Match Report: Barnstonworth Rovers Metro 5 FC Partizani o30 0

McCarran Park, Williamsburg, where people look like this

Rovers Metro crisply demolished a feisty Albanian o30 side at McCarran Park today as they warmed up for the Cosmo League restart with a Saunders Cup win that wasn't quite as one-sided as the result indicates. 

With blue skies, not much wind, and a field almost entirely cleared of snow (!) the conditions were perfect at kickoff - and the Rovers free-scoring strike pairing of Jorge Espanol and Brandon Rowley quickly re-established their fine fall form with two goals in the opening quarter-hour.

Partizani didn't crumble and neither did they resort to dirty tactics (though there was the usual level of ref-whinging from both sides). They kept pushing up the wings and though they didn't create many clear-cut chances, Rovers had to defend smartly. Counter-attacks exposed a weak Partizani defence, but over-elaboration in front of goal meant Rovers ended the half with a comfortable lead. But the result was by no means settled. 

Playing with the wind behind them, Partizani came out strongly in the second half and pushed Rovers back. Though they didn't particularly challenge James in goal, they did press more on the defence, preventing the easy passing Rovers had enjoyed in the first half.

Rovers continued to be dangerous on the counter-attack and despite the best efforts of the Partizani keeper - who made half-a-dozen excellent saves - Rowley and Espanol each bagged another goal midway through the half to kill the game as a contest. 

Jorge would have sealed his hat-trick in the last seconds but he was cynically clipped from behind as he was bearing down on goal. The defender was sent off, and Jorge was pissed off, but Aldo Morales was on target with the free kick - right into the top corner, making it 5-0 with the last kick of the game.

Rovers in Williamsburg enjoying soccer action: James, Colin, Wino, Villy, Mike, Aldo, Tommy, Mackers, Tim, Sal, Remo, Jorge, Brandon. [Props to Mike, Tim, and Sal from the o30s for helping out.]

Rovers in a hot tub somewhere in the Catskills, quite possibly enjoying some Anglo-Latino man-on-man action but definitely not helping beat Balkans in Brooklyn: Sergio, Nelson, Gustavo, Brown, Jay, Bruce. 

Rovers Thirds: Team Photo

What a handsome bunch!

Back row: Thierno Cisse, James Krapp, Bruce Sholl, Juan Casares (coach), Nelson Restrepo, Brandon Rowley, Sergio Restrepo, Gustavo Garro, Jorge Espanol, Jason Moore.
Front row: Jeremy Brown, Colin Reid, Brian McLaughlin, Aldo Morales, Vilhelm Klareskov, Tommy Chenoweth, Remo Enea, Jeremy Wine.

Rovers Thirds Keep On Winning

It's lonely in goal

Barnstonworth Rovers men's thirds extended their winning run to two games with a 5-1 stroll over winless and hopeless SC Eintracht on a chilly Sunday morning on Randalls Island.

The tone of the game was set right from the kickoff: within twenty seconds, and before any Eintracht player had touched the ball, Rovers were a goal to the good. The hapless Eintracht left-back fresh-air-swiped an easy clearance, Brandon Rowley chased the ball down and then crossed from the byline to give the easiest of tap-ins for Jorge Espanol. Jorge does not miss from there!

Jorge scored a second soon after, then Brandon and Remo Enea made it four before the break.

Despite Rovers having a full squad for perhaps the first and only time in history, and Eintracht having the bare 11 with a few playing their second game of the day, the second-half goal avalanche didn't materialise. Jeremy Brown added a fifth, and invented a new move in the process: instead of rounding the keeper on a one-on-one, he cunningly played a one-two with the keeper's chest to create an angle to finish.

Although there were no more goals for the Rovers, Jorge did complete his hat-trick. After Eintracht's midget David Luiz lookalike blasted the ball into his face at short range from a free kick, Jorge connected on him with quite a delicious punch (we think Sergio has been giving him lessons because Spain isn't exactly known for its boxers). Both players were carded by the ref.

There were no more handbags but some sloppy defending by the Rovers gave Eintracht a consolation goal. To be fair to the used-to-be-German-but-now-they're-mostly-Latino team, their midfield and attack were half decent, it was just their defence that was awful.

Final score: SC Eintracht 1 Barnstonworth Rovers 5. Depending on other results, we're either in third or fourth place going into the break. Eintracht remain firmly rooted to the bottom.

Rovers: James Krapp, Colin Reid, Jeremy Wine, Bruce Scholl, Jason Moore, Nelson Restrepo, Vilhelm Klareskov, Aldo Morales, Tommy Chenoweth, Brian "Mackers" McLaughlin, Remo Enea, Thierno Cisse, Gustavo Garro, Sergio Restrepo, Jeremy Brown, Brandon Rowley, Jorge Espanol.

Injured player-coach who does not believe in overlapping full-backs: Juan Casares.

Partizani 2 Rovers 4 - Metro team move to fourth

FC Partizani 2  Barnstonworth Rovers 4

A hat-trick from top scorer Brandon Rowley helped the Rovers Metro team leapfrog FC Partizani and jump to fourth spot in CSL Metro Division Two.

The trip to Staten Island was a complete first for many and the first time this century for yours truly - but the Italian isle is just a regular dating and mating ground for one of our party, who had come direct from his own "Fresh Kill" the night before. 

Rovers started well enough on the soft turf field but it was Partizani who took the lead against the run of play though with the run of the green. Their talented #8 miscued a cross which spun over James, below the crossbar, and into the far corner. Neither Rovers nor Partizani could believe it. 

The Manhattan team quickly got back in charge of the game and were soon rewarded with the goal their efforts deserved. Brandon Rowley collected the ball thirty yards out with four players between him and goal, and with Mackers tearing down the right wing in acres of space. Looking up, Brandon saw the opportunity for the pass but decided to storm through the Partizani backline and crack the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box. 1-1.

Rovers continued to press and after a couple of Jeremy Wine shots on goal - and one rather off-target effort - it was Remo Enea who sent Rovers into the lead. Tommy Chenoweth blasted a free kick into Aldo Morales' chest, but the Bolivian managed to divert the ball to Brandon who laid it off to Remo to clip it first time with his left boot, back across the keeper into the far corner. Half-time: 2-1 Rovers.

[While this was going on, two Partizani players got into a fistfight off the field. The ruckus continued through the break, to the point that the ref asked them to calm down before the second half started. They did.]

Play continued in a similar vein: Rovers moved the ball around the field pretty decently, while Partizani lumped it up to their stocky #8 and tried to spark play through him. A fair enough tactic as he was their only good player… But the Rovers defence shackled him pretty well. 

I can't remember the details of his second, our third, but it involved beating the keeper clinically on a one-on-one; his hat-trick came when Remo cleverly beat the offside trap with a throw-in to Brandon who finished another one-on-one to put the game well beyond the home team. Partizani equalised in the dying minutes when what can only be described as a "brain fart" in the Rovers defence giften an early Xmas present to the Partizani striker.

Rovers are now W4 T3 L2, good value for fourth place, with a final fall game against bottom side SC Eintracht at 10am on Sunday. 

Rovers: James Krapp, Colin Reid, Jeremy Wine, Bruce Sholl, Jay Moore, Vilhelm Klareskov, Aldo Morales, Jeremy Brown, Brian Mackers McLaughlin, Thierno Cisse, Tommy Chenoweth, Remo Enea, Brandon Rowley. 

Rovers Thirds Lose Long Island Shootout

The Rovers thirds fell out of the Division Three State Cup on Sunday, losing on penalties to storied Long Island side NY Hota Bavarians.

Due to absences and call-offs, Rovers travelled with only nine fit players and one (Remo) carrying an injury. After kicking off 4-4-1 with several players out of position, they were heartened at the unexpected arrival of the Restrepo brothers Sergio and Nelso ten minutes into the game.

Hota had the early running but the pattern of the match was clear: lots of possession but limited goal threat from the home team, with the Rovers looking to get the ball forward quickly to their robust strike pairing of Jorge and Brandon.

James in the Rovers goal had a few shots to save but spent more time fetching the ball from the car park behind his goal, until a dubious penalty award (J Wine clearly got the ball) just before the half led to the Hota opening goal and also Sergio's sending off for disputing the award a bit too forcefully. Half-time: 0-1.

As the second half kicked off, Rovers were back to ten men and now also a goal behind. This only served to spur the team to greater heights as Barnstonworth gave at least as good as they got in the second half. Jorge and Brandon pressured the Hota defence and created a few good chances, aided by support from midfield. The backline of J Wine, Jay, Nelson, and Bruce stood firm with more than one last-ditch tackle against younger and sprightlier strikers.

Then with just two minutes to go, Rovers' hard work received its reward. Mackers launched a free-kick into the box and it evaded both defence and attack to find its way untouched into the back of the Hota net. Full-time: 1-1.

Thankfully the outnumbered Rovers did not have to endure extra-time - the match went straight to penalties. It took seven strikes from each side to produce a decision, and sadly the edge was Hota's.

Final score: 1-1 (NY Hota Bavarians win 5-4 on penalties)

Rovers: James Krapp, Colin Reid, Bruce Scholl, Jay Moore, Jeremy Wine, Jeremy Brown, Remo Enea, Brian Mackers McLaughlin, Brandon Rowley, Jorge Espanol, Nelson Restrepo, Sergio Restrepo.

Rovers Thirds tie

The Rovers Thirds tied 1-1 against Brishna in their Cosmo League Metro D2 game at Flushing Meadows today.

Missing several key players, and with Mackers standing in for coach Juan, the Rovers started very slowly against a younger, fitter, faster opponent who moved the ball around at will.

Midway through the first period the Rovers stepped up the tempo and aggression level to even the play somewhat, but it was still massively against the run of play when Sergipo Restrepo quite literally bulldozed through the Brishna defence and poked the ball past the keeper for a scarcely-deserved (make that: completely undeserved) lead.

At half-time, brother of Sergio and defensive lynchpin Nelson had to leave to play in a semifinal for his other team, and with Aldo injured it meant no subs, backs to the wall, and into the wind for the second half.

With a gutsy performance the plucky Rovers almost made it, but Brishna equalized from a corner in the last couple of minutes.

The draw was probably a fair result but the Rovers were still left ruing some missed chances which could have sealed the game at 1-0.

Rovers: James Krapp, Colin Reid, Jeremy Wine, Nelson Restrepo, Jeremy Brown, Sergio Restrepo, Aldo Morales, Thierno Cisse, Brian Mackers McLaughlin, Jorge Espanol, Remo Enea, Vilhelm Klareskov, Bruce Scholl.

Rovers Metro 2-2 Ridgewood Romac

Rovers Metro drew 2-2 with Ridgewood Romac on Randalls Island today. Rovers went two up in the first half through Brandon Rowley and Jorge Espanol, but Romac pulled one back right on half-time thanks to an appalling penalty decision by the ref. Both sides hit the woodwork in the second period but Romac equalised with a nice chip shot into the corner, and despite some late Rovers pressure, the match ended even.

Rovers Metro are now 1-1-1 for the season.

Coach Casares surveys his empire

Match Report: 1sts & Res 9/9/12 vs JC Eagles

Jersey City Eagles   1        BRFC    0

by Andy Abramovits

After a solid start and just as we were beginning to assert ourselves, Sheldon came in high and hard on a tackle near midfield earning him a straight red.  Their 4 tackles that almost broke legs, nothing. We played about 78 minutes with 10 men but defended well enough to erase the man down deficit.  Their only goal came from a well struck ball from 35 yards out that Kaplan normally handles but was misparried and snuck in.  We continued to play well and gave ourselves a chance to tie when Jordan played Seb through one on one to goal.  Seb unfortunately rushed his shot and slotted the ball a foot wide of the post.  A tie or 1 - 0 win in our favor would have been the fair result.  A very big positive was our bench.  Also, Ian, Matt Cross, Nick Bell, Darnell, Matt G, Seb, and Sheldon all proved they can play and contribute to the first team.  The back four played superbly and remained cohesive even after Cory and Kush were subbed out.  Frankly, a great team performance squander by three silly mistakes.

 

Jersey City Eagles Res   3        BRFC  Res  1

by Zach Chandis

Yea here's the match report for the reserves:  We f##king sucked
Apologies for any red flags from hr... Still worth it

Rovers Metro 3-2 AO Dynamo

Rovers Men's Thirds got off to a winning start in the Cosmopolitan League Metro Division 2 with a narrow 3-2 victory over AO Brooklyn, who are coached by ex-Rover Chris Vega.

Last season AO recovered from 3-0 down to beat us 4-3, but this time goals from Jeremy Brown, Brandon Rowley, and Tommy Chenoweth gave us the three points and a great start to the season.

REST IN PEACE - LEIGHTON PARNHAM

20 year old Leighton Parnham a BRFC 1st/Res player passed away Tuesday morning at Bellevue ICU after being a victim of a taxi hit and run incident.
Leighton, the youngest player on our squad, joined our club last season.  He was a student at FIT, turning down potential soccer scholarships to concentrate on his interest in fashion. 
Though, he may be at a great football club on the other side,  he will always remain a Rover and in our memories.

Leighton, rest in peace.

2012/3 SUMMER TRIALS

ALL BRFC TEAMS ARE CONDUCTING SUMMER TRIALS
Interested Players Please Contact:  talent@rovers.org

Barnstonworth Rovers the Top Amateur club in Manhattan has teams for both Men and Women for almost all levels:

Mens:
BRFC 1st/Res Squad - CSL Semi-Finalist, Region 1 US Open Cup Semi-Finalists

BRFC 3rd Team - CSL Metro II 

BRFC o30's Premier - League Semi-Finalists, NY State Cup Semi-Finalists, CSL Saunders Cup Finalists
BRFC o30's - CSL o30s D1
BRFC Old Boys - Promoted to CSLo30's D1

Womens
BRFC Lady Rovers 1 - NY State Cup Finalists 2011 and 2012, Women's League Champions 2011

BRFC Lady Rovers 2 - Promoted Undefeated to D1

BRFC Top Goalscorers - All Time

		1st/Res	Goals
Ron	Baskin	86
Stephen	Pugliese	81
Andy	Abramovits	55
Stavros	Zomopoulos	54
Mattias	Gustafsson	32
Bazza	O’Driscoll	27
Alex	Schardt	27
Mat	Levine	25
Donnie	Schreier	23
Alfonzo	Nanclares	22
Musa	Shannon	22
Colin	Marshall	21

BRFC Top 1st Team All Time

BRFC		BRFC TOTAL			1st Div 2001-			2nd/3rd Div 1994-2001
		Apps	Goals		Apps	Goals		Apps	Goals
Mark	Kushemba	138	-		138	-
Stavros	Zomopoulos	135	33		68	4		67	29
Andy	Abramovits	133	39		133	39
Stephen	Pugliese	121	70		121	70
Ron	Baskin	119	46		87	29		32	17
Vidar	Ekehaug	118	9		118	9
Colin	Marshall	103	21		103	21
Par	Holmberg	96	6		17	-		79	6
Yuri	Krym	89	3		71	2		18	1
Mike	Alexander	88	4		84	3		4	1
Andy	Horan	83	3		32	-		51	3
Mattias	Gustafsson	72	32		4	-		68	32
Chris	Vega	71	16		67	16		4
Dave	Borchard	67	-		67	-
Bazza	O’Driscoll	66	26		66	26
Martin	Mackinnon	64	-					64
Jordan	Chirico	63	17		63	17
John	Salvucci	63	5		63	5
Mackers	McLaughlin	62	18		11	1		51	17
Jeff	Martino	62	-		34	-		28
Gary	Sisto	61	7		12	-		49	7
Randi	Lee	61	1		61	1
Eirnar	Benedtksson	53	5		53	5
Eoin	Quane	53	-		53	-
Anto	Howard	51	2					51	2
Will	Sykes	47	9		16	-		31	9
Scott	Waddell	47	14		47	14
Ajene	Green	47	6		47	6
Patrick	Wisnom	46	-		33	-		13
Sam	Wiggin	46	6		46	6
Jerome	Albertini	45	12		1	-		44	12
Lee	Williams	44	3		44	3
Mark	Artis	43	-					43
Doug	Goodwin	42	3					42	3
Brian	Nobie	41	3		5	1		36	2

BRFC 1/Res Stats 2011/12

BRFC 2011/12	Total	Total	1sts	1sts	Res	Res
	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Andy  Abramovits	23	8	22	8	1
Scot Waddell	22	8	21	7	1	1
Colin Marshall	15	5	15	5
Alex Weekes	11	6	10	5	1	1
Jepherson Vernaza	22	6	18	4	4	2
Ajene Green	28	6	19	3	9	3
Chris Bayon	18	12	11	3	7	9
Matt Langton	21	2	19	2	2
Matt Weill	20	1	19	1	1
Jordan Chirico	13	1	11	1	2
Mark Kushemba	20	0	17		3
Matthew Bazin	17	0	16		1
Corey Dempsey	17	0	15		2
Dirk Swaneveld	16	1	15		1	1
Vidar Ekehaug	14	0	14
Will Lee	8	1	7	1	1
Alan Alcalde	10	1	4	1	6
Joseph Cover	19	3	8		11	3
Steven Keker	16	3	6		10	3
George Tagaris	8	0	6		2
Joe Prince-Wright	7	0	6		1
Jason James	19	1	4		15	1
Oren Nhaissi	17	3	4		13	3
Randi Lee	12	1	4		8	1
Stephen  Pugliese	10	9	4		6	9
Ben Kartzman	3	0	3
Conal Smith	3	0	2		1
Matt Borchard	2	0	2
Stefan Lysak	18	1	1		17	1
Daniel Butler	7	0	1		6
Matthew Kaplan	6	0	1		5
Kevin Ara	1	0	1
Ron Baskin	18	8			18	8
Alfonso  Nanclares	13	1			13	1
Yuri  Krym	13	2			13	2
Michael Martocci	13	0			13
Max Krasilovsky	10	1			10	1
Bond Griffin	10	0			10
Pedro Mendoza	8	0			8
Zach Chandis	6	0			6
Benjamin Reeves	5	0			5
Natt Kipp	5	0			5
Felix D'ambrose	4	1			4	1
Stavros Zomopoulos	4	1			4	1
Leighton Parnham	4	0			4
Mat Levine	2	3			2	3
Darnell Nance	2	0			2
Felipe Vernaza	2	0			2
Michael Lindley	2	0			2
Robbie Davies	1	0			1