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Women's U20s
Blaze and Magic Emerge Triumphant in 2010 YPSL
August 1, 2010
After putting in consistently great performances throughout the season, the New Jersey Blaze and Millburn Magic have finished top of the Men’s and Women’s Youth Premier Soccer League tables respectively, both closing their season on a win.
The Blaze, who finished with a 6-1-1 record, went undefeated for five games to finish their 2010 campaign. A true team effort, the squad proved to have remarkable depth and a lot of talent from local New Jersey colleges and high schools.
The high point for the Blaze came during a long away trip to Massachusetts and New Hampshire, when the squad took on the Maine Sting and Boston Tea Men. After a hard-fought battle on the Saturday against the Sting, winning 2-1, the Blaze went on to demolish the Boston Tea Men 7-1 and take all six points back to NJ.
Although tested by the Brooklyn Italians, the squad’s resolve held firm and the boys went on to end their season with a +17 goal difference and 19 points, only conceding ten goals while scoring 27 – an average of over three a game.
Ricky Duggal, the head coach of the Blaze, said after the final game: “The [last] game summed up our season as a whole, particularly the second half - we were able to cancel out our early mistakes and pick up the pace [in the later stages of the season].
“I couldn’t be more proud of the lads. The team is excellent and it’s created a strong base for our NPSL squad next season. I look forward to what the 2011 campaign brings.”
Meanwhile, the Millburn Magic, led by head coach Sean Kiernan, finished on top of the women’s league with a 6-1 record, proving to be a force to be reckoned with on a number of occasions with an outstanding midfield complemented by strong attacking partnerships and a solid defense.
The women’s league, which proved to be a close race throughout the season, resulted in a lot of testing games for the Magic girls, particularly against both South Jersey United and Adirondack Lynx, when Millburn won 3-2. Kiernan, however, believes that the best showcase of his squad happened on July 25, when the club beat a strong NJ Wildcats team 3-1.
“We played some of the best soccer we played all season,” said Kiernan. However, the day before the Magic were able to overcome injuries early in a game against Jersey Select and, reduced to nine men, were able to hold off the opposition’s advances. Returning to ten, they claimed a goal midway through the first half, building on it before the break and coming away eventual 2-1 winners.
“The girls played some great football this season and they deserve everything they worked hard for,” Kiernan concluded. “They’ve proved that they have the talent to be great soccer players in the coming months and years.”
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