Sleepy Hollow Football Club Highlights: Week 3

There’s nothing better than Fall in Sleepy Hollow territory and seeing our favorite SHFC players on the field. Week 3 continues with some decisive victories and a lot of spirited play. Join us in supporting the club and watching our dedicated players bring all that they’ve got to the game we all love.

Read on for highlights from a few of this past weekend’s games. And for more information about SHFC, please visit http://www.sleepyhollowfc.com.

SHFC Fusion

SHFC Fusion hosted the Mt Pleasant Wildcats in their fall season home opener and played to a decisive 7-1 victory. Fusion took control of the game's pace and possession from the outset. Jayden Perez scored in the game's second and tenth minutes, and Sebastian Londono scored a few moments later. After goals by Luke Tonaj on an aggressive breakaway and Shyam Manjanath, off a well-placed penalty kick, Fusion would go into the half with a 5-1 lead. In the second half, goals by Tonaj and Dylan Largo would solidify Fusion's victory.

Luca Dominguez, Ian Papadopoulos, Kieran Degen, Sean Mackiewicz, Raul Socualaya and Edwin Dutan each had attempts on goal. Pierce Davis and Josh Ortiz rotated between striker and defensive sweeper. Goalie Jonathan Figueroa played a great game, then volunteers Perez and Eoghan Glynn stepped in for a turn keeping goal.

Fusion travels to their rival, the Shrub Oak Fusion, on October 3 for some spirited competition.

SHFC Red Fury

The Red Fury played a nail-biting game against the Rivertowns United Lightning winning 1-0. The Red Fury played with grit and applied tremendous pressure throughout the game displaying their trademark teamwork and passing. The Red Fury controlled possession during this game and had several exciting plays and opportunities to score. During the first half, midfielders Breanne Rodriguez, Maiyumi Marcus-Kanesaka, and Rachel Richardson controlled and moved the ball well on the field. Defenders Grace McGovern, Swara Ketkar, and Meadow Gurreri did a great job protecting the Red Fury goal. Rose Ritz attacked the Lightning's goal on the right side of the field and Sofia Cruz and Yahtee Iokhande connected with each other to also attack the Lightning's goal on several occasions. One pass by Sofia to Yahtee resulted in the game's only goal. This goal marks newcomer Yahtee's first goal with the Red Fury team.

The second half saw Meghan McMahon attack the Lightning's goal on the left side several times. On several of these attacks, Sofia fed the ball to Meghan from her center forward position. Maeve Yox, playing right forward, pushed the ball up the field and either took shots on goal or sent crosses into the box. Mia Gurreri broke up several of the Lightning's attacks, on one occasion engaging in a back and forth by heading the ball. Natalie Coffman did a wonderful job defending the Red Fury goal by breaking up attacks and clearing the ball down the field. On one exciting defensive play, Grace ran down an opposing player who initially had a breakaway and managed to steal the ball to neutralize the threat.

The Red Fury is coached by Katie McMahon and Jim McGovern. They currently sit on top of their division. Next week, they play against the Mt Pleasant Wildcats.

SHFC Bandits

The Girls Red Bandits faced what may have been their toughest opponent to date in the Byram Hills Bobcats on Sunday. The stars of this match were the Bandits' goalies, as the Bobcats put relentless pressure on our defense. In the first half, Elizabeth Impastato was unflappable in the goal, and this reporter lost count of her saves after 15. The Bandits defense, led by an aggressive Mackenzie Linhart and an impenetrable Marley DiFilippis, with solid backup by newcomers Noor Ibouzir and Mathilda Erbrink-Johnson, kept the opposing offense at bay. Ada Chalfy capitalized on her only look at the goal, popping it in off of Impastato's goal kick late in the first half, putting the Bandits in the lead at halftime, 1-0.

Sabrina Graham strode into the goal box for the second half, clocking 15 saves over her time at net. Natalia Hargrave stepped up on defense, and with Mackenzie Linhart, continued to keep the pressure on the opposing offense. Linhart in particular was very effective at keeping the Bobcats' top striker at bay. Byram Hills broke through at last to score a goal halfway through the second half, to tie the game. The Bobcats' defense was suffocating, neutralizing Chalfy and the offensive line, and the Bandits couldn't capitalize on their only look at the goal. With luck on their side, the Bobcats scored a second goal late in the game, finalizing the score at 2-1, Byram Hills. It was a thrilling game, and The Bandits played hard. Despite a little bad luck, the girls walked away with heads held high, ready to redeem themselves next week.

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