schumacher defeated Mt Pleasant 3-0 on April 25th.  They then tied the younger Tarrytown Mustangs 0-0 and rained out last weekend.

The Under age 12 boys Tornadoes led by Gary Fairley defeated Chappaqua on 8-2 on April 25th, then beat Mt Pleasant 4-0, and rained out last weekend.