As the season races toward the Championship Tournament, both the Wizards (1-4-1) and the Knights (2-4) had yet to gain some sure footing as they competed in the Jewish Community Center of Bayonne’s Indoor Soccer Junior Division. With rosters jam-packed with talent, neither squad had found any sustained continuity as a team. As the game started, the Knights quickly cashed in as Chris Ballance zipped a pass to Steven Pereira, who notched his seventh goal of the season while giving the Knights a 1-0 advantage. While the Knights’ Andrew Sprague, Harsh Easwar, Joyce Gabrael, and Da’Mien Taylor pressured shots on net, the Wizards’ offense continued to sleep-walk. Finally after 15 minutes of play, the Wizards’ snooze alarm went off as T.J. Wolf erupted for five goals and an assist. Kyle O’Hara tallied two goals and two assists, and Matt Miceli racked up three huge assists. Also pitching in on the seven-goal scoring blitz was Victor Mendolaro, who registered his first assist of the season. The stunning turn of events gave spark to the Knights’ rookie dynamo Giovanni Russo, who turned a perfect centering pass from Steven Pereira into a scoring blast. Leading 7-2, the Wizards’ Kyle O’Hara turned passes from Danny Reyes and Matt Miceli into two insurance goals as the Wizards gained a 9-2 advantage. The Knights refused to fold the tents as they blasted away, but the Wizards’ Michael Egan and Victor Mendolaro held firm as the 9-2 margin stood.
The Junior Division Players of the Week for week five were: Offensive Player of the Week – Kyle O’Hara, Wizards, T.J. Wolf, Wizards; Defensive Player of the Week – Brayden Cotter, Dragons; Teamwork/Leadership Player of the Week – Matt Miceli, Wizards.