Union Catholic Boys Soccer Falls to Cranford

Here was the Union County Conference boys' soccer matchup at Cranford's Walnut Avenue School grass field Friday afternoon: Union Catholic at 0-3 vs. Cranford at 6-0.

Union Catholic was outscored 7-1 in its first three matches — all played on the road — while Cranford outscored its first six opponents by a dominating 23-2 count, averaging nearly four goals a game.

The above numbers all pointed to what might have been a blowout victory by the host Cougars.

However, the visiting Vikings — even minus two starters to injury — came to play and boy did they ever.

It took a goal on a header by Cranford senior Nick Pace with just seven seconds left to give the favored Cougars a hard-fought, come-from-behind 2-1 triumph. Cranford senior Alex Porter, who started the play with a throw-in, was awarded an assist.

Union Catholic has nothing to be ashamed about and even led Cranford 1-0 when play began in the second half after a goal by Viking junior forward Michael Veiksans was produced near the end of the first half.

Cranford dominated play in the first 40 minutes, but didn't really have any super dangerous chances with its few shots on goal. However, Union Catholic almost scored on a point-blank shot and then did break through when Veiksans took a pass from fellow junior Evan Gingrich and rocketed a shot with his left foot inside the right corner of the net from the top of the left side of the penalty box.

Cranford tied the game on a goal by senior Alex Rocha off an assist from Pace five minutes into the second half.

In the first half and for a good part of the second half, Cranford had the better of the play, with Union Catholic playing counter-attack soccer.

It almost worked against one of the best teams in the county and the favorite to earn the top seed when the Union County Tournament is seeded Wednesday night in Kenilworth.

"Basically our game, because we don't have the size and the speed, is to put the ball down, move it quickly to the easy pass and keep in motion, that way the bigger teams and the aggressive teams can't keep up," said fifth-year Union Catholic head coach and Scotch Plains resident John Cerimele. "We did that very, very well in the first half. I thought we had the three of the better chances in the first half to score even though the game said Cranford had more possession. That was our pace."

Junior right wing Mark Osores had the ball where he wanted it on one counter-attack and fired a right-footed shot that Cranford senior keeper Scott Boyer made a kick save on. Boyer has only allowed three goals in six-and-a-half games so far.

That shot by Osores came with 17:31 left in the first half and almost put Union Catholic up by a goal at that point in the match.

Veiksans' first goal of the season came in Union Catholic's season-opening 2-1 setback to Rahway on Sept. 16. He has scored the only two Viking goals thus far.

"He scored his first goal exactly in the same way he scored today," Cerimele said. "We're lacking in that respect because we don't really have a true forward. Mike has a lot of will and that's how he scored all of his goals last year and that's how he will score again this year."

Cerimele felt his team did not play with the same fervor in the second half and tried to hang on to its one goal lead rather than keep on trying to attack.

"We have to play our game and in the first 20 minutes of the second half we didn't play our game and we backed up a little bit too much and gave too much ground and, as a result, we got taken out of position and Cranford just, basically, dominated us in that play."

Union Catholic senior goalie John Hao stood his ground all game long and could not be faulted on either goal he allowed, including the first by Rocha, who scored with his right foot at the top and middle part of the penalty box.

Hao came up huge with a save of a penalty shot with 25:20 left in the second half. Cranford senior forward and captain Patrick Hartnett — the team's leading scorer with nine goals — fired a shot with his right foot to the right side of the goal. Hao guessed right, dove left, and blocked it with his body and both hands.

Union Catholic junior defender Galo Pozzo did an excellent job of clearing a short-range shot by Cranford's George El-Khoury in front of the right side of the goal near the end of the second half.

"This is the No. 15 team in the state and except for the goals Cranford scored, I thought we had the better scoring chances," Cerimele said. "They had more possession, but we had the better scoring chances. That was, basically, the way we wrote it and it was working. That was it."

Union Catholic will attempt to win its first match again on Tuesday when the Vikings play at Hillside at 4 p.m. The Comets were 1-3 as of Tuesday.

The schedule does not get any easier for the Vikings, who finished 6-10 last year, as they are set to play at Scotch Plains-Fanwood next Friday at 4 p.m.. 
 

UNION COUNTY CONFERENCE BOYS' SOCCER MATCH

AT WALNUT AVENUE SCHOOL GRASS FIELD IN CRANFORD

UNION CATHOLIC (0-4)                                       1                  0                 - 1

CRANFORD (7-0)                                      0                  2                 - 2 
 

FIRST HALF:

UNION CATHOLIC - Goal: Michael Veiksans. Assist: Evan Gingrich.

Union Catholic leads 1-0. Time of the goal: 37:50. 

SECOND HALF:

CRANFORD - Goal: Alex Rocha. Assist: Nick Pace.

Game tied at 1-1. Time of the goal: 45:10.

CRANFORD - Goal: Nick Pace. Assist: Alex Porter.

Cranford leads 2-1. Time of the goal: 79:53. 

SHOTS: Union Catholic 7, Cranford 17

GOALIE SAVES: John Hao, Union Catholic, 5. Scott Boyer, Cranford, 5. 
 

UNION CATHOLIC VIKINGS

2009 ROSTER:

10-Brian Azevedo, junior, from Elizabeth

4-Kyle Bowes, senior, from North Plainfield

3-Stephen Cocuzza, sophomore, from Union

15-Nicholas Gelowitz, senior, from Rahway,

13-Evan Gingrich, junior, from Westfield

20-Justin Goncalves, junior, from Hillside

GK-Brett Grayson, senior, from Westfield

19-Miguel Guerrero, junior, from North Plainfield

GK-John Hao, senior, from Edison

14-Tevin Hunter, senior, from South Orange

Injured-Vincent LaRocca, junior, from Winfield Park

5-Steven Mota, junior, from Linden

12-Daniel Mount, junior, from Berkeley Heights

9-Ronald Munkittrick, junior, from Westfield

6-Mark Osores, junior, from Elizabeth

8-Michael Pego, sophomore, from Kearny

11-Galo Pozzo, junior, from Union

2-Roberto Soares, junior, from Newark

21-Michael Veiksans, junior, from Elizabeth

Captains: Kyle Bowes, Nicholas Gelowitz, John Hao.

Starting 11 vs. Cranford: Stephen Cocuzza, Nicholas Gelowitz,

Evan Gingrich, Justin Goncalves, John Hao-GK, Steven Mota,

Daniel Mount, Mark Osores, Michael Pego, Galo Pozzo, Michael Veiksans.

Starters who did not play because of injury: Kyle Bowes, Ronald Munkittrick.

Head coach: John Cerimele, fifth year

Assistant coach: Ed Guzman 
 

2009 UNION CATHOLIC VIKINGS (0-4)

SCHEDULE/results:

Sept. 11 Somerville, 4 p.m. - postponed-rain

Sept. 16 (H) Rahway 2, Union Catholic 1 - a home game, but not played at UC

Sept. 22 (A) Governor Livingston 2, Union Catholic 0

Sept. 23 (A) New Providence 3, Union Catholic 0

Sept. 25 (A) Cranford 2, Union Catholic 1 - Walnut Avenue School

Sept. 29 at Hillside, 4 p.m. 

Oct. 2 at Scotch Plains, 4 p.m.

Oct. 6 Johnson, 4 p.m.

Oct. 8 at Brearley, 7 p.m.

Oct. 12 Linden, 4 p.m.

Oct. 13 at J.P. Stevens, 6 p.m.

Oct. 15 Summit, 4 p.m.

Oct. 20 at Roselle Park, 4 p.m.

Oct. 23 at Roselle, 4 p.m.

Oct. 24 at Morristown-Beard, 1 p.m.

Oct. 27 St. Patrick, 4 p.m.

Oct. 29 Union, 4 p.m.

Head coach: John Cerimele

Section: Non-Public, A

Record: 0-4

Home: 0-0

Road: 0-4

Goals for: 2

Goals against: 9

Shutouts: 0

Overtime: 0-0