FC Sonic – Lehigh Valley NPSL Soccer

On a weekend that would arguably define the FC Sonic Lehigh Valley season, the locals pulled together as one and beat the Erie Admirals, 2-1, within 48 hours of beating FC Buffalo, 3-0. The six points enable the Sonic to stay at the top of the NPSL’s Keystone Conference and keep playoff hopes alive and well.

After the convincing shutout of Buffalo on Friday night, FC Sonic turned their attention to taking on an undefeated Erie team in a Sunday matinee on June 26 at Lehigh’s Ulrich Stadium. Two weeks earlier, at Erie, the Admirals got the best of Sonic with a goal in the 88th minute for a 1-0 win.

From the outset of Sunday’s match, Sonic head coach Dave Weitzman felt that his team did not have their legs under them after the tough match against Buffalo. Erie began creating good chances, but failed to convert as Sonic goalkeeper Charlie Sales was a stalwart in the net. In the middle of the half, Weitzman replaced forward Shastri Spencer with the UCSB bound Chris Roell, with the hope that Roell would help the team maintain some possession time. The move paid off, as just seconds before the halftime whistle, Roell took a ball deep on the flank, out-muscled and faked out an Erie defender and hit captain Ryan Hess with a pinpoint pass. Hess drew the next Erie defender and slipped the ball to Lehigh forward Joe Puleo on his left, and Puleo took one touch and put the ball under Erie’s keeper for a 1-0 Sonic lead.

The second half saw Erie dominate play, determined to knot the score. Despite waves of offensive thrusts, the Sonic defense and keeper Sales were resolute, denying Erie the equalizer. Finally, the inevitable occurred, and Erie’s Oliver Gage scored in the 77th minute to tie the game. Erie continued its pressure, until a Sonic counter in the 88th minute. The Sonic’s Cody Antonini, late of Muhlenberg College, found back Jordie Ciuffetelli (Lehigh University)making a long run out of the back and got the ball to him. Ciuffetelli’s first touch was not ideal, but the Admiral defender was unable to clear the ball, and Ciufetteli gathered it up and beat the Erie keeper for the gamewinner.

After the game, Ciuffetelli said “I could have done better on my first touch, but I stayed with the play, pounced on the ball and put it in.” Coach Weitzman observed, “Jordie is a competitor who hates to lose. He took it upon himself to make a long run, looking to score, and he made it happen. I have a lot of confidence in Jordie and the rest of the team. It’s like coaching an all star team; the players make the coach look good.”

Next on tap for FC Sonic is a home match against local foe Pocono Snow on July 1 at 730pm. On July 9, the Sonic travel to Atlantic City to take on the undefeated Crusaders, hopefully with first place at stake.

On Friday night, June 24, the FC Buffalo Blitzers came to Bethlehem looking for revenge. They didn’t get it, as the FC Sonic Lehigh Valley scored twice in the first half, and added a late tally to win 3-0.

The Sonic had defeated Buffalo 1-0 on the Blitzers home pitch two weeks ago, and the visitors were determined to turn the tables this time. Nevertheless, toward the end of a very even first half, the Sonic’s Shastri Spencer sent a fine ball to forward Joe Puleo to create a one-on-one situation with the Buffalo keeper. Puleo got the better of it by placing a fine shot off the far post and in for a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute. Sonic captain Ryan Hess added a goal via penalty kick in the 39th minute, and midfielder Sean Baker chipped the ball over the keeper and scored his first ever NPSL goal in the 90th minute to cap off the scoring. Sonic netminder Tony Hernandez made several fine saves to secure a clean sheet.

The win keeps FC Sonic near the top of the table in the NPSL Keystone Conference, with a key matchup with the undefeated Erie Admirals ahead on Sunday, June 26 at 430pm at Lehigh’s Ulrich Sports Complex. The winner of that game will remain firmly in the battle for first place in the conference.

There’s no place like home for the FC Sonic NPSL squad. Returning to the comfortable confines of Lehigh University on Friday, June 17, after a testing road trip, the locals showed their appreciation to an enthusiastic home crowd by routing the NJ Blaze, 6-0.

From the start of the match, it was all Sonic, all the time. The Blaze were outmanned and outgunned, and the Lehigh Valley side showed no mercy. The first half included Sonic scores by Justine Kamine and Joe Puleo, as well as a well placed direct kick tally by captain Ryan Hess, for a 3-0 halftime lead. Second half action brought more of the same, as Sonic super sub Ryan Wetherhold (Parkland HS/Lafayette College) celebrated twice after a couple of slick goals, and a late score by stalwart Cody Antonini finished off the Blaze at 6-0.

The Sonic goal explosion was tempered a bit by some disappointing news. Midfielder Dan Odenwelder (Moravian Academy/Lehigh University) is out indefinitely, having needed surgery for a broken nose suffered in last weekend’s match at Erie. Even worse, forward Todd Ervin found out this week that his season is over, as he faces shoulder surgery, the result of an injury at Buffalo last Sunday. The bad news was softened a bit, as forward Joe Sales reported that he is recovering from a hamstring injury, and he hopes to return to the lineup soon.

“As has happened before, the Erie/Buffalo road trip took a bit of a toll on the team, both physically and in the standings, but the boys rebounded nicely tonight,” said team president Fred Stellato. “With the injury losses, the depth of the squad will be tested over the next few weeks. Tonight, the likes of Justine Kamine and Ryan Wetherhold stepped up and showed that they can carry on for their sidelined mates,” Stellato added.

Coach Weitzman was happy with the play of the entire roster after the match, but he knows that the next two home games hold the key to the Sonic season. He remarked, “We must knock off both Buffalo and Erie and get the six points next weekend, and I’m confident that the boys are up to the challenge.”

On Friday, June 24, Buffalo rolls into Bethlehem, looking to make up for last week’s loss to the local side. And on Sunday afternoon, June 26, Erie invades the Lehigh pitch, with the Sonic boys poised for revenge after last weekend’s last minute loss to the Admirals. Both home matches are destined to be battles to the end, and the Lehigh Valley will be treated to top shelf soccer as staying at the top of the Keystone Conference standings will be at stake for all three teams.

SONIC GOALS: Kamine, Hess, Puleo, Wetherhold (2), Antonini

ASSISTS: Spencer, Barnold, Roell, Famili

On June 10, FC Sonic traveled to Erie for a Friday night matchup against the undefeated Admirals. Last season, Sonic beat the Admirals twice in the final ten minutes in two of the most exciting 2010 NPSL games, and more of the same was anticipated in Friday’s match as two of the top teams in the league took to the field. This time, however, it was Erie who prevailed on a late goal, 1-0.

The Sonic, playing without center back Collin Costello (formerly of Freedom HS), moved Dan Odenwelder (Lehigh University) to the back line and brought in Nate Squire (Muhlenberg College) to solidify the central midfield. The locals controlled the first fifteen minutes of the match on a rainy and cold (58 degrees) night as Muhlenberg’s Cody Antonini sailed an early shot just over the crossbar and Shastri Spencer created two strong scoring chances with crosses that were cleared for corner kicks. The match became very physical and not many calls went the way of the Sonic side. The teams traded opportunities and went into the halftime knotted at zero.

Admiral forward and leading scorer, Afrim Latifi, was frustrated on the night and was issued a yellow card for dissent in the second half. Some minutes later, the Sonic’s Odenwelder went up to clear an Admirals flighted ball and took a knock that sent him off for the remainder of the match.

Finally, in the 88^th minute and after two fantastic chances by Sonic, one being a Toric Robinson blast that was headed off the line by defender Mike Kennedy, the Admirals took a throw in resulting in the ball bouncing around in the Sonic box, begging to be cleared.  The ball eventually fell to Erie’s Brian Fitzgerald who smashed the ball into the back of the net just to the right of outstretched Sonic keeper Charlie Sales. The Sonic valiantly put together a final few good opportunities before the referee blew the whistle on an Erie win.

Desperately needing to stay near the top of the Keystone Conference table, the Sonic then traveled to Buffalo NY on June 12 to take on the Blitzers at All-High Stadium – more well known as the stadium in the movie ”The Natural” – and one of the best venues in the NPSL. Sonic came out flying and, in the 6^th minute, Lehigh’s Joe Puleo scored the eventual game winner off a Todd Ervin pass, beating the Buffalo keeper high and to his right with a left footed blast. In the second half of another physical game, Ervin had to come off the pitch with a shoulder injury. Sean Baker (Salisbury HS / U. of Richmond) made his Sonic debut late in the match and nearly gave Sonic a second goal with a fine scoring effort. Nevertheless, the Puleo tally held up for a 1-0 Sonic victory.

Overall, Coach Weitzman was pleased with the effort from the boys. “I wish we had not conceded the three points to Erie, as we were hoping to come away with at least one point from that game. We also lost a few players to injury, and we are unsure of when they might return to action. A week’s rest followed by four consecutive home games will be nice so we can regroup for the second half of the season,” said Weitzman.

The NPSL Keystone Conference is crowded at the top. FC Sonic currently sits in first place at 4-1-1 and with 13 points. The Erie Admirals are in second place with a 4-0-0 record and with 12 points (two games in hand). The Reading Revolution sit in third place with 12 points and a record of 4-0-2, including a loss to Erie. AC Crusaders are in fourth place with a 3-0-1 record and 10 points (two games in hand).

Next FC Sonic Lehigh Valley match is Friday, June 17, at Lehigh University Ulrich Soccer Stadium against the NJ Blaze at 7:30pm.

SONIC vs. Erie: Sales C., Barnold, Odenwelder (Puleo), Ciuffetelli, Schwab, Robinson, Hess, Squire, Spencer (Whitmeyer), Ervin (McIntyre), Antonini

SONIC vs. Buffalo: Hernandez, Barnold, Squire, Ciuffetelli, Schwab, Robinson, Hess, Ervin (Wetherhold), Puleo (McIntyre), Antonini, Whitmeyer (Spencer/Baker)

As of 6.13.11 -

Goals:

Puleo (3)

Hess (2)

Costello, Barnold, Roell, Sales J.,Ervin, Antonini (1)

Assists:

Ciuffetelli (4), Spencer (3), Hess (2), Costello, Ervin (1)

Saves:

Sales C. – 13

Hernandez – 10

Shutouts: 3 – Hernandez (1) / Sales (2)

Goals Against: 6 (2 US Open Cup Qualifier)

Goals for: 11 (1 US Open Cup Qualifier)

* Costello’s goal was in the US Open Cup Qualifier & Ciuffetelli assisted on the goal

FC Sonic Lehigh Valley and the Atlantic City Crusaders (3-0-1, 10 points) came into Saturday night’s game at Lehigh tied at the top of the NPSL Keystone Conference table. At the end of a thrilling match, the teams remained deadlocked in first place as the result of a 2-2 draw.

From the opening whistle, AC controlled the rhythm and flow of the game as former Lehigh standout Adam Williamson, current Lehigh product Neil Melchionni, and former Rutgers sensation Adam Sturnberger created several near miss opportunities. But by 15 minutes into the half, the Sonic side had gained its composure and began creating solid chances in the final third. With about twenty minutes left in the half, Sonic forward Shastri Spencer beat two Crusader defenders down the right side and hit an early cross that midfielder Cody Antonini dummied for his cohort, Ryan Hess. Hess took a terrific first touch and calmly placed the ball low to the far side of the goal beating the Crusader keeper to open the scoring.

AC leveled the score shortly thereafter when Sonic centerback AJ Barnold mishandled a ball and a Crusader forward dribbled around Sonic goalkeeper Troy Hernandez placing an uncontested shot in the back of the net.  Having momentum, the visitors almost jumped right into the lead, but Hernandez came up with a spectacular save, keeping the AC forward from getting his second goal of the night. Just  seconds later, however, the Sonic’s Hess beat a Crusader defender and played a well-placed pass to Antonini who clipped the ball behind his heel then rifled a shot past the keeper for a 2-1 score heading into the half.

AC made a player change at the beginning of the second half, bringing on a more pacey forward, and the decision paid immediate dividends as he beat two Sonic defenders then placed the ball just past an outstretched Hernandez to knot the match at 2-2. The Sonic had many opportunities throughout the remainder of the second half, but could not regain the lead. Sonic Head Coach Dave Weitzman commented, “The boys may have deserved three points on the night, but against good teams like AC, we cannot continue to make mental mistakes or they’ll find a way to make us pay for them. Tonight was a good example of that.”

FC Sonic (3-0-1, 10 points) will hit the road this weekend on their longest trip of the season as they travel to Erie (2-0, 6 points) to play the Admirals on Friday night followed by a Sunday matinee in Buffalo (2-1, 6 points) against the Blitzers. The Sonic return home for a Friday night match against the NJ Blaze on June 17.

Line Up: Hernandez, Ciuffetelli, Schwab (Kamine), Costello, Barnold, Odenwelder, Robinson, Hess, Antonini, Ervin (Wetherhold), Spencer (Puleo)

FC SONIC Goals: Hess & Antonini

FC SONIC Assists: Spencer & Hess

Last week brought mixed results for FC Sonic Lehigh Valley. The week began with a 3-0 snuffing of the Buxmont Torch at Lehigh’s Ulrich Sports Complex on Wednesday, May 25. On Friday, May 27, however, the Sonic lost a tough home match, 2-1 in overtime, to the Brooklyn Italians in a U.S. Open Cup qualifier.

Against Buxmont, the Sonic came out a bit sluggish, but soon established a majority of the possession in the first half. Near the end of the half, in the 40th minute, Sonic defender A.J. Barnold scored after a scramble off a throw-in deep in Torch territory. The second half brought more of the same, with substitute Joe Puleo coming on up front, and scoring goals at the 47th and 75th minutes. Sonic keeper Charlie Sales kept the sheet clean, and the locals increased their Keystone Conference leading record to 3 – 0.

Friday’s Cup qualifying match was tremendously frustrating for the Sonic side. In just the second minute, Brooklyn forward Joe Tavernese suprised the home team with a terrific flip throw into the box where teammate Sebastien Anzevui pounced on the ball and scored a stunning early goal. The Sonic took on the challenge and began to dominate possession shortly thereafter. Finally, in the 45th minute, defender Collin Costello popped a headball over the Brooklyn keeper off a Jordie Ciuffetelli throw, knotting the match at 1 all at the half.

FC Sonic began the second half as it ended the first, garnering the lion’s share of the possession and scoring chances, only to lack for a solid finish. Brooklyn evened out the play somewhat, with both teams tiring a bit in the heat and humidity of the night, and regulation time ended with a 1-1 tie. The first 15 minute overtime was scoreless, but early in the second overtime, Brooklyn forward Kordell Samuel, who had a strong overall game, split the Sonic defenders and scored off a feed from an Italians sub, Oleksandr Gotsabina. Despite numerous late thrusts by the home side, Brooklyn held on to the 2-1 lead and grabbed the Cup nod from the NPSL Northeast Region.

“It was a tough loss to swallow, as it was clear that we had much of the run of play. But give Brooklyn credit. They hung in there and finished their late chance when it mattered,” said Sonic club president Fred Stellato.

The Sonic must regroup quickly, as a tough and undefeated AC Crusaders squad invades the Ulrich pitch on Saturday night, June 4, at 7:30 pm, with first place on the line.

FC Sonic Defeat Pocono Snow 2-0

FC Sonic Lehigh Valley took to the road Saturday evening for the second time this week and recorded their second victory in as many matches, defeating the Pocono Snow by a 2-0 score at East Stroudsburg University.

After a somewhat slow start by the locals, Sonic center back Collin Costello thought he had a goal in the 24^th minute off a corner that referee Terry Houck disallowed for obstruction on Snow keeper Ryan Lantzy. Just five minutes later, however, veteran forward Joe Sales had to be helped off the pitch with a hamstring pull and Coach Weitzman brought on newcomer Chris Roell on to replace the injured Sales. That proved to be a good move, as Sonic opened the scoring shortly thereafter. Sonic captain Ryan Hess received a ball out wide throught the efforts of Sonic midfielders Sky Rimmelee and Dan Odenwelder, and Hess immediately found Roell with a pinpoint cross that Roell volleyed in around the helpless Snow keeper. It was the first career NPSL goal for the Sonic rookie who is headed to UC Santa Barbara this fall.

In the second half, Sonic controlled the run of play and were rewarded in the 60^th minute with a beautiful cross from left back Jordie Ciuffetelli that found Hess on the back stick for another terrific volley. “As the ball was served, Todd Ervin did a terrific job of drawing the attention of two Snow defenders which left me alone on the back post. Todd didn’t interfere with the service and I just did what I was supposed to do with it,” explained Hess.

Coach Weitzman was proud with the effort from the boys. “It’s always a challenge to play two games in 48 hours and, although we didn’t look dynamic early on, I thought the boys clearly understood the game plan for the second half, and it showed,” said Weitzman. He added, “We had two terrific finishes on goal tonight and getting a clean sheet is always a good sign. ”

The Sonic (2-0) now look forward to settling in at their home field at Lehigh University where they are set to play three consecutive home matches, including a U.S. Open Cup qualifying match on Friday, May 27 versus the Brooklyn Italians.

Line Up: Sales C., Ciuffetelli, Costello, Barnold, Schwab, Hess, Odenwelder, Remmelee, Ervin, Sales J., Spencer

Subs: Roell, Robinson, Whitmeyer, Hernandez, Wetherhold, McIntyre, Squire

Goal(s): Roell (38), Hess (60)

Assist(s): Hess, Ciuffetelli

Next Match Wednesday May 25 at 7pm vs. Buxmont Torch at Lehigh University’s Ulrich Stadium

UPDATE: 2010 NPSL Final Four Draw / Schedule Released

BETHLEHEM — FC Sonic had talent when it was needed and luck when talent wasn’t enough.

The Lehigh Valley chapter of the National Premiere Soccer League defeated its toughest opponent of the season in the New York Red Bulls, a U23 development team affiliated with the MLS club of the same name…. Read More