By S. Quinn DeJoy and J. Murrer

Sep. 16, 2015:  The final round of the 2015 BroncoFest soccer tournament took place this past weekend at Chambers Field. The Bronxville girls' team finished on top with a 7-1 win over Westlake and a 2-1 victory over the Valhalla Vikings. Junior Beth Finley scored five goals in the tournament and was named MVP. 

The boys' team defeated Tuckahoe in the first round and fought a tough battle against Valhalla in the finals. They were unable to score against strong Viking defense, giving Valhalla a 1-0 win. The Valhalla keeper, Terrence Hart, had nine saves, and the Broncos hit the cross bar or post three different times. 

"We dominated the game, but we just struggled to put the ball in the back of the net," said co-captain Sam Aherne. 

The annual BroncoFest soccer tournament is organized by the boys' and girls' soccer programs and the Bronxville Athletic Council. Proceeds from the event were donated to breast cancer research. 

Girls' Soccer 

The defending Class B state champion girls' team opened the season with three wins and one tough loss to Class A Scarsdale. 

"Coming off a state championship year and losing five very good starters is very challenging," said veteran Coach Don Cupertino. "The younger players hopefully will step up and fill the vacant spots." 

The 2015 girls' team is fortunate to have a good mix of experienced players and new talent. Returning defenders are senior co-captains Charlotte Schumck and Taylor Sears, along with junior Natalie Kister. Newcomer Allie Berkery, a sophomore, will also be part of the Bronco defense. Junior Mason Warble, the MVP of the state championship game in 2014, is returning at midfield, along with senior Rachel Peacock. Junior Beth Finley, who played defense last year, along with senior co-captain Fallon Raviol, will move to forward to fill the vacancies left by graduating seniors. Playing keeper for the Broncos are junior Maddie Coyne and sophomore Erin Fryer, who replace three-year starter Charlie Warble. 

The Broncos are ranked first in Class B by lohud.com and seventh in the Lohud Power Rankings, which includes schools of all sizes. They will face challenging opponents in the upcoming weeks. 

"Our schedule will be a difficult one, including non-league games with Byram Hills, Briarcliff, and Pearl River," said Coach Cupertino. Class A teams Pearl River and Byram Hills are ranked third and fourth in the Lohud Power Rankings, respectively. 

The girls will play in the Eastchester soccer tournament this week, facing Edgemont on Thursday and playing at Eastchester on Saturday in either the consolation round or the finals. 

Boys' Soccer 

The boys' team is off to an outstanding start, with wins over Tuckahoe, Sleepy Hollow, North Salem, and Pleasantville. The Broncos' loss to Valhalla in the BroncoFest was disappointing, but the team will try to take advantage of the loss to improve its game. 

"I believe that we can learn from this loss," said Coach Donny Lucas. "You can have most of the possession, but if you don't put the ball in the goal, you cannot win the game." 

Four-year starter and senior co-captain Sam Aherne, who was recently named to the Lohud Elite 11, leads the offense. He will have support from seniors Ricardo Timoney and John Calabrese, junior Will Vranka, and sophomores Alston Tarry and Jeb Burnell. 

The defense, which has allowed only one goal per game so far this season, is led by senior co-captain Joe Pepe, a three-year varsity starter in goal, along with senior Mike Calabrese, junior Matthew Toal, and sophomore Mack Crawford. Other returning players include seniors Roy Gosnell and Brian McHale. 

The Broncos lost several players to graduation, but there are many new players ready to step in, including senior Ohto Pentikaninen, sophomores Cameron McKhann, Mark Sears, and Harry Colvin, and eighth-grader Luke Doukas. 

"I think it is the most promising team I have played on offensively," said Aherne. "The defense has shown a lot of heart and effort. I do have faith in them as the season goes on."  

The Broncos have a very competitive fall schedule, with games against some top teams, including Edgemont and Rhinebeck. Soccer state rankings were released this week and Valhalla is ranked 4th, Edgemont, 10th, Rhinebeck, 13th, and Bronxville, 20th. 

Go Broncos.

Pictured here: The boys' and girls' soccer teams compete at the BroncoFest tournament.

Photos by J. Murrer