Eastern PA

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Eastern PA final four set after clean sheet-filled quarterfinal round

December 5, 2012 by Josh Hakala

cavalla-salone-2013-east-pa-qualifying — Salone FC (blue) and Cavalla FC battle for the ball in their Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup quarterfinal match. Photo: Jeff Livezey

Michael Berton and Jeff Livezey contributed to this report

One of the biggest state qualifying tournaments for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, which began with 13 teams, is now down to the final four.

West Chester United and Cavalla FC will meet in the semifinals after earning 4-0 quarterfinal wins. United knocked off Quakertown while Cavalla, playing on the road, defeated Salone.

One of the most storied teams in Eastern Pennsylvania, United German Hungarians, continued on to the semis with a 3-0 win over Junior Lone Star. UGH will face off with the Predators in the next round, who advanced 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout over Nether United after finishing in a scoreless draw.

Cavalla FC 4:0 Salone FC

Cavalla FC may have defeated Salone FC 4-0, but the game was not as one-sided as the scoreline would suggest. Cavalla led throughout the game, but didn’t put the game out of reach until late in the second half.

Cavalla started off with being awarded a penalty kick in the 8th minute that Oliver Quiah converted to put CFC up 1-0. Already down by a goal, Salone’s comeback chances took a hit when Dero Muttabah was sent off on a red card after a hard challenge that put Salone FC down to ten men before the halftime break. At the start of the second half, Cavalla’s Gerald Saydee dribbled through two Salone defenders and buried his shot past the goal keeper to give the visitors a two-goal cushion.

Despite being down a man Salone FC showed alot of fight, and nearly leveled the match, but Abdul Sesay and Idrissa Kone both had shots rattle off the post.

In the 82nd minute, the game started to unravel for the shorthanded Salone FC as Cavalla’s Peter Jarbo caught Salone goalkeeper Ralph Jacobs off his line and put a chip shot in the back of the net making it 3-0. Three minutes later, another Salone FC player was sent off when Fatoma Turay came in with a hard challenge. The game wrapped up in the final minute when Robinson Barclay was sent through on a breakaway and he slotted the ball past the goalkeeper.

This is the first entry into the Open Cup tournament for Cavalla FC, while Salone was the runner-up last year

Predators 0:0 Nether United (Predators advance 5-4 in PKs)

After finishing regulation scoreless, the Predators advanced to the semifinals of the tournament, winning the penalty kick shootout, 5-4 over Nether United.

“It was a very well-played game,” Predators coach Blaise Santangelo said. “Our goalie just made a couple more saves.”

Jason Kustka scored the final kick for Predators, who are an over-30 club that, according to team officials, is “not affiliated with West Chester United.” Predators had reached the quarterfinals by beating Vereinigung Erzegebirge 1-0 in Round One.

Nether United defeated 2010 and 2011 state champion Phoenix SC on penalties in the first round, but could not replicate that feat in this round. United player/coach Scott Spangler finished the game ruing missed opportunities.

“Both teams had chances,” he said. “We just didn’t finish the opportunities that came about.”

With the victory, the Predators move on to the semifinals where will take on the United German Hungarians at UGH Field in Oakford, Pa. next Sunday. The time of the match has not been announced.

United German Hungarians 3:0 Junior Lone Star

The United German Hungarians, who are likely the only team who have been around longer than the US Open Cup (founded in 1910), who will try to qualify for the tournament this year, punched their ticket to the final four with a 3-0 win over Junior Lone Star. UGH, who have not won the state championship since 2008, got two goals from Elsion Pajolarri, and another from Uche Onyeador to put them back in the semifinals for the fifth year in a row.

Pajolarri, who played his college ball at Penn State-Abington, opened the scoring in the 24th minute off a free kick from former Temple University standout Joe Brocker. Just after halftime Onyeador, a former Georgetown Hoya, made it 2-0 on an assist from LaSalle alum John Gravelle. Any hope of a comeback was squashed when Pajolarri added his second of the day, unassisted, in the 73rd minute.

UGH will host the Predators on Sunday, Dec. 9 trying to reach the final for the fourth time in six years.

West Chester United 4:0 Quakertown FC

The defending state champion West Chester United got their title defense off on the right foot with a 4-0 win over Quakertown FC. This was the first game of the tournament for West Chester who received a first round bye.

United carried the majority of the play in the opening half and started out with their first scoring chance 14 minutes into the match. Andrew Kummerer served a corner kick that was headed by Bill Brown but right at the Quakertown goalkeeper. Moments later, Kai Kasiguran created space around a defender and got a quick, low shot off that the keeper saved.

The early chances gave West Chester confidence as they started to pick up the pace. Justin McCall and Omar Salmon worked a pretty give-and-go 24 minutes in and deep in the Quakertown half but McCall was too fast and offsides as a result. Central defender Chris Amato was solid defensively all game and got involved in the offense multiple times including a 70-yard run following a steal in his defensive third. However, by the time he got within range of the goal, it was easily swallowed by the keeper.

Just a minute later, in the 27th, Dave King found McCall all alone in the area. He served a ball from the right flank toward the back post that found McCall’s head for the opening goal. West Chester continued to take the game to Quakertown, who didn’t register a shot until the 30th minute. In the 35th minute, Kummerer slipped a throughball to Salmon who hip faked the keeper to the far post and slid the ball toward goal with the outside of his left foot, and kissed it off the near post and in for a 2-0 lead.

Neema Mohajery found an opportunity to get into the offense and found himself about 8 yards out when the ball made its way to him. The ball came in on a little hop and was too much to handle and he shot it high over the bar.

The second half continued the same as the first with West Chester creating more of the chances. In the 57th minute, McCall worked his defender deep on the far side. West Chester was able to move the ball to the near side to King at the top of the box who dribbled his man, created space to his right and hit a low, far-post shot beyond the keeper for an unassisted goal and a 3-0 lead. Two minutes later, Chulick was forced to make his most challenging save of the match when Quakertown countered. The attacker never got entirely free but Chulick came off his line to slide and gather the ball. Three minutes later, McCall touched the ball through the defense to second half sub Scott Patrick who did well to make a lateral run and score the fourth and final goal.

2013 Eastern PA Open Cup Tournament
(home team listed second)

First Round (Nov. 11) [+] Recap
Cavalla FC 1:0 Ukrainian Nationals (Oct. 28)
Quakertown 3:2 Colonial Ultras
Junior Lone Star 6:0 Mayfair Celtic
Nether United 1:1 Phoenix SC (Nether United advances, 7-6 in PKs)
Predators 1:0 Vereinigung Erzgebirge

Quarterfinals (Dec. 2)
Quakertown 0:4 West Chester United
Cavalla FC 4:0 Salone
Junior Lone Star 0:3 United German Hungarians
Predators 0:0 Nether United (Predators advance 5-4 in PKs)

Semifinals (Dec. 9 – 2 p.m.)
Cavalla FC at West Chester United
Predators at United German Hungarians

Final (Dec. 16)
Cavalla FC/West Chester vs. Predators/UGH

Past Eastern PA Open Cup champions:
1997: United German Hungarians
1998: United German Hungarians
1999: United German Hungarians*
2000: United German Hungarians
2001: DiPasquale’s
2002: Vereinigung Erzgebirge*
2003: Ukrainian Nationals
2004: Lighthouse SC
2005: Ukrainian Nationals
2006: Ukrainian Nationals
2007: Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Runner-up Ukrainian Nationals also qualified for Region I Finals)
2008: United German Hungarians
2009: Vereinigung Erzgebirge
2010: Phoenix SC
2011: Phoenix SC*
2012: West Chester United Predators

* Qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

2013 US Open Cup qualifying: Eastern Pennsylvania quarterfinal field complete (video)

November 16, 2012 by Josh Hakala

Thanks to Michael Berton, Jeff Livezey and William Murphy for contributing to this report.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup qualifying tournament is under way after five first round games are in the books. Cavalla FC, Quakertown, Junior Lone Star, Nether United and the Predators all advanced to the Quarterfinals which will take place Dec. 2. Those teams will join the West Chester Majors, Salone, and United German Hungarians, a two-time runner-up in the tournament (1977, 1993) who all received byes.

The state association has only had three teams qualify for the Open Cup in the Modern Professional Era (1995-present), and two of those teams were eliminated in Round 1.

Nether United 1:1 Phoenix SC
(Nether United advance 7-6 on PKs)

Nether United took on Phoenix SC on a picturesque fall afternoon in Wallingford, Pa. The teams took full advantage of the weather, playing 120 minutes and penalty kicks. United came out the victors, winning 7-6 in penalties after playing to a hard-fought 1-1 draw.

“Both teams played very hard on a pitch that was still very slippery from Hurricane Sandy,” Nether United player/coach Scott Spangler said after the game.

United did not have to try very hard to score their first goal, with Matt Poole chipping the Phoenix keeper after just a minute of play. They had to try a lot harder after that, though, as Phoenix bossed much of the rest of the first half, which led to a tying goal from Jared Goldberg in the 18th minute.

In the second half, Nether United keeper Dan Spangler put in a man of the match performance to keep his team in the game. He stopped several shots and relied on his post to stop one more before things started to go poorly for Phoenix.

Phoenix, who qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in 2011, had just one substitute available, which it used in the 43th minute. So, when a player had to leave due to injury in the 78th, Phoenix had to play down a man. Things got even worse in the 82nd when a Phoenix player picked up a straight red card for dissent, meaning they had to play 9-on-11.

“The referee changed the whole game,” Phoenix coach Blair Thomson said. “I don’t know how he gave him a straight red.”

Phoenix was able to hold on though, which sent the game into overtime. Both squads had chances, but could not convert. In the 120th minute, a Nether United player picked up his second yellow, which meant only 19 out of the original 22 players would be available to take part in penalty kicks.

In penalty kicks, both teams remained perfect through the first six rounds. Dan Spangler made a save in the seventh round for United, which opened the door for the game-winning kick to win the game.

“We’re very excited for the next round,” Spangler said. “We’re just men living the dream, and we’ll take this as far as we can.”

Junior Lone Star 6:0 Mayfair Celtic

Junior Lone Star, a team comprised of mostly West African refugees who fled brutal civil wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, and Guinea didn’t waste much time in their opening round match against Mayfair Celtic. They scored their first goal in the 7th minute after Ebere Goodluck set up a breakaway goal by Moses Jackson. Goodluck added a second in the 30th minute with a nice shot in the bottom left hand corner with Jackson returning the favor.

In the 35th minute, Mike Lindemann had a cracker of a shot on goal for Celtic that was denied by a diving save from Lone Star goalkeeper Prince Monyan. Mayfair Celtic had other chances in the opening half off of set pieces but the Lone Star defense stood tall to keep the score 2-0 at halftime.

The floodgates opened just after the break when Jackson added his second of the game thanks to another assist by Goodluck. Joe Joe Jappah scored a pair of goals in the 52nd and 65th minute to make it 5-0. Goodluck would add his third assist of the game, setting up Mitchell Torh who made scored on a skillful shot in the 85th minute.

Highlights: Junior Lone Star vs. Mayfair Celtic

Quakertown 3:2 Colonial Ultra

The Quakertown men’s soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-2, come-from-behind victory over Inter-County League rival Colonial Ultra at the Quakertown Sports Complex.

Souderton High School standout and former Indiana University player Ian Clair netted the game-winner on a penalty kick late in the second overtime period to help Quakertown win a match they trailed 2-0 in the first half.

Pennridge High school grad and former Marywood University player Kyle Hill fed forward and team captain Neil Stoddart, who was fouled just inside the box, earning Quakertown and Clair the chance to put the game away just minutes before the final whistle.

Stoddart, a former Sunderland Youth Academy player and multiple-year all PSAC selection at Bloomsburg University, had a strong game in the center of the park for Quakertown; tying the match in the second half with his volley off a cross from Hill.

Former West Chester University player Frank Demas provided Quakertown’s first goal of the game, a right-footed curler from just outside the 18-yard box that rattled the post before going in.

It was a slow start and the resulting defensive lapses that plagued Quakertown during a first half when they fell behind by two goals. Quakertown’s back four of Brendan Ackley (Boyertown High School/Reading Rage developmental program), Dave Keller (Pennridge High School /Slippery Rock University), Andy Trauger (Pennridge High School), and Lou Williams (Bloomsburg University) tightened the screws during the second half and overtime; allowing only one legitimate scoring opportunity during that time, a breakaway shot that glanced off the post.

Also making appearances for Quakertown were goalkeeper Nick Lipinski (Quakertown High School), midfielder Darin Rittle (Quakertown High School), midfielder Kevin Petzold (Pennridge High School) and forward/midfielder Chris Wellington (Delaware Valley College).

These two teams know each other well and both reside in the top three spots of the Inter-County League’s top division. Quakertown also came away the winner of the two team’s last meeting, a 2-1 decision on Oct. 14.

The Quakertown team, which was founded by Hill in 2008 and won the Inter-County League’s Premier division in 2009, has been slowly acquiring talented players and climbing the Inter-County League tables since inception. They currently sit tied for first in the league’s top division after six games played.

Quakertown also advanced to the second round of the Amateur Cup tournament with a 3-2 win over the Ukrainian Nationals of the United Soccer League on Nov. 4.

Predators 1:0 Vereinigung Erzgebirge

The Predators, a club that is, according to team officials, “not affiliated with West Chester United,” edged Vereinigung Erzgebirge 1-0 to reach the round of eight. Pat Stanco scored the lone goal in the 75th minute on an assist by Tomasz Fryzel. VE hasn’t qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup since 2002, but they won the state title in 2007 and 2009. The Predators are on the opposite end of the bracket as West Chester United, will take on Nether United in the quarterfinals.

Cavalla FC 1:0 Ukrainian Nationals (Oct. 28)

Two weeks before, another past state champion was upset in Round 1 as Cavalla FC knocked off the Ukrainian Nationals 1-0 back on Oct. 28. The Nationals, who were Eastern PA champions in 2003, 2005 and 2006, were eliminated by Cavalla, who are making their first Open Cup qualifying appearance. Cavalla will take up last year’s state runner-up, Salone FC, in the next round.

2013 Eastern PA Open Cup Tournament
(home team listed second)

First Round (Nov. 11)
Cavalla FC 1:0 Ukrainian Nationals (Oct. 28)
Quakertown 3:2 Colonial Ultras
Junior Lone Star 6:0 Mayfair Celtic
Nether United 1:1 Phoenix SC (Nether United advances, 7-6 in PKs)
Predators 1:0 Vereinigung Erzgebirge

Quarterfinals (Dec. 2)
Quakertown at West Chester United
Cavalla FC at Salone
Junior Lone Star at United German Hungarians
Nether United vs. Predators

Semifinals (Dec. 9)
TBD

Final (Dec. 16)
TBD

Past Eastern PA Open Cup champions:
1998: United German Hungarians
1999: United German Hungarians*
2000: United German Hungarians
2001: DiPasquale’s
2002: Vereinigung Erzgebirge*
2003: Ukrainian Nationals
2004: Lighthouse SC
2005: Ukrainian Nationals
2006: Ukrainian Nationals
2007: Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Runner-up Ukrainian Nationals also qualified for Region I Finals)
2008: United German Hungarians
2009: Vereinigung Erzgebirge
2010: Phoenix SC
2011: Phoenix SC*
2012: West Chester United Predators

* Qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: West Chester United edge Salone FC for Eastern PA championship

March 6, 2012 by Josh Hakala

West Chester United Predators: 2012 Eastern PA Open Cup champions

West Chester United claimed their first-ever Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup championship with a narrow 1-0 win over fellow first-time finalist Salone FC. Dom Popolizio scored the lone goal in the 69th minute to send the Predators to their first USASA Region I tournament, where they will be two wins away from a berth in the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

West Chester will now travel to the D.C. area to face the Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks, the champions of Metro D.C. / Virginia Soccer Association, on April 1, with the winner playing the Maryland Bays with an Open Cup berth on the line. If the Preds are able to qualify for the Open Cup, they will be just the fourth Eastern PA team from the USASA to advance in the last 15 years.

It was an evenly played first half, as United came out in a defensive 4-5-1 formation, hoping to slow down the Salone offense, led by Samson Oluwole. Most of the chances in the opening 45 minutes came from distance, as the teams went into the halftime break deadlocked.

Halftime adjustments made all the difference as the Predators shifted their focus away from Oluwole and switched to a 4-4-2 formation to clog up Salone’s runs down the middle of the field. Each team added to their attack in the 56th minute with Omar Salmon for the Preds and Isaac Jardiah for Salone. Both created chances for their respective teams, with Jardiah misfiring on two clear shots minutes after entering the match.

After Jardiah entered, Salone nearly took advantage of a West Chester gaffe, but missed out on their best chance of the game. United defender Chas Chupein delivered a slow back pass to goalkeeper Travis Chulick that was picked off by a Salone player who ran in alone but rattled the cross bar with his shot.

West Chester’s Bill Brown, who had a strong day in the air, had his best chance midway through the second half when he headed a cross from 12 yards out just over the cross bar. Minutes later, Mike Lodge broke into the box on the byline and forced a tremendous save from Salone GK Ralph Jacob.

Finally, the game-winner would come in the 69th minute when Andrew Kummerer’s cross off a free kick found the head of Popolizio, who nodded it past the goalkeeper for the game’s sole goal. This prompted an Aaron Rodgers-inspired goal celebration in front of the fans in attendance at Immaculata University’s Draper Walsh Stadium.

Salone put pressure on West Chester in the final 20 minutes, but United’s defense held strong to give the club their first state Open Cup championship.

“The team was solid all game long,” said manager Vince D’Ambrosio. “The boys played with energy and purpose, but most of all, played for each other. The few mistakes that were made will need to be ironed out going forward.”

The Predators’ win in the final was sort of revenge, as Salone defeated West Chester United’s Over-30 side 2-1 in the Quarterfinals on Nov. 6, while the eventual victors dispatched Plymouth Ultra 3-1. In the final four on Dec. 4, Salone FC eliminated powerhouse and two-time national runner-up (1977, 1993) United German Hungarians, 3-2, while the Predators needed extra time to eliminate last year’s champion, Phoenix SC by the same scoreline.

The championship game was originally scheduled for December 11, but an ultimately failed protest by United German Hungarians over their Semifinal loss to Salone FC held the game off until spring.

2012 Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup Final
Sunday, Mar. 4, 2012 – Draper Walsh Stadium (Immaculata University)
West Chester United Predators 1:0 Salone FC

Scoring Summary
WCU: Dom Popolizio (Andrew Kummerer) – 69th minute

Booking Summary
WCU: Ryan Puppolo (Yellow) – 35th minute
WCU: Neema Mohajery (Yellow) – 94th+ minute

Lineups

West Chester United (4-5-1): Travis Chulick (GK), Ryan Smallwood, Chas Chupein, Kevin Bartruff, Chris King, Andrew Kummerer (Capt. – 85th), Bill Brown (85th), Josh Labik (56th), Ryan Puppolo (89th), Mike Lodge, Dom Popolizio
Subs: Omarie Salmon (56th), Pete Pittaoulis (85th for Brown), Justin McCall (85th for Kummerer), Neema Mohajery (89th)
Not Used: Amir Zakikhani, Chris Amato, Matt Dorsey

Salone FC: Ralph Jacob (GK), Samson Oluwole, Swen Bartuah, Sulaiman Kanneh (Capt), Dero Mujtabah, Foday Kamara, Amadou Berthe, Mohammed Kabbia, Fatoma Turay, Saydee Gerald, Junisa Sandi
Subs: Isaac Jr. Jardiah (60th), Mustapha Kanneh (70th), Peter Jr. Jarbo (70th)
Not Used: Alimamy Kamara, David Doe, Mohamed Sarr

2012 Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup results

First Round (Oct. 23, 2011)
Ukrainian Nationals 2:0 Quakertown Nationals
West Chester United Over-30 1:0 Junior Lone Star
United German Hungarians 3:1 Vereinigung Erzgebirge

Quarterfinals (Nov. 6, 2011)
Phoenix SC 4:2 Ukrainian Nationals
West Chester United 3:1 Plymouth Ultra
Salone FC 2:1 West Chester United Over-30
United German Hungarians 4:1 Mayfair Celtics

Semifinals (Dec. 4, 2011)
West Chester United 3:2 (AET) Phoenix SC
Salone FC 3:2 United German Hungarians

Final (Mar. 4, 2012)
West Chester United 1:0 Salone FC

Past Eastern PA Open Cup champions:
1998: United German Hungarians
1999: United German Hungarians*
2000: United German Hungarians
2001: DiPasquale’s
2002: Vereinigung Erzgebirge*
2003: Ukrainian Nationals
2004: Lighthouse SC
2005: Ukrainian Nationals
2006: Ukrainian Nationals
2007: Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Runner-up Ukrainian Nationals also qualified for Region I Finals)
2008: United German Hungarians
2009: Vereinigung Erzgebirge
2010: Phoenix SC
2011: Phoenix SC*
2012: West Chester United Predators

* Qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

2010 US Open Cup qualifying: Phoenix SC win USASA Eastern PA Open Cup title, advance to Region I Finals

December 14, 2009 by adamspangler

Phoenix SC wins their first Eastern PA Open Cup title with a 2-1 overtime victory over the United German Hungarians

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA – Despite playing in a torrential downpour throughout the match, Phoenix SC captured their first Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup championship, defeating the United German Hungarians (UGH) 2-1 in overtime. The Final went ahead despite nature’s best attempts to dampen the participants’ spirits. Played in a high school football stadium, the field was narrow, but the artificial turf ensured the game would go on despite the heavy rain.

UGH came out of the blocks quickly, as they tried to win their second Open Cup inside of three years. Using the narrow field, they deployed a high-pressure strategy and controlled the opening 25 minutes, with Tommy DeGeorge fashioning the best opportunities for UGH. Phoenix was not without creativity of its own, as both Ben Castor and Steve Mellor missed out on opportunities to get on the scoresheet in the opening moments of the game.

Phoenix eventually found their footing and started to hold possession, matching UGH for the remainder of the half as both teams created several more chances in the final 20 minutes, but were unable to break the scoreless tie before halftime.

With the wind at their backs, Phoenix came out and gained the upper hand in the second half, although, it would be UGH that would make the first breakthrough. In the 67th minute, a clearance by a UGH defender slipped away from the control of a Phoenix player, allowing Tim O’Neill to be released down the left side. He surprised everyone in attendance when he toe poked the ball from 22 yards into the far upper corner to give UGH a 1-0 lead.

Phoenix responded by changing tactics and pushing players forward, which nearly brought immediate dividends as they created several chances by Ben Castor, Pat Dillon and Roman Escobar. UGH continued to be dangerous on the counter and from set plays, with Blair Carson nearly putting the game out of reach on a free kick that missed the target.

However, in the 81st minute, Phoenix would find the equalizer. A flowing pass culminated in substitute Brian McKinney, playing in his first Open Cup Final after 10 years with the club, releasing Kamara Freebolle to round the keeper and slot home the tying goal. Phoenix, however, were not content to go to extra time as Freebolle and Danny Murtagh both came close to winning the game in the final, frantic moments.

The first overtime session was evenly played, with Phoenix controlling possession and UGH looking to hit them on the counter. In the second session, Phoenix finally made a breakthrough. With nine minutes remaining, a Matt Lapish freekick found the head of McKinney, whose flick traveled 25 feet into the air. Jack Pocorobba was the first to react, getting under the ball and heading across goal and into the far corner, sparking jubilant scenes in the stadium. UGH pressed forward to find a goal to send the match into penalty kicks, but they fell short, losing to Phoenix 2-1.

For Phoenix SC, it was their first state Open Cup title, giving coach Blair Thomson the only trophy which has eluded him in his 28-year association with the club. Thomson’s team, with the victory, have qualified for the 2010 USASA Region I Finals, which will take place in the Spring.

Phoenix SC Lineup

GK – Tony Pratico
LB – Greg Mangels (captain)
CB – Matt Lapish
CB – Mark Scaccia (Brian McKinney, 72nd)
RB – Jack Pocorobba
LM – Danny Murtagh
CM – Ben Castor
CM – Steve Mellor (Pat Dillon, 70th)
CM – Roman Escobar
RM – Ryan Soroka
ST – Kamara Freebolle
Unused Sub – Matt Rominger

2010 Qualifying: Phoenix SC, United German Hungarians advance to Eastern PA Final

November 25, 2009 by

Eastern Pennsylvania Logo

Eastern PA Open Cup Final

United German Hungarians at
Phoenix SC
December 6 – 2 p.m.
Feasterville, Pa. | Map

Eastern Pennsylvania will soon have a representative in the USASA Region I Finals as the championship game was set in stone this past weekend. The United German Hungarians (UGH) and Phoenix SC will meet in the deciding game after posting Semifinal victories in matches held around the Philadelphia area.

Phoenix earned their spot in the the Eastern PA Open Cup Final with a 3-1 win over Danubia SC with UGH defeating long-time rivals Vereinigung Erzgebirge (VE) 1-0 in the second game. Phoenix SC will host the title game on December 6 with a kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m.

At Beneficial Bank Field at the United German Hungarian club in Oakford, Pa., the game was a rematch of last year’s Open Cup Final, which VE won 3-0. UGH had eliminated VE in the Semifinals the year before on their way to capturing their last Eastern PA title.

Vereinigung Erzgebirge logo The German Hungarians came out strong early in the match. The hosts put pressure on VE’s backline and scored the game’s only goal 20 minutes into the game.

Central midfielder Blair Carson sent a long ball over the top to forward Ryan Mosley, who controlled and dribbled in from nearly 40 yards out with a VE defender on his shoulder and beat the goalkeeper from just inside the penalty area.

UGH continued to put pressure on the VE goal, but before the halftime break, the visitors shifted the momentum. Their attack on the UGH goal continued into the second half and the pressure increased at the midway point of the half when they went up a man.

United German Hungarians have finished as the runner-up in the US Open Cup twice (1977, 1993)

The German Hungarians had their outside midfielder ejected, which shifted their focus to defending. With the back four and the midfield dropping back to help out, UGH limited VE’s chances. The best scoring chance for VE came late in the game when a cleared ball struck a VE player in the chest and rebounded toward the UGH net and nearly caught goalkeeper Eric Talbot off his line. Talbot was able to recover in time and keep the ball out of the back of the net to preserve the clean sheet.

In the other Semifinal, Phoenix SC took another step toward capturing their first Eastern PA Open Cup title as they knocked off Danubia SC.

On a bumpy field, each team kept their shape and played conservatively in the early going while probing for weaknesses in their opponent. In the 22nd minute, Phoenix forced the Danubia backline into an error, with Steve Mellor’s pressure allowing Roman Escobar to steal the ball and poke it home from 10 yards out. The goal spurred Phoenix on as they created several other chances, before capitalizing again in the 36th minute. Danny Murtagh and Steve Mellor’s one-two in the midfield released Murtagh down the left side, whose cross found the foot of Mellor for the second goal of the game. Danubia found a lifeline just before halftime as they were able to capitalize on an error by the Phoenix defense, with Pete Pitoulis slotting the ball into an empty net to make it 2-1.

With mascot Carlson Thomson performing a rousing rendition of Phoenix’ “Lisztomania” at halftime, Phoenix came out ready to rise to the challenge of defending their one-goal lead. The visitors used the crowd to soak up Danubia’s momentum as the half began. The Danubia goalkeeper kept his team in the game with fine saves on shots by Ryan Soroka and Kamara Freebolle. Phoenix were in full flight in the 71st minute when Ben Castor released Murtagh down the left with a 30-yard first time ball, Murtagh cut inside and forced the goalkeeper into a flying save, only for substitute Billy James to put the ball into the back of the net with his first touch of the game.

The state final will be a rematch of a United Soccer League match from last week when UGH came out on top by a score of 1-0. The German Hungarians will be playing in their fourth Eastern PA title game in five years, having only lifted the trophy in 2007 (for 2008 Open Cup qualifying). UGH has a strong history of not only in regional qualifying, but in the national tournament as well. They have never won the US Open Cup, but they were the runner-up in 1977 and 1993.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=301+W+Bristol+Rd,+Feasterville-Trevose,+PA+19053&sll=45.160799,-93.234949&sspn=0.111116,0.308647&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=301+W+Bristol+Rd,+Feasterville-Trevose,+Bucks,+Pennsylvania+19053&ll=40.166986,-74.99568&spn=0.007526,0.01929&z=16&iwloc=A

2010 Qualifying: Phoenix knocks off their Ukrainian rivals, advance to Eastern PA semis

November 9, 2009 by

With unseasonable 70 degree weather in Feasterville, Pa., Phoenix SC and the Ukrainian Nationals met in the latest edition of a long-standing rivalry. In one of four Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup games played that day, Phoenix got the best of their Ukrainian rivals, beating them 3-0 to advance to the Third Round of the tournament.

While the Ukies have tasted success in the Open Cup in recent seasons, Phoenix came out hoping to win the club’s first state Open Cup title having won two United League and two state Amateur Cup titles in the past three seasons.

Phoenix SC (Eastern PA)

Phoenix started the game well, maintaining possession and putting the Ukies under pressure. That pressure finally paid off after 20 minutes when Daniel Murtagh put a 25-yard bending ball past the Ukies goalie after a pass from Greg Mangels. Five minutes later, Phoenix had the chance to go up 2-0 from the penalty spot, but goalkeeper Jason Sherman made a diving save to his left on Bobby Francis. Phoenix did not allow the momentum to change after the saved penalty and quickly scored their second goal when Steve Mellor lashed a shot to the far corner from the right side of the 18 after a driving run and feed by Ryan Soroka.

Wanting to avoid a let down after the halftime break, Phoenix came out and scored the third and final goal when halftime substitute Kamara Freebolle struck a 25-yard thunderbolt off a pass from Ben Castor. For the rest of the half, Phoenix dominated possession while the Ukies were not able capitalize on their opportunities.

Phoenix progresses to the Semifinals where they will host Danubia, who thrashed Hunter Inazu 7-0 in their Second Round match.

Phoenix lineup
Tony Pratico
Greg Mangels
Pat Dillon (Mark Scaccia-70)
Jack Poccoroba
Matt Lapish
Ben Castor
Steve Mellor
Bobby Francis
Daniel Murtagh (Brian McKinney-65)
Ryan Soroka
Virgis Anusauskas (Kamara Freebolle 45)

Unused Sub
Matt Rominger

The scores of the Eastern PA tournament are listed below. If you have any details to pass along, contact us.

Second Round
(Home teams listed on the right)

Ukrainian National Tryzub 0:3 Phoenix Majors
Scoring Summary: Daniel Murtagh, Steve Mellor, Kamara Freebolle
Danubia 7:0 Hunter Inazu
United German Hungarians Majors 2:1 Intare FC
Fishtown 1:4 Vereinigung Erzgebirge Majors

The Semifinals of the Eastern PA tournament is scheduled for November 22.
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First Round Results
(Home teams listed on the right)

Ukrainian National Tryzub 2:1 (aet) United German Hungarians Ultra
Danubia 2:1 Plymouth Ultra
Wallace FC 1:5 Hunter Inazu
Keystone Pride 1:2 Intare FC
Quakertown 1:4 Fishtown

2010 Qualifying: Eastern Pennsylvania First Round results

October 28, 2009 by

Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup has begun and the opening round is complete. See below for the results. Details of the games will be passed along as soon as they are made available. If you have any details to pass along, contact us.

First Round
(Home teams listed on the right)

Ukrainian National Tryzub 2:1 (aet) United German Hungarians Ultra
Danubia 2:1 Plymouth Ultra
Wallace FC 1:5 Hunter Inazu
Keystone Pride 1:2 Intare FC
Quakertown 1:4 Fishtown

Here are the matchups for the Second Round, which are scheduled to take place on November 8, 2009.

Ukrainian National Tryzub at Phoenix Majors
Danubia at Hunter Inazu
United German Hungarians Majors at Intare FC
Fishtown at Vereinigung Erzgebirge Majors

The Third Round of the Eastern PA tournament will be held on November 22.