On the night of November 16, 2014, Ivory Coast and Denmark, the two top-seeded teams in the U10 Coed Rec Division of the Teaneck Junior Soccer League, met to play for the championship. Both teams were dominant throughout the regular season. Denmark’s record was 8-0-1 and Ivory Coast’s 7-1-1. The teams had met each other twice during the regular season; the first time they tied and the second time Denmark won. Neither team lost to any of the other six teams in the division. The temperature at game time was 41° (30° with the wind chill factor). This did not deter the fans; the stands were packed, with everyone bundled in winter coats, hats, gloves, and blankets. For those who braved the elements, they were not disappointed.
On the field, things got heated up pretty quickly. The two teams played with fierce determination, neither yielding an inch. About two- thirds of the way through the first half, Ivory Coast was called for a tripping penalty in the box and Jack Lehrer converted the penalty kick for Denmark to go up 1-0. Ivory Coast continued to trail until approximately 10 minutes left in the second half when Avishai Jutkowitz scored on a nice pass from Ezra Halpert to make it 1-1. This was how it ended in regulation.
Two overtimes passed with the score remaining 1-1. The two teams went to a shootout to decide the outcome–five kicks for each team. Thanks to some great saves by goalie Yosi Gold, Ivory Coast was able to triumph 2-1 in the shootout and walk away the champions!
It was a true team effort: incredible offense led by Gilad Jutkowitz, Ezra Halpert, Avishai Jutkowitz, and Justin Meyer; an impenetrable defense anchored by Ethan Badner and Luke Conlon; unflappable goalies/defensemen Reza Rehman and Yosi Gold, and all around great play by versatile players Avery Greenblatt, Binyamin Ferber, and Jaccard Simmons. It was a real pleasure for coaches Steve Jutkowitz and Yehuda Halpert to coach this distinguished group of athletes.
Congratulations to all the players on both teams for such a wonderful season!
