On a bright, sunny, windy—and unseasonably cool—Sunday afternoon, four soccer teams from across the northeast region of the United States gathered to take part in the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Yeshiva Boys Soccer Tournament. And, as evidenced by the spirited and skilled play from start to finish, it was a resounding success.
Squads from the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman HS (Brooklyn, NY), Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy (Rockville, MD) and Rae Kushner Yeshiva HS (Livingston, NJ) joined host school Kohelet Yeshiva HS (Merion Station, PA) on the fields of the Philadelphia Soccer Club for an afternoon of round-robin competition. For some, this event was the culmination of the season; for others it was their first contest on an outdoor football pitch.
The event was the realization of an idea hatched over a year-and-a-half ago when Flatbush Athletic Director Eric Amkraut crossed paths with Yeshiva University’s lead athletic recruiter Josh Pransky at the Columbus Baseball Invitational. Pransky, who is also Yeshiva University’s Head Coach for Men’s Soccer, shared his frustration in recruiting potential student-athletes for his program from the Metropolitan Yeshiva High School Athletic League as the member schools (like Flatbush and Kushner) only compete in the indoor version of the game. While the basic idea of the game is the same, not all the skills of the indoor version translate to the outdoor 11-v-11 game. With most of the yeshivot outside the NY Metropolitan area playing the outdoor game, Pransky put Amkraut in touch with Joshua Friedman, AD at Kohelet, as a potential partner for outdoor competition, and the ball was rolling.
Bundled up against the blustery wind, but still sporting team colors, the players from the four schools began warming up for the opening round games. Field 1 saw the MYHSAL foes face off as Flatbush and Kushner would match skills for the first time ever outdoors. Field 2 pitted the more experienced squads of Berman and Kohelet against each other.
There was a clear “feeling out” process as the four squads acclimated to the surroundings and to each other. On Field 1, Flatbush looked to press the early advantage, but soon the experience of Kushner’s players came to the fore. Though they too only compete as a school team indoors in the spring, it was clear that the majority of the roster had garnered outdoor experience in local recreational programs. Kushner played well for a 2-0 win over rival Flatbush. On Field 2, Berman took the early lead and never looked back; they won 3-1.
The second round saw Kushner do battle with Kohelet on Field 1 while Flatbush and Berman faced off on Field 2. Kushner again demonstrated a level of skill that belies their outdoor experience as a team, and emerged victorious, moving to 2-0 in the tournament. On Field 2, Berman kept pace with Kushner, as they demonstrated how important extensive training as a unit can be. The Falcons gave a more coordinated team effort against the Cougars, but Berman’s experience showed through as they too won by a score of 3-0, to move to 2-0 alongside Kushner.
After a break for lunch, the teams were right back at it for the 3rd and final contest in round-robin play. Flatbush returned to Field 1 to take on host Kohelet, and it was clear that the Falcons were learning from the experience of the earlier two games. Flatbush soon registered the equalizer—the first goal in outdoor competition in school history when Joey Aini found Ralph Kraiem, who slipped behind the Kohelet defense and beat the King keeper. The game ended in a 1-1 tie, a virtual win for the young Falcons.
Meanwhile, the play on Field 2 was equally spirited. With both Kushner and Berman sporting 2-0 records, each was eager to stay unbeaten. Kushner struck gold early, slipping a smooth ball under the outstretched body of the Cougars goalie. But the Cobra lead was short-lived, as Berman struck to seal the 3-1 victory and head into the Championship round as the top seed.
Swapping fields, Berman faced off again against Kushner for the tournament championship while Field 2 was a rematch between Kohelet and Flatbush in the challenge for 3rd place. On Field 1, Berman left little doubt as to the outcome, scoring early and often, and denying the Cobras any good look at the goal. The Cougars would cruise to a 4-0 win, and earn the Championship trophy of the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Yeshiva Boys Soccer Tournament for the suburban Washington, D.C. School.
With the games complete, the players all gathered as one community to daven mincha. The event was all about different teams coming together, and that theme continued as Falcon Eli Aballi led tefilah with the traditional Sephardi nusach, familiar to those from the predominantly Syrian background of the Flatbush school community, and a rare experience for the predominantly Ashkenazi students of the other three schools.
Afterwards, the awards were presented by Athletic Directors Amkraut and Friedman. Kushner received the Runner-Up trophy for finishing in second place and the Championship trophy was awarded to the Berman Cougars, who went undefeated in tournament play.
During and after the event, players and coaches from all four participating programs made a point of finding the coordinating athletic directors Eric Amkraut and Josh Friedman to share how much fun the event was. This is the essence of what an event such as this is all about. Not to be missed, the coaches put in the time and effort in preparing the players, and to ensure that the focus was on team play and sportsmanship throughout the tournament.
By Eric Amkraut
