Sports

Blaze Men and Women Look to Rebuild After Tough First Week

Blaze next home game set for tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Harvest Woods Park.

The New Jersey Blaze men and women aimed to please in their opening games in the first week of their respective 2011 NPSL and WPSL seasons, though mixed results proved that the competition in both divisions looks to be fiercer than ever.

The Blaze men opened against last season's champions, FC Sonic Lehigh Valley, on May 19 at Harvest Woods Park. Looking to start strongly, the Blaze were shocked by an early goal in the sixth minute when Todd Ervin headed home a throw from Jordie Ciuffetelli. However, Dragan Naumoski soon returned fire with an early candidate for goal of the season - a looping strike from 20 yards away that caught the Sonic keeper off his line.

However, the Blaze were unable to seize on the switch in momentum and FC Sonic put themselves back in the lead. Midfielder Cody Antonini took the ball far up the pitch before crossing to Ciuffetelli, who passed it on to forward Joe Sales. The striker fired the ball into the back of the net, making it 2-1 after 14 minutes. Despite both teams having chances during the first half and throughout the second, neither were able to convert the final ball and the scoreline remained the same.

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"We certainly gave a good account of ourselves against the regional champions and I felt we deserved to get something out of the game," said Blaze head coach Rob Napier. "Dragan's equalizer was truly world class, so it was disappointing to concede again soon afterwards as we weren't able to capitalize on the momentum from the goal.

"Our second half was better as we had the lion’s share of possession and they relied on the counter. However, we lacked a cutting edge up front and the lack of end product in and around the penalty area meant we didn’t work their keeper enough."

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On May 20, the Blaze women started their first season with a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Travers Island against New York Athletic Club (NYAC). With US U20s goalkeeper Sara Keane making several key saves during the game, the Blaze were held too by staunch defending from the hosts.

"We had a small squad going into the game, but they followed the game plan extremely well," said Blaze co-head coach Erwin van Bennekom. "It was a decent game from both sides and I felt we limited them to only a few chances. Sara Keane and Sarah Senoyuit had brilliant solo performances, though the team as a whole worked very well with each other."

The Blaze men found themselves with a chance to bounce back from their defeat against FC Sonic on May 22nd with an away trip to AC Crusaders, though the strong new outfit from South Jersey proved themselves to be a top contender in the Keystone Conference with a 4-0 win over the visiting Blaze. Coach Napier said after the game: "The scoreline doesn't accurately reflect the balance of play as we created several chances, including a goal-line clearance, but failed to take them while elementary defensive errors were to blame for their goals.

"We went out determined to attack, we had some good quality possession and we looked to keep the ball on the floor as much as possible," he added. "We've got to learn to be more clinical in front of goal and cut out the defensive lapses which get punished at this level."

The New Jersey Blaze are members of the National Premier Soccer League and Women's Premier Soccer League, the highest levels of amateur soccer in the United States. They are part of the New Jersey Soccer Group, a management company for a family of soccer based organizations offering a full range of soccer services in New Jersey.

--The New Jersey Soccer Group

The next Blaze home game is scheduled for May 25 at 7:30 p.m. against FC Reading Revolution at

Click here for more information on the New Jersey Blaze.


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