Secaucus FC 7-0 Macedonia SC - Game Report

Rutgers Alumni Field, Newark – For the first time in the history of Secaucus FC, the team hosted a “home” match outside of Secaucus. The field for this game versus division bottom-dwellers Macedonia SC was Alumni Field of the Rutgers-Newark Men’s Soccer Team. The field itself was perfect, of a similar standard to Laurel Hill’s new turf. The game itself was not of a Semi-Pro Division standard, however, as Macedonia were way below par on the day.

The Boys in Blue put Macedonia away to the tune of four to one back on October 12th in their first encounter. Since then, Macedonia has been sitting near the bottom of the table. Arguably Macedonia lack the experience and talent necessary to be in the Semi-Pro North Division, as their three, one, and seven record showed coming into this game. Manager Daniel Brown did not know what to expect however, as the team from Lodi happened to pull off quite an upset two weeks ago in their spring opener against Hackensack FC.

Secaucus FC lined up in Daniel Brown’s preferred 4-4-2 with Jeff East backstopping Hudson County’s premier men’s club team. Dustin Holbrook and Thierno Cisse were again thrust together in their central defensive partnership flanked by Andrew Errico to the left and captain Steve Wallis on the right. The two Gus’s, Haupert and Joulain, held up the center of the field with Romanian Adrian Alexandru getting another start on the left side of midfield and Boris Shabovta used as a right midfielder this week. Irishman Eugene Gormley and Secaucus resident Sean Suzuta rounded out the strike force.

Just a few minutes after the game started, however, onlookers could tell Macedonia were even weaker than they had been back in October. SFC’s leading goalscorer opened his account in the eleventh minute after strike partner Sean Suzuta dribbled into the box close to the end line, and pulled back a sharp cross for an onrushing Gormley to tap in. Gormley repaid his partner just ten minutes later putting Suzuta in on goal off a through ball, which allowed the classy Japanese striker to take the ball around the keeper and into the net.

Suzuta continued his march through the Macedonia defense four minutes later after finishing a volley from fifteen yards out. Gormley finished out the first half scoring fifteen minutes later with his second goal of the game. Goalkeeper Jeff East had to come up big on one or two occasions during this half as Macedonia did get through SFC’s defense a few times, allowing East to show off his penchant for making incredible game-turning saves, as he has been all season long.

New boy Boris Shabovta opened the second half scoring about ten minutes in as he received the ball from Andrew Errico at the edge of the Macedonia box before twisting and turning his way through several defenders and slotting in the finish.

Sean Suzuta completed his breakout game for Secaucus FC by finishing his hat trick with a sensational bicycle kick at the far post. Youngster George Galarza closed out the game with his first SFC goal, collecting a through ball at half field, outpacing three Macedonia defenders and powering home a thunderous shot from twelve yards out. Again, goalkeeper extraordinaire Jeff East had just one or two more run-ins with Macedonia’s flaccid attack during the second half, showing off some impressive reflexes. Only Macedonia’s talented young keeper and the goalpost kept the score from going into double digits after chances went begging from Kaefer Garcia, Eddie Barahona, and even Eugene Gormley on a few occasions.

Secaucus now enter a fourteen day Easter break before coming back and completing their final three games of the Semi-Pro North regular season against Strikers FC, an exhibition against United Nations FC on the 26th of April, and a final encounter against division leaders Sport Club Portuguese B, after which they will enter the GSSL Semi-Pro Division League Cup group stage.

- April 05, 2009