Date: Fri 31-May-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: TOMW

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Hurricanes-Memorial-Title

Full Text:

Hurricanes (U12) Win Memorial Title

B Y T.W YATT

It was halftime of the championship game in the U-12 girls' division when

Newtown Hurricanes coach Ken Sullivan, his team stalemated at 0-0 with

Rockville, asked his girls if they would be happy settling for a

co-championship. With a collective " no " the team broke huddle to start the

second half, but neither team could penetrate the other's stifling defense.

But just as the end of regulation neared and overtime seemed imminent, Kaitlin

Barry pounded a corner kick to the top of the penalty area where teammate

Morgan Haines trapped it and fired a missile.

Haines' shot slammed into the crossbar, ricocheted down, and deflected into

the net off of the back of the goal keeper.

The game's only goal gave the Hurricanes their second Newtown Memorial Day

Kickoff Tournament title in three years - having won it as a U-10 team in 1994

- and went into the books as only the third championship ever to be won by a

Newtown girls' team.

" I'm so proud of these girls, " said coach Sullivan. " This was a tough

tournament. There were a lot of strong teams in from Long Island, but our

girls really rose to the occasion. We had three wins and two ties and we tied

against two great teams. "

Competing within a ten-team division, the Hurricanes started the tournament

off with a 4-0 win over the North Babylon (NY) Fantasy on Saturday, May 25. In

that contest the team got goals from Carrie Young, Erin Doyle, Kim Helfer, and

Kaitlin Barry while Michele Nelson and Kate Bouteiller split the goal keeping

duties in recording the shutout.

Later that afternoon the Canes shutout the Newton (Mass) Eagles, 2-0, as Young

scored her second goal of the tourney and Dawn Macri added another.

The Hurricanes met up with perhaps their toughest competition on Sunday at

Newtown High School when they saw the Rye (NY) Stingers score a goal to take a

1-0 lead. It was the first and only goal that the Hurricanes would surrender

throughout the tournament.

Trailing 1-0 in the final five minutes of play, coach Sullivan moved Keira

Morin up to the front from her sweeper position and the young Hurricane made

the move pay off when she tied the game and sent it to overtime.

After two overtime periods, the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Next up for the Canes were the East Meadow (NY) Diamonds. The Diamonds proved

to be tough competition, but the Hurricanes were just as strong. The game was

a defensive battle and ended in a 0-0 tie.

With its 2-0-2 record, the Hurricanes' team advanced to the finals of the U-12

division and were matched up against also unbeaten Rockville Centre.

The early morning rain had given way to partially sunny skies as Memorial Day

began with high excitement on the field at St Rose School.

Newtown's Doyle just missed scoring a goal in the first half while Hurricane's

keeper Michele Nelson made a pair of saves stopping Rockville attacks.

Newtown had a few scoring chances on a series of second-half corner kicks but

just couldn't seem to break the ice.

Not until the Haines goal.

" It was a pretty special goal for her, " Sullivan said after the game. " We

move players around a lot and get goals from different people, but this was

her first winning goal. "

In fact, in outscoring their opponent 8-1 through five games of the

tournament, the Hurricanes got goals from seven different players.

In goal, Nelson recorded each of the final two shutouts on her own while coach

Sullivan also praised the efforts of his sweeper, Keira Morin.

Of the 15 players on the Hurricanes' roster this spring, five of them were

members of the 1994 team that won. Those include Catherine Dansdill, Katie

Sullivan, Barry, Bouteiller, Young, and Nelson.

Other contributing members of this year's championship squad include Jamie

Zingoni, Jennifer Russell, and Angela Shannon.

In addition to winning the Newtown Kickoff, the Hurricanes have added titles

this year at the South West Championship, the Columbus Day Tournament, and the

Northwest Canterbury Tournament. The team's next stop will be the New Soccer

Hall of Fame Tournament which will be played at the Soccer Hall in Oneonta,

New York, later in June.