At 3-0, the Dragons kept racking up the wins and statistics as they have out-scored their opponents by an average margin of nine goals as they competed in the Jewish Community Center of Bayonne’s Indoor Soccer Junior Division. For the Wizards (1-2), a spree of defensive miscues have derailed some outstanding efforts. The game got out to an odd start as the Wizards gained a one-goal advantage after Kyle O’Hara nailed a penalty kick. Down 1-0, the Dragons went to work quickly as Brayden Cotter gave his squad a one-goal lead by notching two net-rockers. Assisting on the two-goal blitz by the Dragons were Daniel Mena and Akshat Thakur. Moments after giving up the lead, the Wizards’ defense dug in as T.J. Wolf, Nate Cintron, Michael Egan, and Victor Mendolaro manned the fort while Marcelino Soliman, Drew Radil, and Alexandria Soliman secured the Dragons’ defensive ranks. With the scoring halted, the Dragons’ goalkeeper Drew Radil took matters into his own hands and blasted two net-to-net rockets to lift his team out to a 4-2 advantage. The Dragons then seemed to seal the deal when Josh Belber assisted Daniel Mena on his sixth goal of the season to make it 5-2, Dragons, with just five minutes remaining. After 35 minutes of ball-hogging, the Wizards’ offense finally got the message as Danny Reyes and Kyle O’hara poured in three goals to tie the game with O’Hara and Reyes also tallying assists. The Wizards’ ball-sharing epiphany not only bore fast results, but also forced an overtime shootout. The overtime had its dramatic moments but in the end, the two squads’ best efforts were settled with a 5-5 tie game.
The Junior Division Players of the Week for week three were: Offensive Player of the Week – Brayden Cotter, Dragons; Defensive Player of the Week – Marcelino Soliman, Dragons; Teamwork/Leadership Player of the Week – Kyle O’Hara, Wizards.