Eagles’ Tough Battle Against Julia Richman

Written by: Nina Luksanapol

The Eagles fought to the last second when they played their second game against Julia Richman Educational Center in Central Park on Thursday. Although they lost 4-0, the Lady Eagles put up an amazing fight against them. The Offsides Trap, also known as “Kit Kat”, was successfully pulled off in the first half, a strategy that the team has recently learned. Green was first to almost every ball, putting pressure on the opposing team. Players Karla Kirsch, Yesenia Cornejo, Kenia Cohetero, Karla Ramirez, Flore Costume and Destini Torres made great shots at the goal as well. The team kept their heads up through both halves. The defensive end was lead by Destini Torres in the first half and Michelle Guerrero in the second half, who both knew when to push up and distribute the ball to the side and up the line. The positive mentality of the team definitely shined through in the relentless efforts to gain possession of the ball and to defend our goal. Camille Fernandez played as right defense and right midfield, winning the ball every time it was near her.

The score was kept at 2-0 at half time with great saves by goalie Ewa Pruszkowska, who did an excellent job of coming out and claiming the ball; she even shouted out “IT’S MY BALL!” during the second half. Ewa has improved tremendously since the beginning of the season, and today’s game displayed how her confidence and skills have progressed.

There is no the Player of the Game, since everyone fought a tough battle and we hope to see Julia Richman again in the playoffs!

The Eagles' 2-1 Revenge

Written By: Diana Eng

Today, the Eagles once again faced George Washington who were victorious in the previous game they had together. The Eagles' previous loss of 2-1 pushed the lady eagles to strive for a win. In the beginning of the first half, the Eagles were down 0-1. The Eagles made a comeback and the first goal was scored by Karla Kirsch from the left side of the field. The ball grazed a defending player and then went into the goal. Tied 1-1, the Eagles fought hard to shoot their winning goal. During the second half of the game, Yesenia Cornejo sprinted up the field past two defenders and beautifully shot the ball right past the goalie. Goalie Ewa Pruszkowska also played a great game defending the goal. She was neither shy to sweep the ball off of the ground nor from one's foot. The Eagles came home victorious after their tough fight against an evenly matched team.
This win was the eighth of the season, which clinched the Eagles acceptance into the 2010 Bronx-Manhattan Playoffs and also led to the Eagles' fourth win in the South Bronx and being undefeated on the South Bronx High School soccer field.

It was decided that there would be two players of the game, one of which is Gennesis Alava (pictured left). She played great defense and won every ball. The Eagles' side of the field was well-defended and balls were in general absent of dangerous shots. The other player of the game was Catherine Alvarado (pictured right) who stepped up her game today as a forward. She had sprinted repeatedly past the defenders, dribbled the ball towards the goal and made close shots on goal.

The Eagles regained their pride as they defeated the very adversaries they had previously lost to. Good luck to the Eagles in their next game on Thursday, October 14th in Central Park against Julia Richman.

Eagles downed by Baruch High School in 5-0 loss

Written By: Ewa Pruszkowska

The Eagles fell 5-0 on Tuesday to first-ranked Baruch College High School in a rescheduled match. The East Riverside Park battle was getting aggressive as the Eagles would not give up this match without a fight. We knew that this was not going to be an easy fight as Baruch College High School girls were fast and quick to defend, putting the Eagles in a more rushed game than they had ever been in before.

The HSES team played until the last whistle and refused to go down without a fight. Tough games were played by Karla Kirsch, Kenia Cohetero, Nina Luksanapol, Niky Falques and Jenna Aboulafia. Kenia played a perfect game as a designated man-marker and really showed her skill and tenacity.

The Eagles have some things to work on, including mental and physical speed as well as their game mentality. It is important to remember that being down doesn't automatically mean that you have lost the game. Always keep fighting. The team has a tough practice planned for Wednesday before they face Harlem Choir Academy at Harlem River Park on Thursday at 4 pm.
The Player of the Game was Michelle Guerrero (pictured left), who was a good organizer and a tough defender, especially saving that one goal that helped goalie Ewa Pruszkowska. Michelle has gotten much better at running the defense from the back and shown much leadership in her role as center defender.

As a team and as individuals, we learn from every game and apply it to the next games to come. Good Luck on Thursday!

Eagles learn about character in physical 4-0 victory against the South Bronx

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
-Helen Keller

In the first cold game of the season, the Eagles faced South Bronx High School for the second and last time. Despite some significant battles, physical and otherwise, the HSES Eagles came out with a 4-0 victory. Karla Kirsch, the newest Eagles Team Captain, again stormed the South Bronx Phoenix net only 10 minutes into the first half to score the first goal of the game for the third time this season. Karla now has 6 goals this season, ranking her in third place for total goals scored in the Bronx/Manhattan B-1 division. Her aggressive play and relentless attacking mentality served her well on Sunday. Just ten minutes later on a free kick, Eagles defender Camille Fernandez lined up to run a set-play that went just over the goal, hit the crossbar, and bounced back into play. Speedy forward Jenna Aboulafia followed up with a rebound to tally the second goal of the game. Later in the second half, team captain Yesenia Cornejo received a beautiful cross, opened up with a touch to her left side, and scored a beautiful third goal across the keeper into the right side of the net.

The Eagles went into the second half confident but not comfortable, and the defense ran a much more organized defensive game guided by the leadership of Michelle Guerrero and Camille Fernandez. On the defensive end, the ball was kept in play, cleared to the outside, and taken up the sidelines, which is exactly what the Eagle defense has been practicing all season. On a corner kick midway through the second half, freshman Karla Ramirez sent a long ball across to Jenna Aboulafia who crashed the box to net her second goal of the game (her 5th of the season), making her the 5th-ranked goal-scorer currently in the division.

The Player of the Game was awarded to Camille Fernandez (right), with one assist and over a dozen plays on the back line that were handled with composure, intelligence, and skill. Camille will be looking forward to some drop-passes in future games to send back into the opponents' 18-yard box. Her game has greatly improved since last year and the coaches are excited to see her stepping into more of a leadership role on the team.

At the end of the day, despite high intensity and emotions from both teams as a result of aggressive play on the field, the Eagles walked away not only with a win, but with a greater understanding of their responsibility as players to respect the game, their opponents, the referees, their teammates, and most importantly, themselves. Playing with respect against any type of team is what determines your character, and the development of character is a continuous process. This is not to say that it is encouraged to forget hard times and lapses of character on the field, but rather, to remember them and challenge yourself to grow from them. As the Eagles coaches and captains often say at practice, "Everyday we can choose to get better or we can choose to remain the same. Today we choose to get better."

The Eagles face Harlem Choir Academy on Thursday, October 7th at Harlem River Park A. Good Luck, Eagles!