Lakeland 2, Hen Hud 1 (OT)

Saturday, Sept. 11 (Hendrick Hudson High School)
By: Mike Sabini

Mike Rodriguez tallied the game-winning goal in the 84th minute, to give the Hornets a 2-1 overtime victory against Hendrick Hudson.

“We were fighting all game and looking for a goal to bring us back into the game,” Rodriguez said. “My teammate Bryan Jaramillo gets us a tying goal with around 20 minutes left in the second half and after he scored, I knew we could win the game. Then in overtime we got the penalty and I stepped up and wanted that goal. It felt unbelievable when that ball hit the back of the net. It still feels unreal but we fought and we got the win.”

Rodriguez assisted on Jaramillo’s goal with Ciraco making 5 saves.

Boys Soccer: College ID Camp Returns to Lakeland

By MIKE SABINI

SHRUB OAK, N.Y. – After not having it in the summer and holding it in the winter at Mamaroneck High School last year because of the pandemic, the fourth annual Hudson Valley College ID Camp returned home July 9-11 to Lakeland High School.

A total of 32 college coaches, which included a combination of Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, and junior college coaches, attended this summer event.

“I was happy to be able to put something together in the winter for our 2021 grads, but the summer is the best time to run this ID camp and last winter was a one-off due to the pandemic,” said camp director and founder, Lakeland coach Tim Hourahan.

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Hourahan said that the camp has really been a great success story over the past few years. The idea of the camp was the brainchild of Hourahan, Somers coach Brian Lanzetta, and Mamaroneck coach Rich Becker, who also help run the camp.

The idea for the camp came about to try and get the area’s best soccer players in this region on one campus, in front as many college coaches as they can get to attend, Hourahan said.

“The idea was that this area really has a ton of high-level soccer players that now don´t have to travel far or pay a lot of money to get some exposure to college coaches,” said Hourahan, a 1996 Somers graduate. “And now because of the success of players from previous camps, we are now drawing more college programs. We are even attracting players from out of state, like New Jersey and Connecticut, to attend and compete with our best players. Over the past few years, 61 players who attended the camp have found a college roster spot, many of which was a direct result of this camp. For that, I am proud to have been able to help these players.”

Lanzetta concurred.

“There are so many great soccer schools out there, it’s a great way to help these kids find soccer homes and get a good education,” Lanzetta said.

One of those kids is New Rochelle’s Johan Valez, who now plays at Manhattan College and, in a text to the camp coaches, acknowledged how important the camp was to him.

“Thank you for looking out for the youth of our communities,” said Valez, who played in all of Manhattan College’s six games this spring as a sophomore and started in four of them. “If it wasn’t for this ID clinic, I probably would not have come across Manhattan. Thank you again.”

Yorktown players who took part in this year’s camp were rising senior forward Peter Tinaj, George Popovic, Jack Prybylski, Ryan Tomeny, Anthony Spina, David Beitler, Mason Murphy, and Chris Coppola.

“The experience was nice, it was fun to compete against all the top players in our area,” Tinaj said.

Rising junior Liam Healy, Dylan Ingraham, Jack Van Tassel, and Chris Goncalves attended from Somers.

“These boys worked hard, showcased themselves and basically tried to get seen by anyone that would have interest,” Lanzetta said. “Liam works very hard on and off the pitch, emailing coaches and training. He is pushing himself to play at a good level and get great academics, as the rest of the boys who attended.”

Lakeland players participating were Michael Rodriguez, Connor Daly, Chris Ciraco, and David Pinkowsky.

Hourahan feels they and the other participants were able to get a feel of what a college training session may feel like, sound like, etc. Coaches from Marist College, SUNY Brockport, and Clarkson University put the campers through a 90-minute training session.

“Our kids were able to see the pace of these practices,” Hourahan said. “I also think it provides a great opportunity for players to compete with the best players in our area and see where they stack up. As for coaches, I know having spoken to many of them since camp ended that they have already made direct contacts with some of our players in hopes of getting them up to campus for a visit. So, they are already working on getting commitments from our prospects.”

Future Stars Soccer Camp a Success at Lakeland High School

Tim Hourahan
By MIKE SABINI

SHRUB OAK, N.Y. – The 10th annual Future Stars Soccer Camp took place at Lakeland High School from June 28 to July 1.

Running the camp was Lakeland boys’ soccer coach, Tim Hourahan, who has done so for the Shrub Oak Athletic Club since the camp’s inception in 2011, except for last year because of the pandemic.

“We had 97 total boys and girls from as young as 5 years old through the age of 12,” Hourahan said. “This is our club’s youth camp and in August, I will run a travel camp for all of our boys travel soccer players and teams U8-U14 that will be playing in this fall’s 2021 club season.”

“We call it teaching players the Lakeland way, but in reality, it’s really to just continue to grow the love of the sport for the younger players in our town,” Hourahan said. “We will teach them some basic skills, but really we want them all to have a great time, leaving wanting more soccer.”

For one Hornet, rising junior Michael Rodriguez, a central-attacking midfielder, the camp has come full circle. Rodriguez helped out as he instructed the youngsters as a counselor this summer after being one of the campers in the first year of the event.

“I always enjoyed participating in this camp,” Rodriguez said. “It was so fun for me as a kid. All the counselors and coaches were so fun, and I wanted to be just like them.”

He now enjoys the role as counselor.

“I wanted the kids to have the same fun experience I used to have, and I enjoyed it myself,” Rodriguez said. “I love soccer and want to spread as much as I know about the game to the future generation.”

Rodriguez is one of the current high-school stars on both the Lakeland boys and girls varsity programs that were on hand at camp, which has been a staple of it from the outset.

“It really helps build the connection to have the high-school players around the younger kids as they all look up to them” Hourahan said. “And it is not just during this week of soccer camp that these boys are around, as we have handful of players who are volunteering to coach in the rec program on Saturdays year-round. I also have a few of my players come with me when I am training the travel teams to help demonstrate drills. All of this continues to bridge that gap from the youth club to the high-school soccer programs.

“In addition, I have some alumni players who graduated from Lakeland and are currently playing college ball help out,” Hourahan said. “This year, even Johnny Denis came back to work with the youth players in our community. It was great for kids to see that you can go from Lakeland to College to US Youth National team and even the Cosmos.”

The camp shows is an example of how popular soccer has become in the area.

“Our soccer club, like many towns around us in this area, has really grown over the past decade or so,” Hourahan said. “There are so many more opportunities for kids in this area to play soccer and our club is no different. I started coaching for Shrub Oak Athletic Club around 2008, mainly just on the travel side of things, but as time has gone on, I have taken on a few different larger roles inside of the club, including running this camp. It has been great to see the growth and love of the sport in this community.”

For Hourahan, his involvement in the club is truly a personal one.

“Yes, I coach in this town at the high school, but I am also a dad to four boys who are or will all be playing soccer in this club on a variety of levels, so we are invested,” Hourahan said.

Lakeland Summer Leagues Serving Vital Purpose for Area Youth

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

Folks in our neck of the woods have no idea how fortunate they are to have people like Lakeland educators/coaches Sharon Sarsen and Tim Hourahan providing a summer outlet for field hockey preps and boys’ soccer players, respectively. Seriously, you have no idea. Every single summer Sarsen — the most decorated field hockey coach in state history (probably the country) — and Hourahan — among the most dedicated soccer coaches in NYS — provide Section 1 athletes with the chance to play competitive, well-organized, off-season sports in an effort to get them ready for the fall season.

Yorktown’s Peter Tinaj gets set to rip one of his four goals in Huskers’ win over Valhalla last Tuesday in a summer league game.
The Lakeland Summer Soccer League and Lakeland Summer Field Hockey League provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity for local communities from Rye (lower Westchester) to Mahopac (Putnam County), and all points in between, to gauge their programs and see what they have returning in September. Not only does it allow local coaches to see their own players in action, it gives them a glimpse of what they’re up against once the Section 1 seasons begin in earnest. From the top teams in the league, to those that may be struggling, everybody gets a shot to see what they have and what they need to improve upon.

“I’ll tell you this,”Hourahan said. “Class A soccer is absolutely loaded again, and the top teams are all playing summer league.”

This year, the league added a bunch of teams and has 15 programs playing summer soccer at Lakeland.

“These Class A teams are good and I would be shocked if one of the 10 teams playing in this league from Class A are not in the sectional finals come the end of October, if not two teams,” Hourahan said.

Section 1’s recent boys’ soccer champions return some of the top players and rosters going into 2021. Rye, Byram Hills, Somers and Yorktown all will be considered legitimate title contenders in Class A and all have shown great level of play already in summer league. Eastchester is an up-and-coming team in Class A and has the goods to beat any team this fall on any given day, including summer league wins over Somers and John Jay EF this July.

“There is always a team in Rockland in Class A to contend with, too, and recently it has been Pearl River,” Hourahan said, “but I am hearing a bit about Tappan Zee and even Clarkstown North, who just dropped down from AA. There is always Greeley as well, who remains in A, so with 30 total teams it will be one of the most competitive classes in any section in New York. That is for sure, and we have some of the very best getting after it already in our summer league.”

If it weren’t for coaches like Sarsen and Hourahan, this opportunity would likely not exist, and since my own daughter competes in the summer field hockey league I’d like to take this opportunity to say thanks! Thanks for going out of your way every single season to do right by our kids. Folks have no idea how fortunate we are to have coaches like these two kicking butt and showing up for all of us…

*2021 LAKELAND SUMMER LEAGUE PLAYOFFS *

Sunday July 25 (Round of 16)

TOP TURF FIELD

2pm #8 Panas v #9 RCK (G)

3pm #4 Rye v #13 JJCR (F)

4pm #5 Byram Hills v #12 Harrison (E)

_STADIUM FIELD _

3.15pm #6 Somers v #11 Briarcliff ©

4.15pm #3 Lakeland v #14 Put Valley (D)

5.15pm #2 Yorktown v #15 Brewster (B)

6.15pm #7 JJEF v #10 Valhalla (A)

**+*Tuesday July 27 (QuarterFinals)* +

4pm Winner of Game A v Game B (#1)

5pm Winner of Game C v Game D (#2)

6pm Winner of Game E v Game F (#3)

7pm #1 seed v Winner of Game G (#4)

*+*Friday July 30 CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT*+*

5 pm SEMIFINAL #1 (winners of game #1 & 2)

6pm SEMIFINAL #2 (winners of game #3 & 4)

7pm CHAMPIONSHIP GAME