EFA shuts down Southside in boys soccer

Staff report • September 10, 2010, 11:25 pm

EFA Scoring - Varkatzas (2-1), Lian (1-0), Milliken (1-0), Burfield (0-1), Kucharski (0-1), Munson (0-1)

Shots/Corners - EFA (13-5), SHS (3-5)

Saves - EFA (Waters - 2), SHS (Berglund - 10)

Boys soccer: Kaysa's 2 goals spark Horseheads

Staff report • September 8, 2010, 10:11 pm

Hunter Kaysa's two goals paced Horseheads in its 3-0 victory over visiting Elmira Free Academy in Southern Tier Athletic Conference West boys soccer Wednesday.

EFA edges Corning in STAC match

Staff report • September 3, 2010, 11:10 pm

Alex Varkatzas's first-half goal Friday proved to be all that Elmira Free Academy needed in a 1-0 boys soccer victory over Corning in a Southern Tier Athletic Conference home match.

EFA Scoring - Varkatzas (1-0), Lian (0-1)

Shots/Corners - EFA (5-3), Corning (9-2)

Saves - EFA (Waters - 9), Corning (Howitt - 4)

Records - EFA (3-0), Corning (1-1)

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The Elmira Free Academy boys varsity soccer team earned an important conference win early in the season as they down the Corning District 1-0 at Elmira Free Academy in thier conference opener.

Nick Lian's launched a perfect 35-yard direct kick that found Alex Varkatzas lingering on the back post.  Varkatzas towered over the Corning defender and headed home a thundering shot 49-seconds into the match that would prove to be the game winner with 79:11 to go in the game.  The goal was Varkatzas 6th of the season.

EFA's tactics employed a more defensive style for much of the match as the Devils knew Corning boasted a very talented midfield.  Although the Hawks dominated possession and seemed to be inside the EFA defensive third for much of the match, it was EFA that looked more dangerous going forward in transition as all three of the best scoring chances of the match were in EFA's favor.  A well-struck ball from Varkatzas that found the inside of the post and rebounded to saftey and a missed penalty kick failed to seal the match for an exhausted Devils' side that used 16 players from thier roster.  However, some important casualties could not be avoided as starting junior left-back Matt Terpack left the game 5 minutes into the second half with an ankle injury and Nick Lian also sat out the final 10 minutes with a hip injury.  Neither player returned to the pitch.  Corning held a 9-5 shot advantage.

Regardless of outcome, both sides played hard and showed respect towards the other with many of the players commenting "good game" before either team left the field of play after the final whistle.

EFA jumps out to an early 3-0 record (1-0 in STAC), while Corning begins thier season at 1-1 (1-1 in STAC) after an early 3-2 victory at home over Union-Endicott. 

The Blue Devils next travel to Horseheads in another important early season match on Wednesday, August 8th at 4:30 pm.  Elmira Free Academy has only lost to Horseheads ONCE in the last seven times the two programs have played.

Corning seeks back-to-back titles in STAC West

By Andrew Legare •alegare@gannett.com • August 30, 2010, 9:10 pm

STAC West

Horseheads won eight straight Southern Tier Athletic Conference West Division titles from 1999 to 2006.

Elmira Free Academy claimed STAC West titles in 2007 and 2008.

Corning head coach Chad Freelove is hoping the streaky nature of the division continues this season as his squad tries to successfully defend its championship. Eight starters return from last year's team.

The battle for the division title figures to be a battle between Corning, Horseheads and EFA after Corning secured the championship on the final day of the regular season last year.

"I think it's going to be just like it has been the last few years: a three-horse race between EFA, Horseheads and ourselves," Freelove said. "If we play to our potential, we can win. ... We have to play our best soccer every time out on the pitch."

Said EFA head coach Derek Hamilton: "Horseheads, Corning and EFA are right around the same level. Those games against each other will be the key in the STAC West."

The league's coaches are happy with a schedule change that has their teams playing only one crossover game against teams from the STAC Metro Division, giving them a chance to schedule more nonleague opponents. Previously, the West teams played each of the Metro teams twice per season.

Boys Soccer Team Capsules

Corning

Coach: Chad Freelove

Last year's record: 9-7-1

Opener: 5 p.m. today at home against Union-Endicott

Outlook: Among the keys for the Hawks is senior goalkeeper Jonathan Howitt, who last year tied a team record with seven shutouts, leading a defense that allowed only 14 goals during the regular season.

He'll be flanked by three starting defenders who are back: seniors Tony Secondo and Patrick Kerwin, and sophomore Jeffery Kahlmeyer.  The midfield also boasts three returning starters in STAC West/Metro all-conference pick Sam Schirmer, STAC West all-star Zach Dann and Matt Sheffer, who missed the final nine games of the 2009 season with a foot injury.  All three are seniors.

Rounding out the eight returning starters is senior forward Julian LaDalia, a STAC West all-star last season who contributed greatly to the 48 goals scored by the team.

Also back are senior forward Andrew Timmons and sophomore JonMichael Tokar.  Junior forward Stephen Dunlap is trying to bounce back from knee surgery after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in a knee while playing indoor soccer in February.  Among the new players is freshman forward Evan Crawford, who tied the school JV scoring record last season with 23 goals.  Sophomore Will Cornfield adds depth.

"At this point...our goal is just to continue to improve on last year's numbers," Freelove said.  "Our hope is we can return to winning the STAC West title and try to make it even further into sectional play.  We're trying to keep our goals realistic and understand, yes, we return alot of experience, but at the same time, games are played for a reason.

Elmira Free Academy

Coach:  Derek Hamilton

Last year's record:  8-7-2

Opener:  Opened with home victory over Binghamton Seton Catholic Central on Saturday.

Outlook:  Academy came up short in a bid for its third consecutive STAC West title last season.  Although several key players have graduated, there's still plenty of talent, led by senior forward Nick Lian, a STAC West all-division pick.  Senior defender Kevin Kucharski and sophomore Alex Varkatzas were also division all-stars in 2009.  Varkatzas opened this season with three goals in the win over Seton Catholic.

Other returning players expected to contribute are senior defenders Jake Davenport and Dan Earley, junior midfielders Parker Warrick, Sean Denicola, and Brian Owens, and senior midfielder Kail Burfield.  Satchel Waters, a junior, takes over at goalie.  Other key newcomers are sophomore midfielder Tee Millikan and senior defender MacKenzie Park.

"We lost a good amount of talent from last year, but some of the players have developed nicely coming through the years," Hamilton said.  "With the addition of Steve Mastronardi as the new JV coach, i'm as excited about the program as I have been...I think we'll be difficult to score on defensively.  We always play a good, organized brand of soccer and we have some kids that just flat-out know how to win games from the success we've had the last four or five years."

Elmira Southside

Coach:  Edgar Zarate

Last year's record:  0-15

Opener:  10 a.m. Wednesday at home vs. Horseheads

Outlook:  Conrad, a former JV coach, joins Zarate as co-coach of the varsity team after Southside was forced to drop the JV program this season because of a low turnout.  With a roster of 27 players in the preseason, Zarate said the players have worked hard to make sure they get as much playing time as possible.

"I know they would all like to play, so they're doing their bit in practice and in drills," he said.

Among the returning starters are senior defender Ryan Murphy, senior forwards Johnny LaDouce and Sean Mason, junior midfielder Theron Brown and junior defender Jacob Coons.  Sophomore Eric Berglund has impressed in net, with sophomore forward Caleb Johnson another player expected to contribute.

"We're working on communication," Zarate said.  "For some reason, our guys hesitate to talk to each other.  We are really emphasizing that this season."

Last season's team suffered some key losses because of injuries and grade problems, something Zarate wants to avoid this year.

"I have very high expectations for our players that are coming back, that they will use their skills and experience they gained last year," said Zarate, who added that he is encouraging the players' parents to support them at games as much as possible.

Horseheads

Coach:  Curt Grottenthaler

Last year's record:  6-9-2

Opener:  10 a.m. Wednesday at Elmira Southside

Outlook:  Horseheads has a young roster, with a good chunk of last year's team lost to graduation.  Three-year starter Ian Boor, a junior goalie, is among those back.  Senior defender Cody Adam, senior midfielder Eric Garrison and junior midfielder Hunter Kaysa are all varsity veterans.

Building a cohesive team is an emphasis, Grottenthaler said.  "The biggest thing we're trying to focus on this year is trusting each other and to build confidence in themselves and their teammates every day," he said.  "We're looking for every player on the field to perform (his) role, whatever it may be--whether it's five minutes a game or 70 minutes a game--to the best of (his) ability.

Horseheads returns experienced players on the defensive end after setting some school defensive records last season.  Scoring goals will be pivital.

"I think defensively speaking, the kids have confidence in their ability," Grottenthaler said.  "The big thing this year is we have to put more balls in the back of the net.  That's where we struggled last year.  We lost seven one-goal games."

Elmira Star-Gazette - Staff Report - 8/31/10 

Elmira - Nick Lian and Alex Varkatzas chipped in two goals apiece as the Elmira Free Academy boys soccer team shut out Norwich 9-0 at home in a non-league game on Monday.

The Blue Devils (2-0) scored eight first-half goals and outshot Norwich 18-1 overall.  Single goals were scored by Tom Milliken, Kail Burfield, Kevin Kucharski, and Justin Cotner.

EFA opened its season with a 4-1 non-league victory over Binghamton Seton Catholic Central on Saturday.

"We're pretty happy with our goal output so far--we have 13 (goals) in the first two matches," said EFA coach Derek Hamilton.  "Now we get into our conference schedule."

EFA plays its league opener at 7 pm Friday at Corning.

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The Elmira Free Academy Boys varsity soccer team jumped out to a 2-0 record on the 2010 season with a commanding victory over fellow Class "A" school Norwich on Monday afternoon.

Looking to continue thier outstanding offensive production, EFA jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after 20 minutes before extending thier lead to 8-0 prior to the halftime intermission.  The Devils would cruise to an easy 9-0 victory as they focused on wide play and maintaining possession for the remainder of the match.   However, it was the play of the forwards that really made heads turn.  Besides the usual production from sophomore Alex Varkatzas and senior Nick Lian (2 goals,,  1 assist each), sophomore Tom Milliken impressed with an outstanding head goal and incredible assist to pace EFA.  Both the goal and the assist were Milliken's first points as a varsity player.  Senior defender Kevin Kucharski and senior forward Justin Cotner also notched thier first varsity goals.

EFA has outscored thier opponents 13-1 during the first two matches of the season, but know they are about to embark on a daunting STAC schedule. 

EFA opens STAC play vs. Corning on Friday.

EFA Scoring - Varkatzas (2-1), Lian (3-1), Milliken (1-1), Burfield (1-0), Kucharski (1-0), Cotner (1-0), Owens (0-1), Warrick (0-1)

Shots/Corners - EFA (18-7), Norwich (1-2)

Saves - EFA (Waters - 1), Norwich (Perry - 8)