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Boca under-23 team wins first – Ocean County Observer
June 21, 2005

Boca under-23 team wins first

Staff Report
Ocean County Observer – June 21, 2005

MANCHESTER – The Jersey Shore Boca men’s under-23 team picked-up their first win of the 2005 Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase Season on Sunday afternoon against the Winslow Soccer Club from South Jersey as Ryan Campbell (Pt. Pleasant) scored the eventual game winner midway through the first half at the Manchester Soccer Complex in Manchester Township.

Campbell, who played in ten games for Monmouth University last year as a junior before injuring his knee, received a cross at the top of the penalty area about twenty-five yards out from Bandon McGauley (Lacey Township).

The former Point Pleasant Boro standout settled the ball, took a few touches and then beat the Winslow keeper to the far post for the only score of the half.

Boca received an insurance goal from Justin Fuccello (Brick Township) with less than a minute to play as he won a ball 30 yards out, dribbled by a Winslow defender and beat the keeper low and to his right.

The Boca under-23 team improved to 1-4-0 on the season while Winslow falls to 0-4-0.

In the second game on the afternoon, the Boca under-20 team received two goals from Andrew Perez (Brick Memorial) and a goal and assist from Mark Schmiegel (Toms River High School North) as it topped Voorhees 3-0 to improve to 3-2-0 in the Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase League summer season.

Boca under-20 goalkeeper Chris Konopka (Toms River High School East) picked up his second consecutive shut-out of the season.

The Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase League is a second year regional soccer league fostering high-level competition during the summer months at both the youth and adult ages in both men’s and women’s divisions.

The adult level of MSSL is specifically designed for collegiate players under the age of twenty-three and is fully sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), the national governing body for adult amateur soccer.

Jersey Shore Boca was one of the inaugural founding members of MSSL last year entering one under-23 team that finished in seventh place in the standings out of 10 teams. Boca finished 2-6-1 last season..

The Jersey Shore Boca men’s summer soccer program is officially sponsored by Surf Taco, a popular Mexican themed restaurant chain based in Point Pleasant Beach.

Boca has been a fixture in the soccer community since 1978 and is one of the most respected soccer clubs on the East Coast.

The Club is celebrating their 27-year anniversary in 2005.

For more information about the Boca under-23 and under-20 teams and all other the Jersey Shore Boca programs visit the Club’s official web site at www.jerseyshoreboca.com

Boca U20s split

Jersey Shore Boca continued last weekend in the MSSL as the Boca under-20 team split a pair of games in Vineland while the Boca under-23 team traveled to Staten Island and dropped two tough matches.

The Boca under-20 team started the day with a 3-1 loss to Spirit United from Eastern Pennsylvania at the Vineland Soccer Complex in South Jersey.

After United scored an own-goal early in the game, it evened the match 1-1 just before the half ended with a low shot that got by Boca goalkeeper Jon Curry-Edwards (Spring Lake Heights).

Curry-Edwards, who will be a sophomore at Old Dominion University in September, kept Boca in the match throughout the second half until United converted on a penalty kick midway through.

While Boca was pushing forward late in the game trying to even the score, United tallied the final goal with only a few minutes remaining to end match at 3-1.

In the second game of the day, the Boca under-20 team began to pressure West Chester United (Pa.) from the opening whistle.

Andrew Perez (Brick) scored Boca’s first goal in the 15th minute when the controlled a service on the right side 18 yards out from American University bound Mark Petruniak (Hightstown) and buried the eventual game-winner to the near post.

Thirteen minutes later, two Big-East Conference players connected when Boca goalkeeper Chris Konopka (Providence College) snagged a high cross off his line and began the counter-attack quickly with a 60-yard overhand pass to Justin McGrath (Seton Hall University, Brick Township) on the left side who ran on to the ball, sprinted by a West Chester defender and placed a upper-ninety shot into the far post. The first half ended 2-0 in favor of Boca.

Perez, who was named to the 2004 Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie Team at LaSalle University last year, got his second goal of the day 10 minutes into the second half as he teamed with Stevens Tech forward Christian Pontier (Forked River) on a beautiful give-and-go which left the West Chester keeper standing still.

Boca scored two goals to make the final 5-0, and improves to 2-2 this season.

Meanwhile, the Boca under-23 team dropped a 4-0 decision to a powerful Silver Lake (NY) team in Staten Island in its first match of the day last Sunday.

In its second game, the Boca under-23s battled evenly with Arsenal World Class (N.J.) for most of the match. After Arsenal scored the first goal Boca’s Justin Fuccello tied the game midway through the first half.

Although Boca had some good scoring opportunities in the second half, it could not capitalize on its chances and fell 3-1 to Arsenal.

John Plaugic (Kearny) who will be transferring from Monmouth University to Caldwell College in September was in goal both games for the Boca U23s.

From the Ocean County Observer
Published on June 21, 2005