Sports

By John Bernhardt
There’s no place like home. That may have been the motto of this fall’s annual Nelson and Cohen soccer tournaments. Margaret- ville’s girls’ and boys’ soccer teams followed similar scripts in keeping this year’s tourney championship trophies at home.

It was ladies first, with the Lady Devils paving the way during tournament play. The girls dominated visiting Coleman in opening round play of the Cohen Classic Thursday night with a 7-0 win, setting the table for a 9-0 boys’ rout of Tri-Valley in Nelson opening round action the following night.

By John Bernhardt
Stifling defensive play, solid play in the midfield, and varied yet explosive offense add up to a season opening seven consecutive victories for the Margaretville boys’ soccer team. The Blue Devil’s capped off a four-win week by racing past Stamford, 5-1 on Pete Palen Field Monday night.

By John Bernhardt
This time they had an insurance goal. The Margaretville girls’ soccer team carried a two-goal lead into the final 10 minutes of Thursday’s home opener at Pete Palen Field. The added score proved to be a valuable insurance policy down the stretch as Gilboa rallied to tally a goal with less than five minutes in the game. The Blue Devils kept the Wildcats at bay down the stretch securing their first Delaware League victory of the season.

Short in numbers but big in heart, Margaretville girls’ soccer coach Toni Smith is pleased with her team’s early season start. Saturday, the Blue Devils played without substitutes, dropping a 2-1 overtime decision in the championship game of the Downsville tournament. The loss was Margaretville’s first against two victories in the young season.

By John Bernhardt
On the soccer field, it’s almost as if Kyle Short and Matt VanValkenburg can read each other’s minds. The Margaretville strikers work in unison perfectly executing give-and-go touch passing sequences and choreographing well timed lead passes to vacated spots on the field.
The end result: the dynamic Blue Devil duo has teamed to net 10 goals in Margaretville’s first three contests.

By John Bernhardt
Sometimes one bounce of the ball can have a profound impact on a soccer game. That was the case Saturday in the second round of the Mayor’s Cup when host Stamford upended Roxbury, 3-0.
With the clock melting toward the midway point of the second half, two stories were unfolding at Archibald Field. The first plot was hard and factual and told by the scoreboard: Stamford 1 – Roxbury 0. The action on the field followed a different story line.

Short bench

By John Bernhardt
Last August at this time, the Margaretville boys’ soccer team was in freefall. Hurricane Irene had destroyed the Blue Devils’ home field. When the high school players assisted the flood cleanup, the soccer team went nearly two weeks without practice. After a soccer restart, practices and games were all played on the road. The end result; Margaretville dropped the first four games they played and a once promising season was nearly washed away.

By John Bernhardt
After a summer of hot, sweltering, humid, nearly rain-free days, Mother Nature ordered a reprieve just in time for the start of the 2012 fall high school soccer season. On Augusst 13, girls and guys playing soccer throughout Delaware County took to the field to start their fall campaigns and were greeted by cooler temperatures and gentle breezes.

by John Bernhardt
Nobody appreciates the value of the preseason more than Margaretville girls’ varsity soccer coach Toni Smith. “We have three weeks to prepare,” Smith acknowledged. “Then the action is going to come fast and furious. We need to be ready.”

Smith’s Blue Devils open their season on September 4 in Jefferson. From the opener through September 22, Margaretville plays games almost every other day, 10 contests in all.

Practice for fall sports programs at Margaretville Central School are scheduled to begin next week.
The schedule for the first practices follows:
• Boys’ Varsity Soccer on Monday, Aug. 13 at 7 a.m.
• Girls’ Varsity Soccer on Monday, Aug.13 at 6 p.m.
• Golf on Tuesday, August 14 at 11 a.m. at the Meadows Golf Center.
MCS Athletic Director Jeremey Marks reminded athletes that an updated sports physical is required to participate.