Photo courtesy of Matt Ralph
The VE-Over 30s continued their quest for a national title by controlling another high-quality opponent to reach the USASA Region 1 final for the second time in four years. Led by a Sean Sheridan brace, VE jumped on the visitors from Northern New jersey, Ukranian Sitch, with three first-half goals then maintained a consistent level of play to manage the difficult heat at the VE Club in Warminster on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts, who beat 2024 regional champions Christos FC 3-1 in the quarterfinal several weeks ago, pressured the Sitch backline from the opening whistle and were rewarded several minutes in with a dangerous free kick at the top of the box. Sheridan, the Villanova and Neshaminy High School grad, buried the free kick into the top corner for the 1-0 lead.
Sitch nearly scored at the other end eight minutes later when Gustavo Lopez struck a clean volley from distance following a long throw in, but VE keeper Adley Amzovski held on.
Former Philadelphia Union forward and Princeton All-American Antoine Hoppenot created a number of opportunities down the flank for VE and drew a penalty midway through the half that resulted in a Derek Antonini finish. Just before the half, Matt Robinson (LaSalle, North Penn) got in behind the Sitch defense and slotted home Greg Schertzer’s cross to give VE a commanding 3-0 lead the half.
VE weathered an initial storm from Sitch to begin the second half but soon extended their lead with two goals minutes apart. Hoppenot made Sitch pay for a clumsy foul outside the box, taking a Robinson layoff into the box and beating the keeper at the near post. Soon after the ensuing tap off, VE attacked down the left side again with Hoppenot beating multiple defenders before finding Sheridan at the back post across the goalmouth. Sheridan outpaced his mark to finish the play and extend the lead to 5-0.
Erik Solis nearly pulled a goal back for Sitch with a well-taken free kick that beat the wall and smashed the upper part of the post, but shortly after John Spadaro took a layoff from twenty-five yards out and beat Amzovski with a low shot to the corner to close the gap to 5-1. On the game’s final kick, Adam Bastidas (Catasauqua, James Madison) broke free down the right side and fired a shot that bounced off the inside near post and in to seal the 6-1 win.
“We had a good team, kept it simple, and played good defense,” VE captain Sean Peckham said after the game, “and you’ve got Christian Williams [Chestnut Hill Academy, Lafayette] and Alex De John back there, you’re confident no one’s really going to get by them.”
Peckham, a CB East graduate who grew up in the VE club, played on several U.S. youth national teams before his four year career at Lafayette in which he earned regional All-American honors. He credited his team’s composure on the ball to control the game and create unbalanced attacks. “I feel like we have ten central midfielders out there,” he said, “naturally, when you’re a midfielder, you just want to keep the ball.”
Peckham said a key to the team’s success has been integrating players like DeJohn, who hails from Marlboro, NJ, and has nearly 200 professional appearances from Scandinavia to MLS, with some of the others players with VE and local ties. Peckham, Bastidas, Tom Baker (Archbishop Wood, LaSalle) have been at VE for most of their careers, while other players like Williams, Antonini (Council Rock North, Misericordia), Shertzer (Lebanon, PA, Lock Haven) and Mark Garrity (Newton, Mass, Delaware) have been a part of several championship VE teams over the years. Michael Gonzalez (Conestoga, Penn State), Andrew Gonzalez (Conestoga, Lafayette), Zach Turchi (Neshaminy, LaSalle), and current LaSalle Men’s Head Coach Taylor Thames (Washington, D.C., Delaware) are among several other players who’ve been added over the years to strengthen the squad for a deep cup run.
VE will play the regional final at the Ukranian Nationals club the weekend of June 6-7. In the 2023 final, VE held a 2-0 lead but lost 3-2 to the Greek Americans. This time around, Peckham feels his team has more depth and is a little more bought in, which makes it more enjoyable competing against elite competition.
VE’s lone National Over-30 title came in 2000.
Atlético Los Toros 4, VE 2
USASA Amateur Region 1 Semifinal
VE traveled light to Northern Virginia Saturday night for the USASA Region 1 Semifinal against Atlético Los Toros and lost a winnable game despite a gritty performance.
The EPSA Amateur runners-up created some of the better chances in the early going, with Derek Antonini jumping on a long ball over the top for force a fingertip save from keeper Travis Basso. On the ensuing corner, Justin Ruth’s cross reached Kevin Smolyn at the back post, and the VE midfielder’s volley struck Basso at the near post. Shortly after, Antonini hit Phil Armas with a quick throw in, and Armas’ long cross to the back post found Christian Williams, who’s header was pushed out again by Basso.
VE may have dodged a bullet midway through the half when Smolyn came in high and a little late on a challenge, but the referee only showed a yellow and kept the game to eleven a side. Los Toros began to find the game for the rest of the half and came close to taking the lead a number of times, only to be denied by the defensive unit led by Steve Paul. The visitors finally cracked on the last kick of the half when Fredy Jovel’s corner hit Alejandro Neira with a strong header that Paul punched away into a defender and back into the goal. Unfortunately, Connor Budnaiak’s clearance came a split second too late, and the linesman ruled the ball had crossed the goal line despite inconclusive video evidence.
VE came out of the break on the back foot, only to be rescued by several big saves from Paul, and the visitors’ resiliency paid off with an equalizer in the 64th minute. Ruth’s corner kick hit Williams at the back post, and this time the ball bounced off several Los Toros defenders and into the back of the net for the game’s second own goal.
Five minutes later, the hosts went up again. Jovel cut the ball back from the right side and hit a streaking Elliot Berg, who was all alone through the middle of the box. Berg threw the side of his thigh into the ball, and it hit the inside of the post and in for a 2-1 lead. Less than five minutes later, Los Toros added a third. Jovel beat the VE backline down the right side again, and this time Paul mishandled the low cross and pushed it into the path of Oswualdo Cruz, who roofed it to give Toros the 3-1 advantage.
Still pressing with ten minutes go, VE forced a turnover in the corner, which led to a goal. Antonini won a ball off a Los Toros defender and passed back to Budnaiak, who cut inside and rolled a pass into Williams inside the box. Playing like a seasoned striker, Williams laid the ball off to Sebastian Krysztofowicz, who beat Basso to the corner and cut the deficit to one.
Running out of steam late, VE conceded a fourth two minutes into stoppage time on a corner headed home by Wassim Sassi.
Los Toros, who defeated EPSA Champions West Chester United 3-0 in the quarterfinals, will now face Lansdowne Yonkers, who beat Leros SC 2-1 in the other semifinal. Lansdowne has won the National Cup double in 2017 and 2021 as well as the Werner Fricker Amateur Open Cup in 2019.
