Chornomorska Sitch captures 2006 USCAK East Coast Cup

by Mark Howansky
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

ELLENVILLE, N.Y. - The Ukrainian Sports Federation of the U.SA. and Canada 2006 East Coast Cup soccer tournament took place on Sunday, July 23, here at the Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM) resort. This year's competition featured a strong field of six Ukrainian American soccer teams from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania: Krylati of Yonkers, N.Y., Tryzub of Philadelphia, Chornomorska Sitch of Newark, N.J., Vatra of Long Island, N.Y., Ukraina of Syracuse, NY., and Karpaty of Passaic, N.J.

The pre-tournament favorite was two-time defending champion Tryzub. The Philadelphia club went undefeated in the United Soccer League this year, and won both Eastern Pennsylvania State Cups - Open and Amateur.

The 2003 East Coast Cup champion, Chornomorska Sitch, was hoping that the SUM resort would bring it luck again, as the Newark team won its title the last time the tournament was played at the "oselia." The young, dedicated Sitch team has made great improvements the last few years, which was evidenced by its run to the New Jersey State Cup finals this year.

The host club, Yonkers Krylati, also was in a position to challenge for the title, having made it to the final of the tournament for the past three years. Krylati's seasoned veterans enjoyed a second-place finish in the Eastern District Soccer League this year, as well as a New York State Cup runner-up title last year.

Long Island Vatra was returning to its fourth East Coast Cup -- the only team besides Krylati and Sitch to have participated in all ECC competitions since its inception in 2003.

The field was rounded out by the recently formed clubs of Syracuse Ukraina and Passaic Karpaty, who were making their first USCAK tournament appearances. Noticeably absent from the competition were the Levy of Stamford Conn., the Ukrainian Sports Club of New York and Poltava of Rochester, N.Y., who declined invitations this year.

The day started off with Krylati needing a late goal to eventually defeat Vatra 2-1. Despite bolstering his Long Island squad with some new transfers from Brooklyn-based Sputnik, player/manager Bohdan Kacharaba could not lead his squad to victory. In the second game, Karpaty, led by captain Stepan Pokryshka, defeated fellow debutante Ukraina 1-0.

Opening ceremonies were then held, with all the teams gathering to hear welcoming words from the tournament director Mark Howansky, and USCAK Soccer Representative Gene Czyzowych. USCAK President Myron Stebelsky thanked all the teams for participating and gave a short talk on the importance of USCAK, which included a brief history. The ceremonies concluded with the singing of the Ukrainian national anthem.

Playing then resumed with the tournament's arguably most exciting and even-matched game, with Newark Sitch and Yonkers Krylati playing to a 0-0 tie, despite numerous chances for both sides. The fourth game then saw Syracuse Ukraina score its first goal of the tournament, before eventually falling to a stronger Philadelphia Tryzub squad.

In the last games of group play, Sitch locked up its No. 1 standing atop group A, with a 2-0 defeat of Long Island Vatra. Philadelphia Tryzub did the same in group B, by downing Passaic Karpaty 2-0.

In the fifth-sixth place game, Vatra and Ukraina played to a 0-0 tie in regulation time, before the Syracuse goalie made some key saves to lead his team to an exciting 3-2 penalty kick victory. Syracuse manager Yaroslav Konsegrada was happy with his young team's performance in their inaugural tournament and vowed to continue participating in Ukrainian American soccer tournaments.

In the first semi-final, Newark Sitch eventually outlasted a motivated but tired Passaic Karpaty squad and scored two second-half goals to win 2-0. And in the second semi-final, Yonkers Krylati continued to struggle to find its scoring touch. And, despite the valiant effort of the Krylati aging back line, Philadelphia Tryzyb's opportunistic forwards eventually took advantage of some sloppy defensive play to score two goals and move on to the final with a 2-0 victory.

The final was destined to be an even contest, as the two teams, Tryzub and Sitch, had played to very physical, very emotional scoreless draws in the last two East Coast Cups. Despite having a short bench and a demanding schedule (playing two games back to back), Tryzub carried most of the play early and created more than a few solid scoring chances. The squad even had a goal called back due to off-sides. It was evident that journeyman captain Peter Boretskii and manager Michael Jurczak had assembled a tournament-savvy squad, which was up to the task.

But Sitch showed a lot of character buy not folding and weathering the storm. Sitch captain A.J. Panas and managers Greg Serheev and Nick Hordynsky instilled quiet confidence despite the persistent pressure. In the second half, the resilient Sitch squad tried to focus on its counterattacks and generated some near-miss shots off of a pair of defensive miscues.

Then, with under a minute remaining and both teams seemingly preparing for overtime, Sitch forward Laurant Delavaux stunned both Tryzub keeper Jason Rostovkis and the crowd with a well-placed shot from distance. His late goal stood up in the final seconds, as the Sitch players and fans broke into celebration.

With its 1-0 victory in the final, Newark Sitch earned the chance to play 2006 Great Lakes Cup champion, Chicago Kryla, for the 2006 USCAK Soccer Championship to be played on Labor Day weekend.

Team trophies were awarded for first-, second- and third-place finishes, as well as individual medals for all players on the champions' team. In addition, a panel of team managers and USCAK officers selected the following players for individual awards:

Special recognition should be given to SUM oselia manager Peter Kosciolek and his staff (including Adrian Kushnir and Alina Sysak) and tournament volunteer Steven Howansky, who did an incredible job prepping the field, providing food and drink for the players and fans, and making everyone feel at home. Also, referees Hans Crusius and Luis Santibanez should be commended for officiating a field record 10 games throughout the entire day without incident.

TANDINGS IN GROUP PLAY
Group A
Team Wins Losses Ties Points GF GA +/-
Newark Sitch 1 0 1 4 2 0 2
Yonkers Krylati 1 0 1 4 2 1 1
Long Island Vatra 0 2 0 0 1 4 -3
Group B
Team Wins Losses Ties Points GF GA +/-
Philadelphia Tryzub 2 0 0 6 7 1 6
Passaic Karpaty 1 1 0 3 1 2 -1
Syracuse Ukraina 0 2 0 0 1 6 -5

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, September 3, 2006, No. 36, Vol. LXXIV

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