FDR 3, Arlington B Team 0

Goals: James Croft, Ross Musumeci, Kareem Cerdas

Assists: Ross Musumeci (2), James Croft

Saves: Dan Roe (4)

Coach's Notes: As noon approached I was confident my team was ready to finish the job they started the night before.  We discussed the importance of winning the Cup for Coach Tomson, FDR, and the community of Hyde Park. I told the seniors it was their Cup to pass down to the younger guys who will one day soon, also be responsible for defending it. As I waited just outside the school I heard the thunderous sounds of determined voices echoing, "I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN, I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN, I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN." My adrenaline started to rush and cold chills passed through my body. The team poured out of the school with their war faces on. Some jumped up and down as others swayed side to side, all with a sense of urgency to rush the field and win one more for Coach Tomson. As we approached the field each member of the team paid their respect to Coach Tomson by placing a hand on the Joel Tomson Memorial banner for a moment of silence. We were determined to win. The game started similar to the night before. We chose to play with the wind in our face for the first half, first defending our goal then looking for scoring opportunities.  Arlington B was a technically sound team with talented players, but even really good teams eventually breakdown against great teams. The half ended with the score tied 0-0. We were confident we had Arlington B right where we wanted them. It was time to finish what we started. The second half started with Arlington B obviously attempting to play for the tie with 5 defenders and 4 midfielders and only 1 forward. I was surprised at how a team from Arlington would settle for a tie instead of playing to win. Fortunately for us, we play to win. Regardless of the opponent. I increased the pressure by pushing Sean Noonan up as part of the attack. The efforts of Dan, Ross, Jesse, James, Jordan, Kareem, Habib, Sean, Mik, Willie, Tony, Shaun, Pat, Lyvers, Henry, Andrew, and D-Roe proved to be too much for Arlington B to handle. We broke through their overcrowded defense and Ross set up James for the first goal. James then quickly returned the favor making a beautifully placed pass for Ross to score the second goal. The final touch was added by Kareem with an out swinging cross that found the far post and deflected into the goal. I told the guys at halftime that I wanted 3 goals and they responded with just that. It was an unbelievable tournament of excellent soccer played by all of the teams.

Have I told you guys how great you are today?
  ............................... You're great! Each and every one of you has made me more proud then I have ever been with a team. You should be proud of yourself. Next step on the ladder is Onteora. Stay focused guys............Keep your eyes on the prize.