It didn’t happen.
The…
By Dylan Butler
Huey Ferguson begged and pleaded with his team to put on the breaks, for the Storm Academy soccer team to slow down the hectic pace of its first-place battle with the rival Brooklyn Knights in a Super Y-League boys’ Under-15 clash.
It didn’t happen.
The Knights benefited from the quickened pace, took control of the game late in the second half and cruised to a 2-1 win over the previously undefeated Storm Academy Tuesday night at Belson Stadium on the campus of St. John’s University.
“In the first half I demand more pressure, more aggression because once we were aggressive they were making mistakes in the back, especially in the middle,” said Knights coach Pietro Asaro. “I didn’t see what I expected to see on their part because they are a good team and I didn’t see the pace that they usually play with.”
The Knights (5-1 Metro Division) used their speed to score both of their goals and held back a late surge by the Storm Academy, which got within a goal on John Tardy’s stoppage time strike.
“I think at times we definitely had opportunities to slow it down and pick them apart, but we were playing their game,” Ferguson said. “They were being very direct, they were moving quickly and we’re more of a possession-type team and we were looking to strike a little bit too early at times.”
The Knights took control of the game midway through the first half and took a 1-0 lead when Diego Martinez played the ball to Allen Herrera, who beat Storm keeper Johnny Covelli with a low shot from 16 yards out after a scramble in the box.
Six minutes after the Storm Academy was reduced to 10 men, when referee Kenny Heller sent Sam Acheampong off for his second yellow card, the Knights took a commanding 2-0 lead.
Edwin Galeano received a flicked ball by Steven Reyes, raced down the left side of the field and tapped the ball into the net from 10 yards out.
“The left side was open and (Reyes) was saying to expect the ball from him,” Galeano said. “At first I thought I was going to lose the ball because (the defender) had a little bit of control over me but…then he left me by myself and I scored.”
Despite being a man down, Storm Academy (3-1) actually played better in the second half and put pressure on the Knights late in game. But Knights keeper Scotty Avendano made a stellar save on a point blank shot by Shomari Diaz and the rebound bounced off the crossbar in the 79th minute.
A minute later Tardy crossed the ball to Daniel Twumasi, but Avendano again came up with the save.
Finally Tardy ruined Avendano’s shutout bid when he took Samuel Archer’s cross and knocked it into the goal in the second minute of stoppage time.
“These guys know each other and before the game they’re hanging out, they’re hugging, they’re laughing, they’re joking,” Ferguson said. “It’s a false sense of security when you’re playing against friends. You sometimes relax too much.”
Storm Academy 9, Brooklyn Knights 0. Kevin Ledesma and Kevin Garcia scored three goals apiece and Joel Im, Robert Mancino and Steven Lopez each scored a goal for the Storm Academy (3-1 Metro Division) in a boys’ Under-14 Super Y-League game Tuesday at Belson Stadium. The Knights fell to 0-3.
Brooklyn Knights 1, Albany Blackwatch Highlanders 1. Andre Borges put the Knights (4-6-1) in front 1-0 in the 45th minute but host Albany tied the game at 1 on Derek Popovic’s 83rd-minute penalty kick in a Premier Development League game Sunday at Frank Bailey Stadium.
The Knights, now unbeaten in three straight games, host two-time defending PDL champion Cape Cod Saturday night at the Metropolitan Oval.
Brooklyn Knights 3, Vermont Voltage 0. Danny Kramer and Chris Megaloudis staked the PDL Knights to a 2-0 lead 20 minutes into the game and Richie Lesmes added an insurance goal in the 50th minute Friday night in Vermont.
Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
