The sectional semifinal was held at Greeley before a crowd that had to be one of the largest in the history of the Horace Greeley soccer program.

The Quakers did not disappoint their fans and jumped out to an early lead when Stephen Reisert was taken down in the goal box. Zach Fried promptly deposited the penalty shot past the opposing goalie for a lead that the Quakers would never relinquish.

About 10 minutes later, a throw-in by Justin Karr was headed into the net by Reisert and the Quakers were rolling.

John Jay scored a goal off a penalty kick but even then the Quakers kept up the pressure and maintained control.

Greeley continued their strong play in the second half. A beautiful passing combination by Justin Karr, Brian Yormak and Stephen Reisert led to another goal and 3-1 lead.

Drew Felsenthal finished the scoring by capitalizing on a misplay in the opposing end, and the Quakers cruised to a very convincing 4-1 victory.

On Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Greeley will take on the Arlington Admirals for the section championship. The game will be played at Arlington High School in Lagrangeville (near Poughkeepsie). Please continue to support the Quakers as they bid for their second sectional championship in the last three years.  ^^Top
 

The number 2 seeded Quakers took on number 7 Ossining in a match that would evolve into one of the most exciting and intense athletic events to be hosted at Horace Greeley in several years.

With the Election Day school holiday and fine late fall weather, a large crowd was on hand to cheer on the Quakers. In their previous meeting, the two teams played to a 0-0 draw, so it came as no surprise that the rematch would turn into a hard-fought duel that would not be decided in regulation.

From the opening whistle, the two evenly-matched teams went at each other at a furious and unrelenting pace. For most of the first half Greeley had the better of the play, but Ossining managed to thwart any significant scoring threat by the Quakers. Greeley managed to create some offensive chances off throw-ins in the Ossining end, but the opposing goal keeper was able to rise above the chaos in front to make a save.

The game developed into a very physical contest. Sooner or later the aggressive play was bound to take its toll. At abut the 15-minute mark, Justin Karr went down after being kicked in the foot and the Quakers were faced with going on without a key player who could control the midfield and whose long-range throw-ins and free kicks have led to numerous Greeley goals this season.

As Karr was being assisted off the field, Coach Oddo called Quinn Aceres’ name and the junior midfielder stepped up to play his finest game of the season. In addition to his defensive duties, Ethan Portnoy filled in to take the throw-ins and the Quakers lost nothing in the transition. Still, at halftime, the teams were scoreless.

The break energized both teams and the bout continued at an even more intense level. Ossining had the better of the play for the early part of the second half, but the Quaker defense refused to yield. As regulation time drew to a close, Greeley seemed to feed off the energy of its fans and picked up the pace. A few late opportunities went unconverted and the teams went into overtime. Under section rules, the teams would play two 15-minute sudden death overtimes; if they then remained deadlocked, the match would be decided on penalty kicks.

The two overtime periods played out much the same as regulation. The players’ ability to maintain the frenetic pace was testament to their conditioning, drive and determination. However, after nearly two hours of all-out play, the score was still knotted.

The players took a short break before the game moved into to the pressure-packed penalty kick phase. According to the rules, each team would have 5 free kicks at the opposing goal tender; the team to convert on the most PKs would emerge victorious. The teams would alternate shots and as the home team, the Quakers would shoot second. Coach Oddo selected Brian Yormak, Zach Fried, Drew Felsenthal, Tony Diorio and Stephen Reisert to take the kicks and Tyler Goldberg had the daunting task of trying to stop the opposing shooters from just 12 yards out.

Ossining made its first shot which was matched by Brian Yormak on a shot into the corner. Ossining’s second attempt missed wide, and Zach Fried converted on his effort to put the Quakers up 2-1. Ossining made its third shot, but that was matched by Drew Felsenthal with a blast into the top shelf. Ossining’s fourth shot sailed over the cross bar, but Tony Diorio’s attempt was stopped by a great save. Ossining made its fifth shot to tie the PKs at 3-3. It was up to Stephen Reisert to bring the marathon to an end, and he wasted no time in burying his shot into the left side of the goal. Many in the relieved and happy crowd stormed the field to mob the Quakers and celebrate an exhausting but very satisfying win.  ^^Top
 

On a gorgeous Indian summer afternoon, the Quakers took on their arch rival from Cross River.

It was anticipated that the game would decide the league championship, but the previous day Somers had surprised the Indians with a 1-0 victory, thereby clinching the championship for the Quakers. Nevertheless, the game had important playoff seeding implications for the Quakers, who entered the contest prepared and pumped-up.

From the outset, Greeley took the play to John Jay. The Quakers were consistently beating John Jay to the ball and spent most of the early going in the opposing zone. Stephen Reisert opened the scoring for Greeley, taking a free kick from Justin Karr and beating the John Jay goalie with a blast into the near side.

Just a few minutes later, Nick Giannasca took a shot on the John Jay net minder which deflected to the left of the goal. Stephen Reisert pounced on the ball and deposited it into the net for a 2-0 lead.

The Quakers never let the Indians into the game and a perfect crossing pass from Nick Giannasca was picked out of the air by Reisert and sent screaming into the net. The hat trick gave the Quakers a comfortable 3-0 half-time lead.

Greeley built on their lead in the second half. Brian Yormak, who has scored off several headers this year, registered another off a throw-in by Justin Karr. Zach Fried finished the scoring for Greeley when he put his foot to a loose ball and sneaked it past the Indian goal keeper.

With the win, the Quakers should receive a high seeding in the sectional playoffs which begin late next week.  ^^Top
 

On Senior Day, the moms and dads of the Greeley seniors enjoyed another dominating Quaker performance.

Fittingly, first-half goals by seniors Drew Felsenthal, Tony Diorio and Zach Fried made it clear that the outcome would never be in doubt.

During an emotional half-time tradition in which the Quaker moms were presented with flowers by their sons, the seniors recognized their parents for their dedication and support during their years at Greeley and throughout their soccer careers.  ^^Top
 

In Somers, the Quakers had no problem handling the Tuskers.

Early goals by Justin Karr and Stephen Reisert set the tone and gave Greeley a 2-0 halftime led.

Greeley dominated the second half as well, and Somers tried desperately to halt the Greeley onslaught. The Quakers responded  by adding more goals, this time by Nick Giannasca, Stefan Hovy and Robby Attia.  ^^Top
 

In an important match against a perennially strong program, Greeley took on the Red Raiders in Scarsdale.

Entering the contest, the Raiders were atop Conference 2 League B at 10-2-1 and the match would serve as a good barometer of the Quakers’ longer-term prospects for the season.

Greeley proved up to the challenge and answered the opening whistle fired up. Scarsdale was taken aback and was slow to react to the Quakers’ burst of energy and intensity. On their heels and a step behind, the Red Raiders found themselves chasing down the Quakers as they attacked Scarsdale’s end. Scarsdale was repeatedly harassed by Greeley and seemed unable to organize their offense.

At the thirty minute mark, Stephen Reisert took a smart pass from Zach Fried and broke in on the opposing net minder. Reisert faked left and blasted a shot into to the right corner of the Scarsdale goal.

The Quakers kept up the attack. After an out-of-bounds ball off Scarsdale, Reisert surprised the Raiders with a quick throw-in. Before the Raiders could get set, Zach Fried took the pass and drove the ball into the Scarsdale goal for a 2-0 lead.

Fried’s goal seemed to awaken the sleeping giant and before long, Scarsdale began to take control of the play. Crisp, accurate passing and creative play-making put the Quakers on the defensive and the Greeley net seemed to be under constant attack. Stubborn defensive play by Tony Diorio, Ethan Portnoy, Benji Shanus, Connor Gustafson and Tyler Goldberg enabled Greeley to enter the intermission with their 2-0 lead intact.

The Raiders kept up the pressure into the second half. At times it seemed that Scarsdale could do whatever it wanted with the ball and some of their offensive combinations were impressive. Eventually, Scarsdale broke through to cut the lead in half. Scarsdale continued its relentless attack and it seemed like the score would be knotted at any moment. However, with about 18 minutes left Nick Giannasca sent a pass up the right side to Stephen Reisert and a combination of determination and footwork enabled him to break past the Scarsdale defense. Reisert wasted no time in pounding the ball past the Raider net minder for a 3-1 lead.

The goal took some of the steam out of the Raiders and the Greeley midfield began to assert itself. Nick Giannasca seemed to be on top of every ball. Justin Karr went on some fabulous runs up the near sideline and brilliant footwork enabled him to weave through several defenders. Zach Fried brought calm to the games’ frantic pace and ran valuable time off the clock. Tyler Goldberg came up big on a number of occasions and finished with 7 saves.  ^^Top
 

The Quakers took on Ossining in a match that was highly competitive throughout.

Greeley seemed to have the better of the play in the first half but could not convert on a couple of golden opportunities.

In one exciting play, Drew Felsenthal broke free in font of the Ossining net and just as the goalie rushed out to make a stand, Felsenthal smartly chipped the ball over the keeper. Unfortunately, the shot drifted wide.

In another sequence, Stephen Reisert deftly flicked the ball behind his back to spring himself open for a shot but the scoring attempt was stopped by Ossining’s net minder.

Ossining game back strong after the intermission and took the play to the Quakers. For a good twenty minutes it seemed that Ossining was bound to take the lead, but key stops by the Greeley defense led by Tony Diorio, Ethan Portnoy and Benji Shanus were crucial to keeping Chappaqua’s young men in the game.

Important saves by goalkeeper Tyler Goldberg held Ossining in check. In one heart-stopping moment for the Quakers and their fans, a screaming shot by the opponent slammed off the cross bar and rebounded dangerously in front of the goal. The Quaker goal tender reacted quickly to snatch the ball out of harm’s way and boot the ball downfield. It was reported that someone saw Goldberg kiss the pipes after the encounter.

Midway through the second half, the Quakers regained their touch and spent most of the remainder of the match hunting for scoring chances.

Solid midfield play by Zach Fried and Nick Giannasca was instrumental in steering Greeley back on track, but once again the Quakers could not connect. A J-Bomb by Justin Karr just missed its target, and a low shot by Stephen Reisert that appeared destined to lift the Quakers to victory skidded wide.

Tyler Goldberg’s nine saves preserved the tie for the Quakers. ^^Top
 

The Quakers took on a struggling Fox Lane team that was winless entering the contest.

Greeley pounced on the Foxes immediately, led by Nick Giannasca who scored two early goals.

Fox Lane could not compete with the Quakers’ speed, and the Foxes were consistently beaten to the ball by the Greeley’s quickness and hustle. The Quaker juniors took over the contest with Will Quish scoring two goals and Andy Diorio and Ziggy Schiowitz contributing their first goals of the season.

Solid play by Greeley’s midfielders Matt Daly, Stefan Hovy, Joel Krooks, and Rob Attia and stifling defensive work by Chris Ethridge, Alex Gatto, Connor Gustafson and Ross Kulick kept the Foxes at bay. Colby Liemer made several nice stops in goal, but mostly spent the afternoon watching his teammates play ticky-tacky.

The match was important for the Quakers as it demonstrated that the team’s juniors are ready to make important contributions in all phases of the game. Balance and depth will be critical to the team’s success as it drives toward the playoffs.  ^^Top
 

Back home, the Quakers took on a winning Somers team that stands to be Greeley’s biggest challenge to a league title.

Only about five minutes into the game, Greeley took a 1-0 lead on a controversial play. Brian Yormak struck a shot toward the Somers goal which the Tusker goalkeeper appeared to punch out of the net. However, the referee ruled that the ball had crossed the goal line, giving Greeley a 1-0 lead.

The call led to a heated argument by the Somers coach who pulled his team off the field before being ejected from the game with a red card.

Falling into a familiar but frustrating pattern, the Quakers could not build on their lead or maintain the intensity that they possessed early on. The game settled into a back and forth affair before Somers tied the score on a strange goal that seemed to take a wind-aided bounce into the net.

As the first half drew to a close, Tyler Goldberg prevented Somers from taking the lead by making a big save off a shot that seemed destined to sneak in under the crossbar. Goldberg leaped and managed to get a hand on the ball, directing it harmlessly over the goal.

As the match moved into the second half, the Tuskers seemed to gather momentum and again threatened to go ahead. However, the Quakers hung tough and in the last ten minutes clawed themselves back into control. Greeley fought hard to create scoring chances in the Somers end and had a number of opportunities to jump back in front.

Finally, with only about two minutes to go, Justin Karr launched a free kick toward the right side of the Somers goal which Nick Giannasca booted into the net for the winning goal.

With the victory, the Quakers improved to 7-2 on the season and 2-0 in the league.  ^^Top
 

On a rainy Saturday, Greeley traveled to Cross River for their first league game against arch-rival John Jay.

Coach Oddo’s squad arrived well-prepared for the contest and immediately set the pace. Crisp passing, creative playmaking and solid defense put the Quakers in control. Excellent midfield play by Alex Frankel, Zach Fried, Nick Giannasca and Justin Karr opened up scoring chances for the Quaker forwards, Andy Diorio, Drew Felsenthal and Stephen Reisert. Greeley repeatedly took the attack to the opponent, while any probes by the Indians were turned back by Quinn Aceres, Tony Diorio, Chris Etheridge, Benji Shanus and Tyler Goldberg.

Midway through the first half, Zach Fried inbounded a corner kick to Justin Karr, who pounded the ball past the John Jay goalkeeper from about 20 yards out. However, instead of increasing the pressure and building on their lead, Greeley seemed to let up just enough to let the Indians back into the game. By halftime the score was tied.

Much of the second half was evenly played. The Quaker defense was particularly solid when it counted while Greeley’s offensive incursions were thwarted. The game was up for grabs and it became clear that the team that scored the next goal was likely to emerge victorious. The opportunity for the Quakers came with about eight minutes left when Justin Karr carried the ball deep into John Jay’s right corner. Spotting Stephen Reisert streaking down the middle, Karr sent a pinpoint pass to center and Reisert immediately deposited the ball into the net. The scoring combination by the two senior captains could not have been more perfectly executed.

With the lead in hand, Coach Oddo’s squad went into a defensive posture and shut down any further attacks by the Indians.  ^^Top
 

The Quakers returned to their winning ways with a strong performance against Westlake. Intent on putting their two game losing streak behind them, the Quakers exhibited energy and determination from the very start of the contest.

The Quaker midfield and forwards mounted a strong attack while the defense shut down whatever offense the Wildcats could muster. In a total team effort, Greeley applied concerted pressure on the Westlake defense, and it was just a matter of time before one of the Quaker snipers broke through.

Zach Fried opened the scoring with a header off a Justin Karr throw-in. Not long after, another strong throw-in by Karr was again headed into the goal, this time by Stephen Reisert.

The Quakers were not about to let their two goal halftime lead slip away. As the match moved into the second session, Greeley asserted itself over the outmatched Wildcats. The Quakers seemed to be everywhere and continuously beat Westlake to the ball. Several scoring opportunities were thwarted by Westlake’s goalkeeper, who did everything he could to keep the final score at 2-0.

With the win, Greeley improved to 5-2 on the season.  ^^Top
 

On Homecoming, the Quakers suffered a disappointing loss to New Rochelle.

Greeley seemed to be off their game for most of the match and had difficulty mounting a sustained attack. The Huguenots were able to bog down the Quakers in the midfield which prevented Greeley from organizing their offense.

Midway through the first half, Stefan Hovy scored for the Quakers off a cross from Stephen Reisert. But even though Greeley went into halftime with a 1-0 lead, it was clear that the score might not hold unless the Quakers could pick up the pace.

In the second half, an indirect kick resulted in New Rochelle’s first goal. A few minutes later, a defensive lapse led to the Huguenot’s second goal.

It was not until the last five minutes that the Quakers turned up their intensity. As time wound down, it seemed that Greeley was sure to tie the score, but a flurry of activity in the New Rochelle end led only to shots off the post or saves by the opposing goal keeper.  ^^Top
 

The Boys’ Soccer team got off to a solid start this fall.

Ten returning seniors from last season’s 16-3 squad and a solid group of thirteen juniors gives the team significant depth and gives Coach Bob Oddo flexibility and room to maneuver.

Led by captains Zach Fried, Justin Karr and Stephen “Chubbs” Reisert, the Quakers hope to improve upon last year’s league championship team that went deep into the sectionals before being stopped by the eventual state champion.

Benji Shanus, Tony Diorio and goal keeper Tyler Goldberg anchor the Quaker defense, while Karr, Fried and Nick Giannesca look to control the midfield and provide scoring opportunities for forwards Reisert, Alex Frankel, Brian Yormak, Drew Felsenthal and Andy Diorio.  ^^Top
 

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