Dover Soccer rolls 7-2 over Pawling at home
By John M. Benson
October 17, 2007
Dover racked up the 7-2 victory over Pawling on October 17 at home, and looked ahead to a chance to get on a roll in the sectional playoffs.
Dover got three goals from Eric Kelly, two goals by Jason Paradis, one goal by Nick Esposito, and one goal by Christian Torgersen.
Nick Esposito is having a great season as the center mid or the holding mid, where he is the field general, the quarterback, setting the play from the offensive attack of the Dover Dragons.
Coach Bob Esposito and his 2007 Dragons began the season with a host of new faces in the starting lineup, but with a strong contingent of senior leadership, and have spent the season building themselves into a cohesive and formidable soccer team.
Coach Esposito said after the Pawling game, “The last five to six games, we have been playing very well. We lost 2-1 at North Salem because we played down a man, one of our best kids had to sit out his red card, Scott Garcia. We could have won that game, and if we had, we could have won the league, champions of the league. We are 4-2 in the league, and we could have been 5-1 and tied for the championship. As it is we are second in the league.”
Because of all the new faces, Dover struggled a little early in the non-league schedule, but it has all developed at the right time.
As Esposito said, “Once the playoffs start, anything can happen, and I believe we can play with anybody if we play our best game. The way they played today against Pawling, they can play with anybody if they play this strong.”
How is the team different now in comparison with the early season?
The coach said, “Their intensity level is higher. They are moving the ball better, and off the ball, they are making their runs off the ball much better. And, they are playing together. It took a while, but they are there now. They are trusting each other, and that is also because they are making the runs and they are there for each other.
“We knew we had tremendous speed on this team, and you can see that on the field. We have the speed, and we are now there as a team, so from here, anything can happen.”
Coach Bob Esposito’s varsity roster: Eric Kelly, Matt O’Neil, Shaun Marshall, Nick Quinn, Christian Jorgensen, Jason Paradis, Scott Garcia, Arlex Leon, Gene Boo, Ed Sheehan, Jesse Franks, Joe Casson, Eric Merling, Joe Vinci, Steve Wool, Dillon Nugent, Mike Lloyd, Joe Stanley, Jorge Aldano, Hunter Marshall, Marco Hernandez and John Ferraro. |
