2nd Annual ASA Travel Soccer Alumni Game
You are Invited to the Arlington Travel Soccer 2nd Annual Alumni Game!
Mark your calendars – the 2nd Annual ASA Travel Soccer Alumni Game will be held Saturday, November 26th at Greenbrier Park (Yorktown HS) from 2-4pm. Whether you are able to play or just want to come and cheer we would love to see as many ASA travel soccer Alumni as possible at this year’s event. This is a great opportunity to catch up with former teammates and play a bit of soccer over the holiday weekend. Coaches of former travel soccer teams will be on hand to play soccer and greet their former players.
Parents and family of former players are encouraged to also come out and catch up with former club families.
Come dressed to play and bring a blue and white shirt (or old club jersey). Proper gear is necessary - Shin Guards will be REQUIRED to play.
Please Visit us on Facebook and RSVP : 2nd ANNUAL ARLINGTON SOCCER ASSOCIATION TRAVEL SOCCER ALUMNI GAME (http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=294446137245917)
Venom players in the News . . .
Washington Post
June 8, 2011 - Congratulations to Kyler Sullivan and Josh West for being named to the Washington Post All-Met Boys Soccer Team. In addition Christian Kosko was named to the 2nd team and Chris Dunn and Luis Torres were Honorable Mention. Congrats Guys! Washington Post Article can be read HERE.
Venom Players take Spring High School Soccer Honors
Named to the All-Region Northern Region HS First Team is Luis Torres (Forward Sr Washington and Lee) and Peter Sullivan (Defender SR Herndon). Christian Kosko (Forward Sr Lake Braddock) and Chris Dunn (Midfield SR Yorktown) were named to the Second Team Northern Region team.
All-District First Team Honors went to Christian Kosko (Forward SR Lake Braddock) in the Patriot District. Named to the Second Team Patriot All-District Team were Wais Ansary (Forward SR West Springfield), Henry Rivera (Midfield SR Lee) and Tyler Dunn (Defender SR Lake Braddock).
Chris Dunn (Midfield SR Yorktown) was named to the First Team National All-District Team along with Luis Torres (Forward SR W-L). Peter Sullivan (Wildcard SR Herndon) was selected as a member of the First Team Concorde All-District Team.
Further south in the Commonwealth District Josh West (Forward SR Brook Point) and Kyler Sullivan (Midfield SR North Stafford) were named to the First Team All-District Team.
Zach Kennedy (Defender Sr Brentsville) was named to the Evergreen all-district first team.
Curtis Einsmann (Midfield Sr Garfield) and Ahroon Nustraty (Defense SR Osborne Park) both received 2nd Team All Cardinal District honors this year.
Spartans Boys Soccer Score Five on Senior Night
West Springfield remains undefeated
By William Sagar | Email the author | April 30, 2011
The West Springfield Spartans came in to Friday night’s contest having won six straight games, while their opponents, the West Potomac Wolverines, were amidst a six game losing streak. After taking an early 3-0 lead, it looked as if the Spartans would cruise to an easy victory, but the feisty Wolverines gave them all they could handle, pulling to within a goal late in the second half. However, a goal from leading scorer Jannik Eckenrode in the final minute secured the 5-3 win, and three of the five graduating Spartans scored a goal on senior night.
“We didn’t play as well as we have been the last week or so, but it was good to see the seniors win tonight,” head coach Andy Saffran said afterward. “They are a hard working bunch, and although we’re a junior heavy squad, the guys really look up to them.”
It was evident from the opening kickoff that the Spartans would look to run their attack through Eckenrode, as the talented central midfielder got involved in immediately. A minute into the match, his bent shot a long shot to the far post that was barely parried wide by the Wolverine keeper. Teammate Patrick Burns looked to one-up Eckenrode on the ensuing corner when the ball rolled out to his feet just outside the box. Burns coraled the ball and a curved a shot of his own off the underside of the cross bar and into the back of the net, as the Spartans captured the lead just three minutes in.
West Potomac looked to answer right away but could only muster a series of half-chances before Eckenrode got the ball with room against the run of play. The junior captain streaked down the left side before beating his defender on the end line. Although he couldn’t sneak it past the Wolverine keeper, senior Shahey Tenkerian was there to put home the rebound and extend the Spartan lead.
“He hasn’t played as much for us this year, but he’s a hustler.” Saffran said of Tenkerian. “I was glad to see him score, he really deserved it.”
That lead would soon become 3-0 as senior captain Wais Ansary converted on a breakaway in the 30th minute. His first shot was deflected, but the persistent striker hammered the rebound into the roof of the net for his 4th goal of the year. The Wolverines pulled one back just before halftime, but West Springfield went into the break with a comfortable 3-1 lead.
The lead would briefly get much less comfortable, as a mix up in the first minute of the second half led another West Potomac goal. However, a swift response came from the boot of Josh Macnamara, who cracked one in from just outside the box less than minute later. The Wolverines threw waves of attacks to get back into it, and pulled back to within a goal in the 73rd minute.
“We got into our comfort zone and got too casual with soft passes and lazy clearances,” Saffran explained. “You can’t do that and continue to be successful.”
West Potomac earned a corner kick with 3 minutes left, but the resulting header missed the target. The ensuing goal kick was flicked on to a streaking Eckenrode who made no mistake about it, sealing the deal with a beautiful one-on-one finish in the final seconds.
The win keeps the Spartans on pace for the district title, however they will need to pull back from a 1-0 deficit in a half played game against Annandale to resume next week.
“We were looking great a week ago,” Saffran said. “We just need to refocus and get back to basics.”
Willis still thrives despite position change
Published: April 19, 2011 By BEN TRITTIPOE
As the season heads into the home stretch over the next few weeks, the Brentsville boys soccer team has put itself in prime position for another successful postseason.
The Tigers have won four straight games, the last three by shutout, and they are tied for the lead in the Evergreen District with six games to play. Two of those will come against their biggest rival – currently unbeaten Kettle Run – and decide which team is favored to make a deep run in the Region II and, potentially, Group AA playoffs.
Zach Willis may be the wild card to give Brentsville (7-2, 2-0 Evergreen) the edge. The talented senior center midfielder is one of the top players in the area and is ready to lead the Tigers to their second straight district championship and beyond.
Willis was a key scorer for the Tigers last season as he had 16 goals and nine assists while earning all-district and all-region honors as a striker. This year, Willis has moved to the central midfield and while his goal-scoring has diminished (he currently has four), he has continued to be a top distributor of the ball as he is among the Washington Metropolitan area leaders with 11 assists.
“Zach is very dangerous with the ball and very dangerous when creating for his teammates,” Brentsville head coach Nathan Nemerow said. “He can create opportunities for himself out of nowhere. He minimizes turnovers and never seems to lose the ball.”
“It depends on the opponent,” Willis said of his style of play. “If they give me space, I can dribble the ball downfield and beat an opponent, or if they mark me tight, I look to play the ball off and get it back in space. Either way, I feel comfortable.”
Willis and senior Brandon Caruso have combined at center midfield to give the Tigers a strong core in the middle of the field. With the duo setting up strikers Dylan Mohammed, Sam Godoy, Jose Cano and Marcelo Molina, Brentsville has been able to defeat Battlefield (last year’s Group AAA runner-up) and George Mason (two-time defending Group A state champion).
But the defense has also been strong. The Tigers have allowed just six goals in nine games, led by senior defenders Connor Ray and Zach Kennedy and senior goalkeeper Hunter Mihalick.
“We’ve got a great mix as a team right now,” Willis said. “Our defense is doing a great job of marking opponents and Hunter has done a great job in goal. The defense feeds the offense, and I think we can only continue to get better.”
Nemerow spent five years as an assistant coach at Osbourn Park, helping his father Larry guide the Yellow Jackets to numerous district and Northwest Region titles. Now in his third year at the helm of the Tigers program, he has nothing but glowing praise for Willis, who will play at James Madison University in the fall.
“We had a lot of Division I recruits at OP and I’ve seen a lot of quality players in my time, but none are as gifted or as special as Zach,” Nemerow said. “He’s a very dynamic player. He can play any of the 10 field positions and play them well, and he probably would even be a standout at goalkeeper. We have played some very good teams this year, but he is the best everytime we step on the field.”
As talented as Willis is as a player, Nemerow said his character and humility may be even greater.
“On top of his obvious talent, this is a kid who earns even more respect due to his being a great individual,” Nemerow said. “It’s rare to find someone with the combination of great talent and great character. He’s very much the ideal when I think of a team leader.”
“For me, it’s all about the team,” Willis said. “Last year, as a forward, I was more of a goal scorer. This year in the midfield, I see the ball more and am able to distribute it to others, and that’s been better for the team.
“When the team does well, that’s when I feel the best. It’s much more important for us to win as a team than any individual goal I can get. I just try to lead by example and show the other players what we need to do to be successful and have the best season possible.”
Both Nemerow and Willis believe Brentsville’s best soccer is yet to come this season. The Tigers purposely played a strong early schedule (their two losses were to AAA teams Stonewall Jackson and Forest Park) to have them ready for tough games late in the year, and two of the toughest will come against Kettle Run on May 3 (at home) and May 20 (away).
“We’re beginning to realize our identity as a team, but we’re still getting there,” Nemerow said. “We’re constantly working to improve and I’m hoping that we’ll be peaking in the district tournament and beyond.”
“We want to continue to get better each game so that when the postseason comes around, we’re peaking at that time,” Willis said. “We have a goal of winning the district championship, and we hope to achieve bigger goals after that, but we have our sights set on that right now.”
Bruins Win Convincingly over West Potomac
Lake Braddock inches above .500 with the victory
By William Sagar | Email the author | April 8, 2011
(Tyler Dunn preparing for a free kick)
The Lake Braddock Bruins moved 3-2-1 with a big district road win over the struggling West Potomac Wolverines. The Bruins were able to score a season-high three goals, two of which were converted on corner kicks. They were also defensively sound, recording their second shutout of the year.
“We had a great practice last night,” said Coach Joe Soos. “We came out ready today and put up a really solid performance.”
The game began with a sharp contrast of styles. While Lake Braddock looked to play the ball on the ground and use the width of the pitch, the Wolverines focused on clearing the ball defensively and tried to pick out strikers with the long ball. As the half wore on, the Bruins were able to use the edge in possession to put the West Potomac defense under pressure.
The Bruins responded with desperation clearances and hoped for a kick-and-run style, but the discipline of the Bruin attack began to create more chances. Their efforts were rewarded with a handful of corner kicks and finally, midway through the first half, Ortiz was able to knock one into the back of the net.
But the Bruins weren’t satisfied with the one-goal lead. In the 3oth minute, defender Brendan McHale stepped up from defense on another corner and head home another cross to give the Bruins a comfortable 2-0 lead going into the break, especially comfortable considering their opponent hadn’t even had two quality shots on goal.
“We work really hard in training,” Soos explained. “Guys know they have to seize their opportunities, and tonight a lot of new guys got their chance, and they made the most of it.”
West Potomac came out strong in the second looking to get themselves back into contention, but the Bruin defense held strong, thwarting every attack and deflecting shots in the box. At the other end of the pitch, and mix up in the West Potomac box lead to an easy tap in goal for Ortiz, his second of the night.
Up 3-0 with time dwindling the Bruins were able to relax and open up the field. Senior Christian Kosko, who facilitate beautifully out the central midfield all night, had a few chances to extend the Bruin lead, only to see a pair of half volleys sail just wide of the post.
Once the game was all sewn up, Soos went deep onto his bench to give some of the younger guys more experience.
"We got great effort from all of the guys tonight,” Soos said. “From the guys who played all 80 minutes to those who closed out the final 12. I was really happy with the performance, but as always, we still have a lot of work to do.”
The Bruins will look to carry their success over into Monday’s 7:00 matchup against Chantilly.
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Washington-Lee vs. Yorktown:
Generals win, 2-0, in boys’ soccer
Richard A. Lipski/ FOR THE WASHINGTON POST - Washington-Lee’s Luis Torres, third from left, celebrates his first half goal with teammates, from left, Gustavo Mariaca, Manuel Benites, Carlos Dellagostino, Jack Beckman and Jaras Chaimuangehuen.
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Boys’ soccer top 10: Battlefield starts No. 1
By Paul Tenorio, Wednesday, March 23, 7:13 PM
Returning the bulk of a roster that advanced to the Virginia AAA final last season, Battlefield will feature Radford-bound forward Kyle Beach, midfielder Troy Allaire and center back Cody Cox. The Bobcats are expected to once again challenge for the Northwest Region title and are The Post’s No. 1 team at the start of the season.
Though it lost All-Met defender Roshan Patel, expect No. 2 Langley to once again be among the top programs in the Northern Region. The Saxons return the bulk of a team that went through the regular season undefeated last year, including forward Josh Ellis and midfielder Dylan Price. Keep an eye on junior midfielder Oliver De Thier, who will be paired with Farhan Khan (George Washington) in center midfield.
The trend in recent seasons has been slower starts, but No. 3 Yorktown perennially is playing for a spot in the Northern Region championship. This year the Patriots have to replace three of the four from their back line, but return forward Andrew Panknen, William & Mary-bound midfielder Chris Dunn and goalkeeper Max Von Schrader.
After advancing to the region tournament last season, No. 4 Forest Park should be a major player in the hunt for a state title this season. The Bruins are deep all the way around, feature talented outside midfielder Nigel Robinson and are the favorites in the Cardinal District.
No. 5 McLean fell in the Northern Region championship last season and graduated All-Met midfielder Tim Whitebread, but bring back several players who will factor in this year, including forward Akeem Ward, who has four goals through three games this year, defender Rafi Enriquez and goalkeeper Robert Maffei.
While No. 6 Washington-Lee flew under the radar last season, it features several strong players and has already made a splash early in the season with a decisive win. The Generals will rely on junior forward Eric Schmidt, while Luis Torres has three goals and one assist in three games this season.
Last season, No. 7 North Stafford advanced to the Northwest Region semifinals and the Wolverines return several key figures from that team, most notably North Florida-bound goalkeeper Ryan Husted and midfielder Kyler Sullivan (Virginia), who was among the most dangerous attacking threats in the area last season.
If anyone challenges top-ranked Battlefield for the Cedar Run title, it will likely be No. 8 Osbourn, which has a talent-laden roster bolstered by perhaps the area’s top netminder in Maryland-bound senior Jordan Tatum. While Tatum will hold down the back line, the Eagles will depend offensively on senior midfielder-forward Zach Hoover (Virginia Tech).
A team that might be able to sneak up on some opponents and will challenge for the Concorde District title, No. 9 Herndon is bolstered by the return of Coach Sean Lanigan and the play of star junior Patrick McLaughlin and senior Peter Sullivan (Longwood).
Though it dropped an early game to rival Lake Braddock, No. 10 Robinson should assume its usual spot as one of the best teams in the area. The Rams graduated a huge chunk of their lineup from last season but will be helped by the transfer of talented center midfielder Ryan Harmouche.
Several other teams are very much in the mix for the rankings. Broad Run is among the top Virginia AA teams in the area and is led by senior Kevin Reitzel (Virginia Tech), while Kettle Run features two Division I recruits in forward Brandon Hartman (VMI) and goalkeeper Ryan Schmidt (Virginia Tech) while junior forward Reid Turnure had a strong sophomore campaign. Several coaches pointed to Madison, led by South Carolina-bound senior Dan Traxler, as a sleeper pick. Stone Bridge lost some key players but usually finds its way into the mix, as does always-feisty Jefferson, while Gar-Field could factor in the Northwest Region.
tenoriop@washpost.com
Disney Showcase
December 27-30, 2010
Orlando, Florida
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U18 Boys: Arlington blasts by Penn Fusion, 4-0
Article Written By Carlos Pineda, ESNN
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - December 27, 2010
Arlington Travel SC Venom (Virginia) waited and waited.
Although they grew frustrated with having plenty of scoring opportunities and no goals to show for it, forward Andrew Panknen finally converted in the 41st minute.
Panknen was able to take the ball and roll it into the lower right corner, giving Arlington the lead right before the intermission.
Even with the slow start, head coach Jawed Sanie said the team's strategy was to play a fast-paced game.
"We tried to keep the pace of the game fast (because) we knew the other team had 12 players," Sanie said.
The strategy paid off.
In the 64th minute, midfielder Neil Corey gave the Venom the game-clinching goal. Midfielder Henry Rivera and goalkeeper Zachary Yancey added the final scores late in the contest.
Sanie said the fatigue eventually caught up to Philadelphia-area side Penn Fusion, as they allowed three goals in the second half.
Throughout much of the first period, Panknen and forward Kyler Sullivan (committed to Virginia) had some great shots at the goal that did not go in.
Panknen said it was frustrating to not be able to put one in the back of the net early on in the contest but eventually got it done
Congratulations to Venom Players
CJ Corey and Bennett Jones!
December 15, 2010 - Both CJ (Bishop O'Connell) and Bennett (Episcopal) were named 2nd team Washington Post All-Met. It was a busy fall for these guys as they juggled playing High School Soccer, Club Soccer and State Cup at the same time. Congrats Guys!
U18B Venom Shine at the
Bethesda Soccer Tournament
The U18B Venom kicked off their post-season College Showcase/Tournament competition series by taking all three games and winning the U19B Potomac Division of the Bethesda Tournament this past weekend.
Venom began the tournament by playing in the opening game on Friday afternoon against Pittsgrove Premier (NJ). This exciting game pitted #1 against #2 in U18B Region 1 play. Venom was looking for redemption after previously losing to Pittsgrove Premier last spring. It didn't take long for the goal scoring to begin as the ball hit the upper 90 of the net within the first two minutes of the game. Venom was up 1-0. Pittsgrove scored late in the first half but Venom answered back with another goal beating Pittsgrove 2-1.
The frost delay on Saturday morning didn't hold up the second game for long as by 8:15am Venom were on the roll playing the U19B JBS FC Premier (NYE). Though JBS FC Premier featured several current D1 college players Venom outplayed the Premier and won 3-1. The final game against YMS Thunder (PAE) was another re-match as Venom had previously tied YMS Thunder last spring and then lost 1-0 to them this past summer at Region 1 Regionals. The game was another hard fought high intensity game that ended with Venom on the winning side 2-0. Due to their successful play over the weekend Venom's current rankings put them as #1 in Virginia, #1 in Region 1 and #8 Nationally in the U18B Division.
Venom will continue their post-season play by appearing in the PDA Boys College Showcase in New Jersey over Thanksgiving weekend and concluding with the Disney Soccer Showcase in Florida the last week of December.
State Cup 2010 Semi-Final Round-up
From the Potomac Soccer Wire - October 30, 2010
10:00 AM – Field 6
Arlington Venom 1 : 1 (3-4 PKs) Great Falls Blue 92
Can you say “what a game”? We said there was drama today, and most of it was packed into this one game. Though Great Falls proved our upset prediction true, the match seriously should not have been close. Arlington attacked relentlessly for the entire first half, barely allowing Blue out of their own end. The wet surface and physical prowess of both of these teams full of college-bound players made for a fast-paced and entertaining game, but perhaps the conditions were just enough take the venom out of Arlington’s bite, as they could only find the woodwork four times in the first half. They went into the interval at 0-0, but it could have easily been 4-0 Arlington. The second half was not the same Great Falls though, as they took a turn going slightly downhill, but also found more of their attacking threat. It was a little more “route 1” than Arlington’s possession style, but it started to show promise. As happens so often in this game when one team dominates but fails to score – the other team finds a way to punish them, and it was Great Falls who notched first around the 60th minute. But it wasn’t long before Arlington was back on the attack, and when they earned a penalty with about 20 minutes left, they had to be excited. And when a Great Falls player already on a yellow complained about the call a little too much, he drew a second caution from referee. Arlington’s Josh West finished the PK, and now with a man advantage, his team seemed ready to capitalize. Great Falls responded almost immediately however with a disciplined defensive plan to keep a low pressure line, and do everything possible to try and make it to through the rest of the game, through OT, and to PKs. It wasn’t a totally defensive effort by Great Falls, as they did try to attack when the had the ball, but overall the tactic worked, and after 50 minutes of 1:1 soccer, it was down to PKs. Arlington was up first in the PK rounds, and both teams made their first two. Then Paul Hegedus made a save before Great Falls converted to take a 3:2 lead. Arlington’s goalkeeper Shayne Leonard calmly answered taking a spot kick himself to keep his team in it, but Cameron Foster answered for Great Falls’ 4th to make it 4:3 with one round to go. Hegedus decided he didn’t want to put any more pressure on his teammates, and stoned Josh West before being mobbed by his thankful teammates.
The Beach FC v Great Falls final is the way we picked this one, so we’re sticking to our original prediction of Great Falls winning 2-1 on Sunday. But they’ll have to play better defense than they did today, because luck of the cross bar never lasts in this game of inches. Beach FC didn’t hit any crossbars today in putting four chances past a good Annandale side. If you’re in the Richmond area tomorrow, this is game not to miss.
Arlington Venom
Fall 2010-Spring 2011
Arlington Venom
Fall 2009 -Spring 2010
Virginia State Cup Champions
Adidas Blue Chip Champions
Potomac Memorial Day Semi-finalists
NCSL Division-1 Fall Champions
OBGC Capital Cup Champions
Arlington Venom
Fall 2008 -Spring 2009
Virginia State Cup Semi-Finalist
NCSL Division-1 Fall Champions
CASL Showcase Finalist
Disney's Soccer Showcase Semi-Finalist
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