Battle of Monmouth Strikers go undefeated
Erase 2-0 deficit in
second to last game to salvage record
By Richard Jerome

JERRY WOLKOWITZ LOOK MA, EYES CLOSED — Spotswood Lightning southpaw Daniel Hohman hurls a pitch during the Lightning’s game at East Brunswick on Sunday.

The Battle of Monmouth Strikers lived up to their colorfully valiant name this season, capturing the Under-11 Boys’ title in the Monmouth-Ocean Soccer Association with an 8-0-2 record.

The team, composed of players from Jamesburg, Monroe and Old Bridge, did it with sheer dominance, scoring 33 goals while only yielding a mere five.

"It wasn’t surprising that the team did well, but it was that we were undefeated," said club manager Joseph Maccaro, who acts as assistant to Coach Vance Theinert.

Maccaro pointed to the team’s play last season, saying that it acted as a springboard for its success this year.

"We were coming off a 4-3-1 fall season when we were in every game," he added. "This summer the kids really put it together and it was a total team effort in every single win."

Maccaro added that the youngsters’ ability to play as a team enabled it to develop a well-balanced scoring attack, which overwhelmed many of the Strikers’ opponents.

"We had a few different guys who scored most of the goals, but it’s unfair to single anyone out because they were all set up so well by the midfield," he said. "So many different boys participated."

The Strikers had a somewhat fitful schedule, going more than three weeks without a game during May because of inclement weather.

Then they had a run of three victories and a tie to end the campaign and their championship run.

A 2-1 home win over the Monmouth Shore Kats featured goals from Chris Faraone and Brian Zimmer, as well as fine midfield and striker play from Rich Feldhan, Lawrence Foppiano, Nick Maccaro, Marc Magliaro, Zach Theinert and Dan Quinlan.

Anchoring the defense, which was consistently tough throughout the Strikers’ season, were Sam Ashburner, Ivan Barreto, Joe Nemeth and Dale Santiago. The Strikers featured a pair of goalies, Feldhan and Mike Rettberg.

All those players put it together for the Strikers’ next win, a 5-1 away match also against the Shore Kats.

That contest was followed up by a tie against the Alliance Blast, in which Battle of Monmouth came back from an early 2-0 deficit despite the oppressive heat.

Both goals were scored by Maccaro, with help from Barreto, Nemeth and Zimmer, while Anthony Kozar, Magliaro and Quinlan bolstered the midfield. Santiago excelled at sweeper and the two goalkeepers, Feldhan and Rettberg, kept the game close.

The undefeated campaign was sealed June 11 with a 3-0 triumph over the Ocean Township Tigers, with two goals from Maccaro and another from Theinert.

Maccaro said that the undefeated season was not necessarily something that the team set out to accomplish from the beginning, however, as the season rolled along it became more and more important to the players.

"The kids battled and battled to get that undefeated record," said Maccaro, who also had coaching help from Al Magliaro and Rich Feldhan. "It was a great group of boys."