FIVE FOR # FIVE

Springfield NJ – Opening weekend for the Morris County Youth Soccer League saw a U10 Springfield Attack host our Florham Park wolFPack team in their Flight 2 debut.   Springfield Attack and our wolFPackers have first played each other in the Fall of 2017 at Flight 4. Both teams saw their way through into Flight 3 in the Spring of 2018.   Today they kicked off their friendly rival in Flight 2 at Florence Gaudineer Middle School in Springfield NJ.

The wolFPack took the first leg of the contest 5 – 2 with # 5, Peter Garing, netting all 5 goals.

The rainy Sunday didn’t start off in favor of Florham Park when they went down 1 nil in the early part of the game.    Garing even the score up when Ryan “Medichio” Medich quickly took a ball that went out of bound and launched it into Garing who then finished for his first of the day.

Springfield came out swinging again and notched another to get in the lead again making it 2 – 1.  Garing’s solo effort quickly evened the score at twos when the ball bounced out to him.  He made a quick move inside 6 yard box and flicked one over the keepers head.

That was the end of the Springfield scoring but not for Garing.  He notched his 3rd goal just before the half by being in the right spot at the right time.  The goal was a result of an unbelievable effort by Danny Ewing who sideline juked a few guys and dished a ball off to Garing inside the 6. Ewing had an MVP style game and possible his best game he has ever played in a wolFPack uniform.

The score line was 3-2 going into the half.

Play seemed very even in the beginning part of the second half.  Springfield had a lot of good chances only to be swallowed up by net minder Mark Perillo.    Perillo put up a clean sheet in the second half stopping a flurry of shots from The Attack.

The fourth goal of the day started again from a magnificent effort by Ewing who got Johnny Keogh into play.  Keogh poked a pass over to Garing who nutmegged a defender on his way towards goal.  Garing blasted the shot past the keeper.

The game was out of reach when Garing netted his 5th goal when he won a ball just around midfield and went off on a breakaway sealing the victory.

Coach Garing was speaking in the parking lot , “Its always great to get a win with the first game.  He (Garing) may be getting a headline today, but the game was really won in the midfield by Ewing.  Today Ewing showed that he can run as an outside flank, center midfielder or a forward”

Ewing, Medichio, Perillo, defender Dylan Sugg and Matt Toto who played in goals and defended today all shined in todays victory.    The difference between the 2 teams today was the depth of the wolFPack.  It didn’t matter who was on the field, they all held up their own.

Toto made a few saves in the first half that kept the game alive.  But it was his second half play at defense stopping all the threats from a new Springfield player who showed amazing potential.

Sugg has been a stalwart defender all last season.  Sugg picked up right where he left off by owning anything that came down his flank side.  Sugg won every ball that came his way and played a critical role in the second half when it seemed like Springfield was going to crack through.

When wolFPack matches up well with teams, it is the depth that puts them over the top.   Nick Ciccarelli, Daniel Raphael, Dylan Brown and Keogh are 4 players that come in and out of the game and play multiple positions.  They continue to step up in crucial parts of the match and win their battles helping the team to victory.

“Yeah, its great getting 5 goals, but we only do that when we have all guys fighting on all cylinders.  The hardest part is taking a guy off the field, not putting a guy on the field in games like today.” said Coach Garing in the parking lot.

WolFPack will traveling to Livingston next Sunday.