By Dylan Butler
Three more Queens PSAL boys’ soccer teams were forced to forfeit games this week as the rash of forfeits involving ineligible players continues to be a black eye for the league.
Queens ‘A’ East rivals John Bowne and Flushing, as well as Jamaica in the ‘B’ division, were found to have used ineligible players during the season, bringing the total of teams who forfeited games this year to six, five in Queens — and three (Bowne, Flushing and Bayside) in the same division.
“It’s a terrible thing, more so for the other kids who are fine student-athletes,” said PSAL soccer commissioner Will Stasiuk. “They work hard and see their dream shattered by, in what many cases are, oversights or clerical errors.”
John Bowne was in the midst of one of the most successful seasons in recent memory and was on the verge of making the playoffs for the first time in three years.
But the Wildcats saw their record go from 7-0-1 to 0-8 after the PSAL ruled that players Rubiel Castano and Christian Mejia played despite being ineligible.
According to second-year head coach Peter Berthel, the forfeits were a result of a clerical mistake, a similar error made by pre-season division favorite Bayside earlier in the month.
When Berthel double checked academic records, he noticed the players did not meet the academic requirement and immediately informed the PSAL of the mistake.
“I’m sick over this whole thing,” Berthel said after a shaken Bowne lost at Cardozo, 7-2, Oct. 23 in a game that should have been for the division title. “I’m not the type of person [to cheat]. It’s just an honest mistake that cost us a potentially fantastic season.”
Berthel notified his team at practice Oct. 22.
“They were shocked,” he said. “A few thought I was kidding. The shock carried over to today’s game.”
“I feel sad and angry because we put everything on the field and they took it away,” said senior Carlos Llanos, one of the PSAL’s top goal scorers this year. “The whole team practiced so hard for this season. We made a great season and now we can’t do any more.”
Because of Bowne’s forfeits, league rival Flushing found itself in the playoff hunt. But that changed on Friday when, following a PSAL investigation, the Red Devils were forced to forfeit five games because it used an ineligible player.
The player, Diego Velasquez, transferred from Van Buren to Flushing and unbeknownst to Flushing coach Terry McLaughlin, was suspended by Queens Superintendent John Lee while at Van Buren.
According to PSAL rules, a player must sit for a year after being superintendent suspended.
The case is similar to Long Island City’s early season forfeits when the Bulldogs used a player who transferred into the school after being superintendent suspended when at Aviation last year.
“He came and apologized to the team. I think he’s basically a good kid,” said McLaughlin, whose team is now 3-4-3 and in fourth place in Queens A East. “I don’t know if we would have made the playoffs, but I just feel bad for our five seniors [Rahmat Mashriqi, Edgar Ortega, Oscar Santa, Luis Pedraza and Diego Garcia].”
Jamaica (3-6 Queens B North) had to forfeit its first four games when it used a player, Rashid Green, who head coach Eric Premisler thought had enough credits, but didn’t attend summer school, as Green originally told his coach.
“It’s only my second year and I’m learning how this stuff works,” Premisler said. “More than anything I’m embarrassed, especially to have my best season so far and have it ripped away.
“I apologized to the players, who were having a great season. I feel bad for them.”
Newcomers 2, Aviation 1. Zakarie Ouhnayen scored a goal in each half for Newcomers (3-5-1 Queens A West). Aviation is 6-5.
Grover Cleveland 2, Long Island City 1. Claudio Luka and Richard Lopez each scored for Cleveland (6-4-2 Queens A West). LIC falls to 5-5.
Forest Hills 2, Francis Lewis 0. Michael Moncada and Oskar Kowalski each scored and Jose Batista had a pair of assists for Forest Hills (7-2-1 Queens A East), which is in sole possession of second place in the division. Francis Lewis drops to 6-2-1.
Campus Magnet 3, Springfield Gardens 2. Toure Abdoulaye, Calbert Miller and Barrington Mighty scored for Campus Magnet (10-1-2 Queens B South). Springfield Gardens is 7-3.
Richmond Hill 5, Beach Channel 2. Olegario Garzon netted a hat trick, and Derrick McCormack and Koumtag Christian added a goal apiece for Richmond Hill (7-3-2 Queens B South). Beach Channel falls to 2-9.
Flushing 1, Cardozo 1. Diego Garcia tied the game for Flushing with 10 minutes left on a feed from Arturo Gatica.
Richmond Hill 2, Springfield Gardens 0. Garzon and Christian each scored while Raul Arellano had five saves for his fourth shutout for Richmond Hill (6-3-2 Queens B South).
Newtown 7, John Adams 0. Richie Lesmes netted a hat trick, David Panchano added two goals and Francisco Gonzalez scored a penalty kick goal and had two saves for Newtown (11-0-2, 10-0-1 Queens A West).
Francis Lewis 2, Bayside 1. Carlos Techera and Giuseppe Fiorito each scored and Tommy Martello had 13 saves for the Patriots, while Bayside fell to 2-6 in Queens A East.
Campus Magnet 1, Far Rockaway 0. Francisco Linares scored on an assist from Keon Bobb in the 38th minute and Kijana Kerr stopped eight shots to record his fourth shutout of the year for the Bulldogs.
Grover Cleveland 5, Bryant 1. Richard Lopez netted a hat trick and had one assist, and Luka added a goal for the Tigers.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by email at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
