Boca Teams Off To Strong Start In MSSL Season
June 10, 2007
The Boca summer soccer program got off to a strong start on Sunday at the John Patrick Sports Complex as the men’s U23 side tied defending MSSL Cup Champions West Chester United 2-2 in their first game and then defeated Greater Valley United 4-1 in the nightcap while the Boca U23 women bested the Hackettstown Soccer Club 6-0 in their opener before loosing a tough 2-1 battle to the NJ Wildcats from Princeton in their final game of the day.
Boca Teams Off To Strong Start In MSSL Season
Men’s side ties defending MSSL champs while women’s squad tallies win in inaugural game
LAKEWOOD, NJ (June 10, 2007) – The Jersey Shore Boca summer soccer program got off to a strong start on Sunday at the John Patrick Sports Complex as the men’s U23 side tied defending MSSL Cup Champions West Chester United (PA) 2-2 in their first game and then defeated Greater Valley United (PA) 4-1 in the nightcap while the Boca U23 women bested the Hackettstown Soccer Club (NJ) 6-0 in their opener before loosing a tough 2-1 battle to the NJ Wildcats from Princeton in their final game of the day.
Against West Chester, the Boca men opened the scoring in the 6th minute as Bucknell University junior Mark Schmiegel (Toms River) served a 20 yard cross from the left side which found Bobby Wynn (Toms River) inside the box. Wynn, a 2006 Toms River HS East graduate and current Ocean County College standout, buried a low shot past the West Chester keeper for Boca’s first goal of new season.
West Chester then capitalized on two Boca defensive mistakes within a 2 minute span during the 20th and 23rd minutes and scored two unanswered goals to make the score 2-1 at the break.
Half-way through the second half, Boca tallied the equalizer as Jeremy Zahn (Manchester Township), another local product from Ocean County College, beat the West Chester keeper to the near post with Schmiegel recording his second assist in the game to make the score 2-2.
Jon Curry-Edwards (Spring Lake Heights) who completed his first collegiate season at the University of Delaware after transferring from Old Dominion University played the full match for Boca between the pipes.
In the men’s second match of the afternoon against Greater Valley United, Boca again scored first as Zahn played a 35 yard service from the right side and found a streaking Butch Huff (Toms River) inside the penalty area. Huff, a Toms River North graduate who played in 13 games for Richard Stockton College during his freshman year last season, snapped home a 10 yard head-ball past a helpless United keeper in the 23rd minute.
Boca also received goals from Rowan University’s Andrew Finger (Mullica Hill), Schmiegel and Jason Mancuso (Toms River) who will compete for York College of Pennsylvania in the fall with one year of NCAA eligibility remaining.
Brett Alexrod (Union), a rising junior at Whitman College in Washington State, recorded the win in goal for Boca (1-0-1).
On the women’s side, Boca won their first game in program history topping Hackettstown on goals two from College of New Jersey standout Erin Cunliffe (Lakewood) and single strikes from Nicole Tatulli (Brick), Erica Kapps (Jackson), Katie Bubins (Marlton) and Emily Wagner (Brick).
Georgian Court University’s Megan Kielt (Brick) assisted on three goals in Boca’s onslaught while Brittany Heller (Newton), Alley Abate (Oceanport) and Kapps picked-up one each.
Wagner and Leah Sachs of Montclair State University combined for the shut-out in the net.
The second match of the day for the Boca women proved to be some of the most competitive soccer of the afternoon as they squared-off against the NJ Wildcats Reserve side.
The NJ Wildcats first team squad is a member of the United Soccer League’s W-League.
After an even match throughout the first 20 minutes, Boca allowed a goal mid-way through the first half. The Boca women then settled in and created several scoring opportunities which unfortunately they could not capitalize on as the first stanza ended 1-0 in the Wildcats favor.
Seven minutes into the second half, Cunliffe won a ball from a Wildcat defender about 40 yards out and sent a perfectly timed through ball to Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck). The 2006 NSCAA All-Region First Team selection from Centenary College buried her shot to the near post past a diving Wildcat keeper to even the score at 1-1.
After play went back and forth for the next 25 minutes, the Wildcats tallied the game winner with 5 minutes left to end the game 2-1.
Wagner, a 2004 Brick HS graduate who started 20 games for Lock Haven University (PA) last season, played the full match in goal for the Boca women (1-1-0).
Jersey Shore Boca is participating in MSSL for the fourth consecutive year this summer as one of the league’s inaugural founding members.
MSSL is a regional summer soccer league, which 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.
The Jersey Shore Boca summer soccer program is officially sponsored by Surf Taco, a popular Mexican themed restaurant chain with six locations throughout the jersey shore.
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 29-year anniversary in 2007.
For more information about the Boca U23 teams and all other the Jersey Shore Boca programs logon to the Club’s official web site at www.jerseyshoreboca.com
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