After dropping their first outing to the Wizards, the (0-1) Knights set their sights on getting on track as they faced the Dragons to close out week one of the JCC of Bayonne Jr. Division Indoor Soccer 2017 campaign. Once again relying on their defensive stalwarts to set the pace, the Knights kept their foe scoreless in the early going as Ezekiel Lupainez, Alina Danelyants, Vedant Gopalan, Amir Asouti and Louai Asouti formed a “Road Block”. Showing an equal amount of effort in their defensive zone, the Dragons’ Ryan Ginty, Toni Rivada, and Dexter Hudspeth joined forces to keep the Knights’ attack at bay. Playing at a thunderous pace, it took a defensive miscue by the Knights to set up the games’ first goal as Aaliyana Cifuentes blistered in a penalty kick to make it 1-0, Wizards. Searching for their first goal of the season, the Knights answered as Nathan Caballero made it a 1-1 game with his first goal of the bout. Knotted up for over ten minutes, the Dragons’ speedy offense began to gain ground as Edward Denne (1 goal, 1 assist), Aaliayana Cifuentes (3 goals), and assists by Hudspeth, Ginty and Rivada rocketed the Dragons out to a 5-1 advantage. Looking to rekindle their offense, the Knights went on a five minute surge to close out the bout with Nathan Caballero cashing in with his second goal but as time ran out the Dragons captured a 5-2 win. A special mention must be given to the Dragons Elizabeth Jerez for her outstanding defensive effort.
Week 1 Jr. Division
Offensive Player of the Game: Christian Benson – Wizards
Defensive Player of the Game: David Matos – Wizards
Teamwork/Leadership Player of the Week: Nathan Caballero – Knights
