Fast Start
Monticello Downs Short-Handed Liberty For Third Straight Win In Young Season; Lady Indians Come Alive In Fourth Quarter On A Night When Indians’ Shots Just Wouldn’t Fall
Monticello 46, Liberty 23
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Scenes from Monticello's 46-23 non-league win over Liberty (clockwise): Monticello freshman Lena Episalla goes up for a shot and is fouled. She had nine rebounds in the game. Liberty's Tea Williams is hemmed in by Monticello's Shamira Moore and Zaquia Revell. Revell had ten steals and Moore had seven. Liberty's Justice Dingevan fires up a three-pointer. She canned two of them in the final quarter. She is defended by Monticello's Lena Episalla. Liberty's Olivia Baum scores the first points for the Lady Indians midway through the second quarter. Baum ended up with a team-high 17 on the night. The 2011-12 Monticello Lady Panthers. Monticello junior Yadira Montes cans a free throw. The Monties need a lot of work from the line as they converted just 31.8 percent from the stripe.
MONTICELLO, NY—When it comes to school size, Monticello and Liberty are the bigs in Sullivan County. As such, their encounters with one another, though always of a non-league variety, have a special allure even if one or both teams is struggling as has been the case in recent years.
But it’s a new season now and the Lady Panthers as well as the Lady Indians are fielding teams that are a blend of experienced players along with a cadre of youngsters who are new to the varsity realm.
Coming into the Pit in Monticello is always a challenge for Liberty teams but on this December 13 night, Coach Beth Quatrale knew it would be even more daunting without three of her key starters in NIkole Snyder, Selena Vargas and Katie Giarratano all missing in action for a variety of reasons. That would leave veterans Olivia Baum and Justice Dingevan to carry the load and as it turned out, they would be the only two players to score on the night as Baum would post 17 to Dingevan’s pair of treys.
Liberty struggled mightily early on as it went scoreless throughout the first quarter and halfway through the second when Baum finally converted a steal into a layup. She’d go on to score two more buckets in the second stanza to provide Liberty with six points by halftime to Monticellos’s 23. The Lady Panthers led 8-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Four of those first quarter points came from junior standout Shamira Moore. The Lady Monties also got buckets from junior Arianna Decosta and freshman Yamilersy Reyes. Moore added a pair of free throws in the second quarter as part of Monticello’s seven-point output. Senior Zequia Revell posted her lone basket and Monticello benefited from two free throws from Yadira Montes and one from Yami Reyes.
Both teams had trouble converting shots as well as taking care of the basketball. Turnovers abounded as errant passes were picked off both ways giving both Quatrale and Monticello Coach Karen Atack plenty to concentrate on in upcoming practices.
Moore was the big difference in this game as she evinced outstanding play at both ends of the floor. In the third quarter she netted 14 points. Her only issue was her lackluster free throw shooting as she canned only two-for-11 from the stripe. To their credit, Liberty held her scoreless in the final frame.
Decosta was Monticello’s other major weapon. She scored 11 points on the night, seven of which came in the fourth quarter and included the Monties’ lone trey of the game.
As for Liberty, were it not for Baum’s relentless pursuit, even in the face of early struggles, the final outcome could have been far worse. Monticello’s fourth quarter defensive laxity that featured players out of positions and at times an uncontested path to the basket for Baum, allowed her to catch fire. Needless to say, Atack was not pleased with that aspect of the game.
Monticello improved to 3-0 adding this victory to a pair of commanding wins over struggling Family. The Lady Monties will test their early season mettle against winless Sullivan West on the Lady Bulldogs home court debut on December 14. Sullivan West scouted this game to get a preview of the Lady Monties and of course Division IV rival Liberty which fell to 1-2. Its lone win came against S.S. Seward in the Spartan Invitational Tournament. They lost the title game to Goshen.
Quatrale was upbeat about her team’s efforts despite the outcome. “I thought the biggest difference was that my team was playing relaxed in the fourth quarter. It’s tough when the ball won’t go in the basket, but if you force it, it still won’t go in. As I told my team, I can’t be upset with a game like that when I know that every girl on the court was giving 100 percent. The heart was there, the ball just wasn’t falling.
Liberty hosts Port Jervis for its home opener on December 15. It’s next game will come after the New Year. With three starters not here tonight, it gave younger girls a chance to step up and show that they really deserve to be on the court. There were few mental mistakes. We were where we were supposed to be. It’s just a case of putting the ball in the basket now,” she concluded.
Atack is certainly pleased with her team’s 3-0 start. “We’ll take it,’ she said while emphasizing the things that need a lot of work if the success is to continue against far tougher teams. The Lady Monties host Cornwall on December 16 and the type of play they evinced in this game won’t fly against the Lady Dragons.
“We realize we played a weakened team tonight,” said Atack referencing the fact that Liberty was missing key players. “If we don’t take care of the ball we know what is going to happen. We still have a lot of things we have to iron out. We have a young team. They’re willing to work and they never give up. The hustle is there but we just made a lot of errors.
Rebounding was not one of the problems. Moore led the team with 17 boards and Revell had 12. Freshman guard Lena Episalla had nine rebounds. Revell had 10 steals and Moore had seven.” Atack credited Moore and Revell with playing an excellent game.
“We need to have better leadership. If I don’t call it out, no one is presently calling it out on the court. We have a lot more talent than we’ve had in the recent past but it’s not tamed yet,” she noted. “We’re having a problem with getting five people to do what they’re supposed to do at the same time.
Monticello’s three win start constitutes half of its total season victory total from last year. But Atack, ever conscious of what it takes to win against tough opponents will not let her team sit back on their early season laurels. For one thing Monticello was a woeful seven-for 22 from the line (31.8%).
“We have a really young team,” added Atack who was missing junior tall tree Nyasia Blakney for this outing. With only one senior in Revell, the squad goes to war with five juniors in Decosta, Moore, Yadira Montes, Blakney and Amber Grobusch. Three sophomores include Quasia Walker, Latise Sanders and Deanna Snowden, along with freshmen Shandell Jones, Yami Reyes and Lena Episalla.
Liberty’s team on this night was comprised of Rachel Bayer, Zaira Pabon, Erin Kinne, Cindy Fuentes, Stephanie Heisler, Olivia Baum, Amanda Bertholf, Justice Dingevan, Kelly Santos, Brittany Roa and Tea Williams.
For an album of photos to view/buy visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Thrillers In The Mist
O’Neill Remains Unbeaten In League As Maggie Borowicz Records The Hat Trick Vs. Liberty; Lady Indians Still Need One More Win For Sectionals; Sullivan West Boys Outlast Monticello In Sterling Battle Under The Lights, A Far Cry From First Match Up By Squads Won Handily By Bulldogs
Girls: James I. O’Neill 4, Liberty 2
Boys: Sulllivan West 2, Monticello 1
By RICHARD A. ROSS
rross@sportsinsightsny.com
Great soccer makes me misty-eyed. This day/night pitch purview did just that. Clockwise( Liberty's Nikole Snyder and O"Neill's Madison Freeman look to wrest control of the ball in the early going. Monticello's Ariel Pabon and Sullivan West's Richard Lander each hope to put a stamp on the game. Lander was held scoreless by Monticello's Tino Taylor, while Pabon scored on a kickoff for the Monties' lone goal. Monticello's Austin Colon goes aloft to send a shot heading over the crossbar. O'Neill's talented keeper Avianna Velasquez makes one of her 14 saves on the day in the Lady Raiders 4-2 win to remain atop of Division IV.
SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY—Call it mystifying…or in this case featuring my second soccer double header in two days..mist-ifying given the exigencies of the weather on October 13. It began as I watched the Liberty girls vying with O’Neill before racing back to Sullivan West for my second night game this week to watch a compelling battle between short-handed Monticello and the Westies.
O'Neill's Anna Biehle and Liberty's Olivia Baum.
For a person who for most of his adult life eschewed soccer, a sport I never took enough time to watch or appreciate, giving myself over to a pair of two-a-days speaks volumes about how I have come to revere the game and the stalwart athletes that play it.
Fortunately, Americans are no longer in the dark about the enlightened appreciation given the game by the rest of the world. I will never lose my love for football but I also pledge allegiance to fútbol.
When it comes to great soccer, I’m hooked.
That’s good news for the area soccer teams who always seem happy to see me on the sidelines. They have come to expect stunning photographs and crisp stories. This day’s double header yielded both.
O’Neill Lady Raiders Stay Atop Division IV With Slick Win Over Liberty
As the Liberty players went through their warm ups amidst the overcast skies and gathering misty drizzle, you could sense their excitement and hope as they looked to take on O’Neill in a rematch of their first game of the season. In that encounter down in Highland Falls, Liberty fell 7-0 to the talented Lady Raiders.
But since then, Liberty has righted the ship and coming in with a 6-3 (2-1 OCIAA) record, they needed just one more win to assure a sectional berth given their 14-game schedule. Despite repeated attempts to fill in with more games this season, Liberty has found no takers so it looks like seven is the magic number to celebrate a berth-day.
Close encounter: Liberty's Lara Heslop gets a step on a persistent Christina Pellela as first half action heats up.
But they weren’t going to get it on this day and for two salient reasons. The first was the hat trick about to be uncorked by senior striker Maggie Borowicz who scored her first goal just five minutes in and added two more in the second half to keep the distance from the Lady Indians who got second half goals from Rebeccah Harman and Zaira Pabon.
The other advantage O’Neill exerted and a great part of its undefeated league record, came from junior keeper Avianna Velasquez who recorded 14 saves and showed immense athleticism and keen instincts in the cage.
Without a prime-time goal tender, no team is going far when it comes to the postseason. O’Neill’s got a keeper with its keeper if you’ll pardon my play on words.
I had asked both coaches to e-mail me details about the second half as I was leaving for the second part of my tour, but as of this writing I haven’t received such so my recap is heavy on the first half and all-too-brief on the second.
Liberty took it right to O’Neill following the opening kickoff as the Lady Indians looked to be in a bit of disarray at the outset. Zaira Pabon had a shot on goal. With Coach Linda Wetzel shouting continuous directions and admonishments, that dynamic soon changed and once O’Neill got it into the Liberty end they started to make things happen quickly.
Senior Anna Biehle directed the ball forward up the left side and at 35:13 Borowicz picked up a crossing pass from Deanna Ryan and drove a goal by Liberty keeper Justice Muniz-Dingevan for the 1-0 lead.
Liberty had a chance for a tie as Selena Vargas was afforded a direct kick, a product of what seemed like a spate of O’Neilll handballs in the early going. Velaszquez made a spiffy save on Vargas’ direct at 32:10.
You can't see O'Neill's Maggie Borowicz who fired this first goal by Liberty keeper Justice Muniz-Dingevan but the talented striker would add two more before the day was done for the hat trick and the win assurance.
Liberty had its chances as the Lady Indians tried to use a corner kick from Cindy Fuentes to even things up. O’Neill cleared it and put two shots on Muniz-Dingevan who saved both. O’Neill continued to push up and was successful in holding in Liberty goal kicks.
O’Neill was whistled for an infraction in the box and Liberty had a penalty kick opportunity.. Fuentes’ shot skittered wide of the goal at 23:24. O’Neill kept the pressure up with Ryan and Borowicz leading the attack.
After another failed Liberty corner kick O’Neill drove it up the field again as O’Neill senior Lindsey Crill looked to make things happen on the far side of the field. The drive was stymied by another hand ball but undaunted O’Neill continued to press despite an illegal throw in and another handball.
Velasquez had a sliding save on a shot by Pabon at 10:45. It was clear she was going to be hard to beat. After Velasquez kicked it out of bounds, Wetzel yelled, “Stop giving it back.”
At 7:39 Ryan drove it by Muniz-Dingevan in the right hand corner of the box for the 2-0 lead. There was no assist on that goal.
Lara Heslop sent a laser towards the top of the box but Velasquez jumped to send it over the top in Liberty’s best bid to get on the board in the first half.
There would be no more scoring in the first half and as noted I cannot report on the sequence of goals in the second period (hopefully one of the players or the coaches will fill me in and I’ll amend this narrative accordingly.
Suffice it to say that Harman and Pabon scored in the second stanza and Borowicz added two more to give O”Neill the win. Vargas and Pabon provided assists on the Liberty goals.
Liberty 6-3 (3-1 OCIAA) will look to garner its sectional berth as it plays Monticello on October 17 in the third match up of the year with the Lady Monties.
O’Neill improved to 6-3,(3-0 OCIAA). Velasquez had 14 saves; Muniz-Dingevan recorded 13.
Night Watchmen: Short-handed Monticello Puts Up Epic Battle But Falls To Stalwart Sullivan West in Misty Nail-Biter As Keepers Vie To Give Their Teams A Fighting Chance.
Midfield mix: Monticello's Felix Perilla looks to move the ball in traffic but a gathering legion of Sullivan West defenders including Connor Lovgren and Tyler Groh have other ideas.
You could call it a “Night to Remember,” a title not to be confused with the tragic sinking of the Titanic, an event which was dramatically explored in a movie by the same name. No, this night to remember was uplifting, marked by an epic soccer clash under the lights that resulted in a Sullivan West 2-1 win over a gritty Monticello squad who showed up with only ten players in the fold.
For the Sullivan West seniors who got to pose with their parents prior to the outset of the fray, the memory of this sensational win will live on, illuminating a shining bright spot in a season of struggles and few wins.
That victory remained undecided until the final seconds when Monticello’s final shot was deftly saved by sophomore keeper Gavin Owen preventing an overtime that would have ensued had the ball gotten by him.
Owen’s save was a dramatic coda to a great game which marked winless Monticello’s better effort to date. Played on a slippery field amidst alternating steady rain and a gathering mist, this game was a challenge for the players and this photographer as well who had to contend with difficult conditions to try and document the action.
Monticello Coach John Maranzana had memories of Sullivan West’s Richard Lander recording the hat trick against his team in the Westies’ 4-1 rout of the Panthers a couple of weeks back. “Let’s make this a 1-0 win,” h e told his team on the bus coming over. To that end, Maranzana had talented, tall and speedy senior Onique Taylor assigned to lock down Lander all night long..
Sullivan West senior co-captain Sam Smith encodes a longstanding memory after breaking the deadlock with the first goal of the game which came in the second half.
The strategy worked well as Lander would be prevented from breaking off to do the kind of damage he is more than capable of doing. For their part, Sullivan West’s main focus was going to be on Ariel Pabon, the Monties’ most talented player. Pabon would record the lone Monticello goal, an improbable kickoff that travelled to the upper reaches of the cage over keeper Gavin Owen’s head to make a 2-0 Sullivan West margin dangerously close in the game’s waning minutes.
Here are the details in blow-by-blow fashion though truth be told, you had to be there to feel the vibe.
Monticello’s already depleted squad was reduced to ten for this game as the Monties were missing Roberto Lopex, Alex Rockiki and Tusher Abtahee leaving the Monties with ten to play and no subs available. Sullivan West Coach Debbie Owen inserted her starting eleven at the outset of the game.
Sullivan West kicked off and the rain began almost immediately as Austin Colon and Owen settled into their respective goals for the ensuing clash. Sullivan West missed a scoring opportunity early on as Eli Vaknin crossed it to Lander who just missed at 33:30. Taylor tightened the noose on Lander thereafter.
Pabon had a shot that veered far right of the cage. Monticello coaches winced as Joel Aguilar went down with a leg injury but he got back up and returned to action. Playing with nine would have been an even more daunting challenge.
Maranzana implored Taylor to “Make him work,” referring to Lander. Colon and Owen traded saves on direct kicks by the opposition. Both would continue to be tested all night long. Monticello got nice midfield play from Felix Perilla as the action intensified who was bowled over by a charging Connor Lovgren.
That led to a direct kick by Pabon. A pair of illegal throw-ins by Vaknin had Coach Owen showing her displeasure. Owen had a nice save on a lofted ball sent skyward by Taylor as the deadlock continued.
Taylor was the next to go down as he suffered a blow to the shin. Undaunted he got up limping. Lander used the opportunity at 15:40 for a rare break but Colon saved the high shot. Taylor showed no lingering diminishment of his speed or his will as the action continued.
Sullivan West's sophomore keeper Gavin Owen saves the game from going to OT wit this last second snare.
Sullivan West missed another opportunity with Colon out of the goal as Aguilar went down again, but like before, simply shook it off.
A headed shot by Mentor Gashi was saved by Owen on a bounce with 5:35. He soon saved a shot by Pabon and then punted it mightily back up the field.
The first half ended in a 0-0 tie.
Monticello kicked it off and the brisk action resumed forthwith. Owen and Colon traded sliding saves, the latter to stop a shot by senior co-captain Sam Smith at 37:25 assisted by Adam Murphy.The Monties’ lack of miscommunication led to a missed opportunity of an open net at 36:40.
Lander looked frustrated as Marazana barked, “Tight, Tino,” imploring Taylor to closely shadow the talented Westie junior.
José Davilla’s shot was stopped by Owen at 31:55.
Sam Smith finally broke through minutes later as he beat Colon and the ball rolled through for the 1-0 lead.
Monticello flubbed the ensuing kickoff much to the chagrin of Maranzana. The Bulldogs made it 2-0 on a sailing score by Andrew Siegel at 11:08 on an assist from Smith.
On the kickoff Pabon sent a perfect strike right over Owen’s head and a mere five seconds after Siegel had provided an insurance goal, Monticello cashed in to make it 2-1 at 11:03.
Monticello missed a great chance to tie it up at 5:45 but instead of driving the ball straight forward, a moment’s hesitation allowed Owen to recover. Perilla’s subsequent shot was saved by the feisty sophomore keeper. Pabon had a great shot at 1:30 which led to a corner kick and a header that Owen anticipated in coming.
He snared that an the game ended with the 2-1 win for the Bulldogs, just their third victory of the season.
Gamers: Monticello's Ariel Pabon and Sullivan West's Eli Vaknin.
“It wasn’t the best game we’ve played,” said Coach Owen. We were without John Masten and Tyler Groh just returned from a foot injury,” she noted. Masten was on crutches but vowed to return to action soon.
“They did a great job of marking Richard. Taylor really took him out of his game. Richard did a better job in the second half. Pabon has an awesome foot,” she averred, marveling at his kick to the top of the box.
“Ariel moved up once we scored,” added Owen who then turned her attention to give props to some of her players. Andrew Siegel really stepped it up tonight as did Connor Lovgren. Both keepers made great saves.
Marazana started by talking about the great job Taylor did on Lander and his team’s grit in playing with only ten players. “Austin made some great saves and we showed resolve fighting back from the 2-0 deficit.
Monticello outshot Sullivan West 22-15. Colon had nine saves to Owen’ s 14 and led corner kicks by a two-to-one margin.
Sullivan West improved to 3-6-1, while Monticello fell to 0-11.
For albums of pictures from both of these games, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Lens Scape
Fall Afternoon Whirlwind Tour Affords Glimpses Into Girls Tennis And Soccer
Girls Tennis: Liberty 4, Fallsburg 1
Girls Soccer: Fallsburg 5, Family 0; Liberty 2, Sullivan West 1
By RICHARD A. ROSS
rross@sportsinsightsny.com
From hither to yon (Clockwise): Liberty's Anastasia Fitzpatrick prevailed over Fallsburg's Emily Cassidy in singles by the score of 6-4, 6-2. Sullivan West's Kassie Thelman vies for a ball with Liberty's Maria Cuellar. Fallsburg Coach Mike Gellar gives some sideline tips to his Lady Comets, Liberty's Nikole Snyder scores the game-tying goal in the second half. Fallsburg's Samantha Wiles had two goals in the Lady Comets 5-0 shutout of Family. Heidi Furman won her singles match 6-1, 6-0 over Liberty's Caity Robisch.
SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY—Cutting my teeth during my newspaper career as an award-winning sportswriter and photographer , I developed my skills in both disciplines. These days as an independent photojournalist and self-made entrepreneur, I still work at both.
But truth be told, my livelihood is far more dependent on my photograpic skills since this website is free reading. And while people tell me my writing style is unique and compelling, it doesn’t pay the bills.
Consequently, I have taken at times to alighting here and there to avail myself of more picture-takngc opportunities in lieu of always staying put for an entire game to “tell the story,” in my own inimitable way.
With so much happening concurrently on any particular day, were I to stay at one venue solely, I would find myself “missing out,” on things happening elsewhere. I understand the reality of being only one person. Problem is I have the ambition that would be better served by a legion of clones.
Starting out at Fallsburg for an opportunity to shoot both the Comets and visiting Liberty teams a bit, I quickly panned both teams as they volleyed. Tennis players love their sport and for the smaller schools, even being battered by behemoths like Minisink Valley, Cornwall and Washingtonville etc, it’s fun to get out on the court and work on your skills. Encouragment from Fallsburg Coach Janet Carey and Liberty’s Beth Quatrale makes for a valuable experience. Here are the results from the day’s match:
Singles: Heidi Furman (F) d. Caity Robisch 6-1, 6-0; Anastasia Fitzpatrick (L) d. Emily Cassidy 6-4, 6-2; Brittany Williams (L) d. Shannon Smith 6-1, 6-1.
Doubles: Magali Ramirez-Maria Symanski (L) d. Dominique Darby-Heather Schoenleber 6-2, 6-3; Cheyanne Holwell-Brandi Vankeuren (L) d. Selena Giron-Rachael Schmitt.
Lady Comets Get A “W” Versus Family
Chalking up their second win of the season, with the other coming against League rival Eldred, surely felt good for Coach Mike Gellar and his amiable and hard-working Lady Comets. Played on gray skies with rain looming, the Comets got going right away as Samantha Wiles scored on PK just a little over six minutes in.
Wiles would add another goal in Fallsburg’s unrelenting attack to go along with single strikes from Celia Garcia, Kali Seastrand and Kassie Foertsch. Assists came from Wiles, Garcia, Naomi Moody, Valentina Gonzalez and Foertsch. Fallsburg’s Brooke Rappaport recorded five saves as the Comets improved to 2-3.
The Rivalry Resumes As Liberty Comes From Behind For A Division IV Win Over Sullivan West
Face it, when it comes to girls soccer in Sullivan County, the rivalry between Liberty and Sullivan West is never-ending. During seasons too numerous to mention, they have split their season series and taken turns knocking each other out of playoff contention.
For the young Lady Westies who have to now step up following last year’s mass exit of talent due to graduation, this game on Liberty’s pitch was a chance to throw down the gauntlet and speedy Hannah Feinman wasted no time in doing just that as she scored on a breakaway in the game’s early minutes.
Physical play and unstoppable defense on energy led to a stalemate for the rest of the first half and nearly half of the second until Nikole Snyder picked up a ball from Lara Heslop and drove it by Westie keeper Jordan Parsons to tie it up at one.
Sullivan West had a couple of nice breakaways but Liberty backline defenders were able to turn the ball back up field. With Liberty now controlling the flow, you could sense something was going to give and it did.
Selena Vargas sent a perfect corner kick in front of the net and Zaira Pabon sent it home for the game-winner. Expect an intense rematch when the teams resume their kerfuffle on the Westies’ pitch in Jeffersonville later this season.
Justice Dingevan recorded ten saves for Liberty. Parsons had 12 and Cassidy Sauer who came in to replace Parsons who was banged up from the game-tying goal play had two saves.
Goalie saves: L – Justice Muniz 10; SW – Jordan Parsons 12; Cassidy Sauer 2.
Records: Liberty 2-2 (1-1 OCIAA); Sullivan West 3-3 (0-2 OCIAA).
For an album of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
