Bateman, Bill Miller at the Top of 7-on-7 Soccer League
Going into last night’s games, Hampton F.C.-Bill Miller, at 6-0-3, led the Wednesday evening 7-on-7 men’s soccer league, with 21 points, followed by Bateman Painting, the fall runner-up to Maidstone Market, at 5-0-4, with 19.
F.C. Tuxpan, at 5-3-1, Maidstone Market, at 4-4-1, Tortorella Pools, at 1-5-3, and Sag Harbor United, at 0-9-0, followed.
In games played at East Hampton’s Herrick Park on June 21, Tuxpan, averaging a goal every four minutes or so, overwhelmed Sag Harbor United 12-0; Maidstone Market outlasted Tortorella 3-2, and Bill Miller and Bateman played to a 1-1 tie, thus each remaining undefeated.
The latter encounter, said Leslie Czeladko, the league’s correspondent, “was a hard-fought game with very physical play on both sides, whose players were yelling at each other and at the referee.”
Bateman’s score resulted from a penalty kick taken by Jonathan Lizano following a foul within the goalie box in the game’s 23rd minute. Bill Miller, with two minutes remaining, tied it on a goal by Gehider Garcia, who as of earlier this week was tied for the “golden boot” award with Tuxpan’s Wilber Flores, with 14 goals each.
Flores scored six — count ’em, six — goals in Tuxpan’s rout of Sag Harbor United, which played the entire game with five men.
Tuxpan led 5-0 at the halftime break, owing to goals by Cristian Espinoza, Juan Carlos, and Flores (three), who tacked on three more goals in the second half. Edgar Alvarez, Gabriel Castro, and Luis Munoz scored as well in the second half.
Czeladko’s team, Tortorella Pools, as aforesaid, lost 3-2 that night to Maidstone Market, which took a 2-1 lead into the halftime break.
“Maidstone could have scored off the kick-off that opened the second half, but Tortorella’s goalie, Boris Penaloza, who was playing up, was just able to push the ball back over the crossbar.”
“Tortorella attacked throughout the second half, and, with five minutes gone, David Rodriguez put Tortorella back in the running again on the rebound of a shot by Cristian Munoz that Alex Mesa, Maidstone’s goalie, could not hold on to. It was the second goal of the night for Rodriguez, and tied the score at 2-2.”
Tortorella continued to attack, though on a counter play following one of the forays, with about five minutes left, Maidstone’s Jefferson Ramirez gathered in a pass at midfield and went one-on-one with Penaloza, dribbling around him and firing the ball into the empty net.
Ramirez’s goal assured Maidstone of a fourth-place finish in the regular season, and thus a playoff spot, and eliminated Tortorella Pools from playoff contention.
Last night’s games were to be the last of the regular season. The playoffs are to begin Wednesday with the fourth seed facing off against the first (Maidstone versus Bill Miller as of this writing), and with the third seed versus the second.
The last time they met, at Herrick on June 14, Bill Miller easily defeated the Market 4-1, though Mathew Ramirez, rather than Mesa, who had been sidelined because of two yellow cardings in a previous game, was tending the Market’s goal. Otherwise the Market was at full strength.
Bill Miller’s goals, by Gehider Garcia (two) and Cristian Flores (two), were good ones. Jose Almansa, Flores, Garcia, and Eddy Juarez all got assists. Xavi Piedramartel got one back for Maidstone near the end of the game.
The Market put only five men on the field against F.C. Tuxpan on May 31. “Even so,” said Czeladko, “they could have pulled out a win. . . . Alex Mesa played an incredible game, with a total of 12 saves and a goal that saw him, following a save, dribble up the field, pass off, shoot when he got the ball back, and head the rebound in over Tuxpan’s goalie, Jose Reyes, but he could only do so much.”
Sag Harbor United, again shorthanded — though this time with six men — put up a good showing against Bateman Painting on the 14th. Romulo (La Pulga) Tubatan, one of the league’s veteran players, scored all of Bateman’s goals in the 3-1 win. Miguel Angel scored for S.H.U.