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Salone FC

2017 US Open Cup qualifying: West Chester United hold off Salone FC to win Philly-area rematch

September 11, 2016 by Michael Berton

West Chester United hosting Salone FC in the opening round of the 2017 US Open Cup qualifying tournament. Photo: Michael Berton
West Chester United hosting Salone FC in the opening round of the 2017 US Open Cup qualifying tournament. Photo: Michael Berton

West Chester United held off a late rally to advance past Salone FC 2-1 on Saturday night, keeping its chances alive of making it to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for a second year in a row.

United, which plays in the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania (USLPA), and Salone, which plays in the Philadelphia Premier Soccer League, met last year in the second round of qualifying. West Chester won that match 3-0 and advanced to the Open Cup proper for the first time. This year’s meeting was a much tighter affair.

Salone was the more dangerous team for the first 20 minutes. A series of probing long balls more often than not found Salone forwards, but the team did not get any dangerous shots on net.

It was a physical battle between West Chester United and Salone FC in the 2017 US Open Cup qualifying tournament. Photo: Kari Berton
It was a physical battle between West Chester United and Salone FC in the 2017 US Open Cup qualifying tournament. Photo: Kari Berton

A combination of West Chester settling into the game and some bad luck for Salone contributed to the first goal of the match. United had gotten control of the game when a Salone player went out with a dislocated elbow. As a substitute was warming up, Salone was forced to play with 10 men. It was during this shorthanded period that United got its first goal.

A well-weighted pass was played to Emmanuel Kollie in the Salone box in the 35th minute. His ensuing cross found the head of former University of Virginia star Matthew Poole, who sent the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal.

Four minutes later, and after Salone made its substitution, West Chester got a second goal. Kollie and Poole again connected with some nice passes in the box, eventually leading to a Peter Jannelli shot that was saved. The rebound fell right to Julien Aoyama, who tapped it in from eight yards out.

“The first 20 minutes they were giving us trouble,” West Chester coach Blaise Santangelo said. “After that, we hit a spell of 15-20 minutes of tremendous soccer where we played great balls and connected on all our passes.”

The reigning USLPA champions felt good going into the second half, but Salone FC would not quit. The lack of quit led to some harsh fouls, however. In the 68th minute, Salone’s Mohammed Sesay was sent off for a crunching tackle at the top of his box.

Despite being down to 10 men, Salone was able to keep pressing forward. That pressure was rewarded with a goal in the 79th minute. After a West Chester save, Nykh Kamara put the ball back into a crowded penalty area. With United goalie Anthony Noel still recovering from his save, Murphy Barlee was able to score into an empty net to cut the lead to one.

The last ten minutes was a frantic affair. Salone goalie Ralph Jacobs was forced to play almost as more of a defender than a keeper. Down a man and with so many of his teammates pushing forward, he had to come up big multiple times, often far from his net.

Kamara, whose speed gave the West Chester defense fits the entire match, got off one more shot in the 87th minute, but Salone could not muster another goal. In the end, the hosts held on for a 2-1 victory.

United, which made it to the second round of last year’s Open Cup — a 2-0 loss to the City Islanders SC of the USL — advances to take on the defending USASA Amateur Cup champions, Christos FC of Maryland in the second round of qualifying.

“Christos is a really good team,” Santangelo said. “We can’t wait to play them.”

Filed Under: US Open Cup, US Open Cup Qualifying Tagged With: 2017 US Open Cup qualifying, Eastern PA, Salone FC, West Chester United

2016 US Open Cup qualifying: Julien Aoyama carries West Chester United to 3-0 win over Salone FC

November 15, 2015 by Michael Berton

West Chester United's Julien Aoyama celebrates a goal. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger
West Chester United’s Julien Aoyama celebrates a goal. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

MORE: Five teams advance to final round of qualifying in first weekend

Since 2011, West Chester United has come close every season to qualifying for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, but the four-time Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup champion has not been able to make the tournament. West Chester is yet again close to its goal, one win away from a berth in the tournament after a 3-0 victory over Salone FC.

Amherst College graduate and 2012 NCAA Division III 1st team All-American Julien Aoyama had two goals and an assist, and Widener University men’s soccer assistant coach Matt Poole contributed a goal in the comfortable victory.

West Chester’s goals came after a disjointed start; it took about 20 minutes for the home side to start controlling the game.

“We went from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1,” West Chester head coach Blaise Santangelo said. “We started connecting a little more and started playing well.”

That change in formation almost immediately led to a goal. In the 27th minute, Christian Benner of West Chester University got past the defense down the right side of the field. He put a cross into the Salone box that Aoyama easily tapped home.

Salone FC, of the Philadelphia Premier Soccer League, gave up another goal 12 minutes later, when Poole beat the offside trap and scored past the onrushing Salone keeper.

Prior to halftime, the away side made two substitutions, changing its tactics to push as many men forward as possible. The first half ended without any more scoring, but United was able to take advantage of these tactics early in the second half.

Less than 10 minutes into the second stanza, Benner got a second assist after a nifty interchange with Eric Giovagnoli, a senior at Eastern University. After a quick give-and-go with Giovagnoli, Benner found Aoyama in the center of the box. Aoyama had no trouble bagging his second goal of the game.

Up 3-0, West Chester was content to let Salone push forward. United turned this pressure into quick counter attacks, but were left wanting more on the offensive side of the field. Whether it was missed final passes, poor shots, or great saves from the Salone goalie, West Chester just could not find another goal.

Santangelo said, “We messed around with the ball a little bit too much. We left some goals on the field.”

Despite leaving goals on the field, West Chester cruised to a 3-0 victory and a spot in the final round of 2016 Open Cup qualifying tournament. That round is scheduled for April of 2016, with matchups to be announced at some point after the new year.

Filed Under: US Open Cup, US Open Cup Qualifying Tagged With: 2016 US Open Cup qualifying, Salone FC, West Chester United

2016 US Open Cup qualifying: Salone FC edges Vereinigung Erzgebirge in Philadelphia area matchup

October 20, 2015 by Chris Allen

salone-fc-logo

Courtesy of BrotherlyGame.com

One of the opening matches of the 2016 US Open Cup open division qualifying tournament featured a pair of Philadelphia area teams as Vereinigung Erzgebirge (VE) hosted Salone FC in Warminster, Pa. In the end, Salone were rude guests as they pulled off a 1-0 win to take the next step toward qualifying for the US Open Cup for the first time.

The match on Oct. 17 was a very evenly-matched fixture. Both sides applied high pressure and put an emphasis on dangerous crosses, adding to the back-and-forth nature of the game. The match started out favorably for VE, who controlled possession and had a number of shots on the Salone net through the first 40 minutes. Just before halftime, a cross from VE was put into the back of the net and for a moment it seems like the home side had pulled ahead, but the offsides flag went up and the contest remained deadlocked.

Vereinigung Erzgebirge came out strong in the second half and earned a penalty kick in the 50th minute, Anthony Bafile stepped up to take the kick but his weak rolling shot was saved by the keeper. The missed penalty completely swung the momentum toward Salone. VE began to lose the possession battle, and the game became very stretched. As Salone continued to grow into the game VE began to increasingly rely on counterattacks to generate offense, creating a fast-paced game that added a sense of excitement to the match. The pace of the match caught up with VE, they seemed to become increasingly tired as the game progressed and it opened the door for the game-winning strike from Salone.

The go-ahead goal came after VE lost possession in the midfield, Salone capitalized on the opportunity and sprung a counterattack. They worked the ball out wide and delivered a dangerous cross into the box, which was tapped into the far post to give them the lead in the 81st minute. Unfortunately, the visitors were unable to finish the game with all 11 players, after a second yellow card was issued for dissent just minutes after the goal. Nevertheless, Salone was able to hold on to their slim lead for the remaining 10 minutes and come away with a hard-fought victory.

With the win, Salone FC, who compete in the Philadelphia Premier Soccer League, moves on to host United Soccer League of Pennsylvania opponent West Chester United on Nov. 15.

Filed Under: Feature - Qualifying, US Open Cup, US Open Cup Qualifying Tagged With: 2016 US Open Cup qualifying, Salone FC, Vereinigung Erzgebirge

2015 US Open Cup qualifying: West Chester United, Vereinigung Erzgebirge reach Eastern PA final

November 27, 2013 by Michael Berton

West Chester United celebrate their opening goal in the 2nd minute against Salone FC in the Eastern Pennsylvania semifinal. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

The semifinals of the Eastern Pennsylvania qualifying tournament for the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup couldn’t have been more different than the quarterfinals. After a round of eight that saw few goals and three upsets, 12 goals were scored in the semis, and both favorites, West Chester United and Vereinigung Erzgebirge, advanced to the tournament final.

West Chester United 3:2 Salone FC

Two-time reigning champion West Chester United was pushed to its limits by Salone FC, but the top seed managed a 3-2 victory over the only Philadelphia-based club in the competition.

West Chester came into the match dealing with some injury issues, as former pro Jeremiah White could not play while recovering from an ankle problem. Despite that, United still managed to jump on top early. Mike Lodge cut in from the left side of the field in the second minute and curled a shot over the Salone goalkeeper from just outside the box to give his side a 1-0 lead.

That lead was short-lived, however, as Salone answered back a minute later. A cross into the West Chester box was blocked out to Salone’s Junisa Sandi, who then sliced the ball off the outside of his right foot over the keeper and into the top corner to tie the game at 1-1.

West Chester United and Salone FC battled for 90 minutes in their Eastern Pennsylvania semifinal match. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

“I’m really impressed at how Salone handled themselves,” West Chester coach Blaise Santangelo said. “We got off strong, but Salone played some really nice soccer.”

Sandi’s goal gave the strong contingent of away supporters something to cheer about, which in turn motivated Salone to continue pressing forward. That pressure culminated in a penalty kick in the 23rd minute, when a Salone player was tripped in the box. Sandi stepped up to take the kick and calmly sent the keeper the wrong way on his attempt.

Down 2-1, United pushed forward and found an equalizer in the 37th minute. A ball that was crossed into the Salone penalty area caused a mad scramble as West Chester United players tried to get shots off while Salone players desperately tried to clear the ball. Eventually United’s Justin McCall gathered the ball at the penalty spot and side-footed the ball into the bottom left corner of the net to tie the game at 2-2.

Despite the wild first half, Santangelo said that he was confident heading into the break. He said, “At halftime, we felt that we were going to be okay. We felt that we were getting away from Salone’s coverage, and we thought that we could get in on goal against them.”

Santangelo was proven correct as West Chester created the best chances of the second half. And, in the 66th minute, former Penn State defender Mark Fetrow put the home side up for good. Andrew Kummerer curled in a free kick from about 30 yards out that found the head of the tall center back. Fetrow’s game-winning header looped up and over the keeper and several defenders before finding the back of the net.

West Chester United celebrate what would prove to be the game-winning goal against Salone FC in the Eastern Pennsylvania semifinals. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

With a 3-2 lead, West Chester concentrated on possessing the ball, which limited Salone’s chances. In the end, the away side just did not have enough to find a tying goal.

Salone manager Foday Turay said, “It was a good game. We gave it our best. That’s soccer…someone has to win. We’ll definitely be back next year.”

West Chester moves on to the final on Dec. 15, where it will host Vereinigung Erzgebirge. United is looking for a third Eastern PA Open Cup championship in a row. “Our guys are ready to go back to another final,” Santangelo said. “We’re excited to move forward and try for a third-straight cup.”

Vereinigung Erzgebirge 7-0 Upper Moreland Celtic

In the other semifinal, Vereinigung Erzgebirge scored early and often in a rout of Upper Moreland Celtic. Paul Dudley scored a first-half hat trick, and four other players added goals in the 7-0 victory.

Dudley’s goals came in the 2nd, 15th, and 33rd minutes. Also scoring were Nate Baker (30’), Artie Taylor (50’), Mike McKee (62’), and John Fazio (65’).

“We just had to go out and get a few goals,” VE manager Rob Oldfield said. “They didn’t have the depth to cause us too many problems. We just got a couple goals early, then we got to sit on the lead.”

VE, which has been playing soccer since the 1930s, is looking to win its first Eastern PA Open Cup championship since 2009 and its first US Open Cup berth since 2002. The club is also in the final of the Eastern PA Amateur Cup, marking only the third time in club history that it has made both cup finals in the same year (1991 and 2002). VE will host the Amateur Cup final on Dec. 8 against Phoenix SC.

Region I has decided to use the winners of both the Open Cup and the Amateur Cup as its qualifiers to the 2015 US Open Cup, meaning VE still has two chances to make it to the tournament.

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2015 US Open Cup qualifying, 2015 USASA qualifying, Eastern PA, Salone FC, Upper Moreland Celtic, Vereinigung Erzgebirge, West Chester United

2015 US Open Cup qualifying: Top seed West Chester United, three road surprises advance to Eastern PA semifinals

November 12, 2013 by Michael Berton


West Chester United celebrates their first goal against the Ukrainian Nationals in the quarterfinals of the Eastern Pennsylvania Open Cup qualifying tournament. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

Note: Due to a change in the qualifying deadline, USASA Region I has already determined their two entries for the 2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (2013 Region I Open Cup champion Icon FC and 2013 Region I Amateur Cup champion New York Greek American Atlas). Therefore, this fall’s Eastern Pennsylvania champion will advance to the 2014 Region I tournament, which will then determine the region’s entry into the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Eastern Pennsylvania’s qualifying tournament for the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup continued on Sunday. The tournament’s top seed progressed to the next round, but three road teams pulled off upsets in the quarterfinals.

West Chester United 2:0 Ukrainian Nationals

On a cold and windy Sunday afternoon, West Chester United scored a goal in each half to earn a victory over the four-time US Open Cup champion Ukrainian Nationals in the quarterfinals of the Eastern Pennsylvania qualifying tournament.

The Ukrainian Nationals' defense clears an attempt on goal by West Chester United. Photo: Kari Haffelfinger

As top seed and two-time reigning champion, West Chester came into the match as the favorite, but the Ukrainians looked more likely to score in the game’s opening stages. That all changed when United’s Dominic Popolizio found the back of the net in the 31st minute.

West Chester’s Jeremiah White, who you might recognize from his pro days in MLS and Europe, made progress down the right side of the field and sent in a cross to Michael Lodge, who laid the ball off to Popolizio. He took advantage of time and space in the middle of the penalty area to slot ball to the left of the goalie for a 1-0 lead.

Ukrainian Nationals manager Pete Chareczko said, “The first half was tough. We were trying to hold the ball while playing against the wind. We didn’t take advantage of the chances we had, and we got caught on the counter.”

The goal seemed to wake up United, who took control the rest of the half. The home side kept the momentum going in the second half when White scored in the 50th minute. After dribbling into the left side of the box, White took a shot that hit the post. The ball rebounded straight back to him, and he was able to find the net on his second attempt.

Besides giving his team a two-goal lead, White was constantly giving the Ukrainian backline trouble and was one of the most effective players on the field. White joins West Chester after an extensive international career that included stints with Panserraikos in Greece, FC Gueugnon in France, AGF Aarhus in Denmark, and Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia. Last year, White made two appearances for the New England Revolution before being waived. He also has one US National Team appearance in 2008 in a friendly against Sweden.

“He’s a talent,” West Chester coach Blaise Santangelo said. “He’s going to be someone that really helps us in this cup run.”

Behind 2-0, things got even worse for the away side in the 78th minute when one of its players earned two consecutive yellow cards for dissent. Down a man, the Nationals continued to press forward, hitting the crossbar and forcing multiple saves. West Chester also had chances, but could not convert on multiple one-on-one opportunities against the Nationals keeper.

With the 2-0 victory, West Chester now moves on to the Eastern Pennsylvania semifinals. As top seed, United will host Salone FC in the next round of the tournament.

Phoenix SC 0:1 Salone FC

The biggest upset of the day came when Salone FC edged Phoenix SC 1-0. Phoenix, which qualified for the US Open Cup in 2011, went down a man in the 50th minute when Precious Lloka was red carded. Salone scored the game-winner in the 80th minute.

Phoenix manager Blair Thomson said, “It was a very even game and both teams had chances. I think we’re the best team in the area, but we’re not getting breaks right now.”

Salone, which is the only team in the competition from Philadelphia proper, will match up with top seed West Chester United in the semifinals.

Colonial Ultra 1:1 Upper Moreland Celtic
Upper Moreland advances 9-8 in penalty kicks

In a battle of Inter-County Soccer League teams, Upper Moreland Celtic eked out a 9-8 penalty kick victory over hosts Colonial Ultra after a 1-1 tie. Celtic player/manager Fran Pitonyak scored the game-winning penalty.

“It was a hard-fought and scrappy match,” he said. “We’ve got a good bunch of guys and we keep plugging away.”

Colonial Ultra scored first off the foot of Kastriot Fazliu 10 minutes into the match. Celtic responded midway through the first half when Matt Gamble scored on a rebound after a 35-yard shot hit the crossbar.

Neither team could find the net in the second half or in overtime, so the game went to penalty kicks. After Pitonyak scored Celtic’s ninth penalty, Colonial pushed its attempt wide of the left post. Upper Moreland moves on to the semifinals to take on Vereinigung Erzgebirge.

United German Hungarians 0:1 Vereinigung Erzgebirge

In a classic game between two teams with rich histories, Vereinigung Erzgebirge took out the No. 2 seed United German Hungarians 1-0. Greg Ermold of VE scored in the 55th minute from 30 yards out, turning his defender at midfield and hitting a rocket past the UGH goalie into the corner of the net.

VE manager Rob Oldfield said, “It’s a rivalry game, and those can be tricky. We were real solid in the back, so once we got the goal, we were able to sit on it. For the most part, we were happy to get a 1-0 away win.”

UGH, which has been playing soccer since 1922 and are twice Open Cup runners-up, was one of three home teams to lose in the quarterfinals. VE, founded in 1931, last qualified for the Open Cup in 2002. To win its first state title since 2009, VE will have to get past Upper Moreland Celtic in the semifinals.

“It was a good, classic game between us and VE,” UGH manager Werner Fricker III said. “We hit two posts and a crossbar, but VE were able to capitalize on their chances.”

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2015 US Open Cup, 2015 US Open Cup qualifying, Eastern PA, Salone FC, Ukrainian Nationals, West Chester United

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

December 5, 2012 by Josh Hakala

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

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2013 US Open Cup qualifying, Cavalla FC, Eastern PA, Junior Lone Star, Nether United, Quakertown, Salone FC, United German Hungarians, USASA Region I, West Chester United

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 Predators: 2012 Eastern PA Open Cup champions
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

Filed Under: US Open Cup Tagged With: 2012 US Open Cup qualifying, 2012 USASA Qualifying, Eastern PA, Salone FC, West Chester United

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