RECAP: SECOND WEEK OF METROPOLITION CONFERENCE PLAY

Written By:  Ryan Wood | WPSL Correspondent

Photo By: Kevin Murrugarra

An abbreviated Week 2 of Metropolitan Conference play was the result of poor air quality stemming from the Canadian wildfires, forcing three games to be postponed. Once the smoke started to clear, three games in the conference played out over the weekend with the highlight being NJ Wizards SC making its 2023 debut.
 

NJ Wizards SC opened its summer slate Saturday night with a 2-0 loss to Brooklyn City F.C., but they bounced back a day later to draw, 3-3, with New York Athletic Club.
 

Jessica Yee (Hamilton), Ava Whisten (Elizabethtown College), and Sophia Meller (Penn State Harrisburg) each scored for NJ Wizards FC, while Whisten, Rei Chappell (Montclair High School/Gettysburg College), and Rebecca Groseibl (Towson) added assists for the home side.
 

“(In) our first game of the season, unfortunately, we came out short with the results.. We are rebuilding our brand and team with a new group of talented players and are confident that after a little work on our chemistry and communication, we will become a successful team,” Tommy Kovacs, NJ Wizards SC head coach, said.
 

“I would like to congratulate Brooklyn City F.C. coaches and players and wish them good luck for the rest of the season. We revamped our formation, trying to understand and get to know our players -- this is not easy to do in such a highly competitive league. Overall, I'm just so proud of the players' performance.”
 

Kovacs praised his team’s efforts by securing the point on Sunday against NYAC while calling it the “game of the week performance.”
 

“We came out strong in the beginning of the game and were able to bounce back twice after down 1-0 and 2-1 turning around the game before the halftime whistle, 3-2 for us,” Kovacs said. “With four injuries in the first half, we needed to regroup our team and come out with a different strategy. Unfortunately, we gave up a goal in the beginning of the second half, but we were able to keep the results in our favor.”
 

“Our players showed a tremendous amount of grit and determination and as a coach, I can't ask for much more. We played against a very good team, and I would like to take a moment to congratulate NYAC's coaches and players.”
 

Brooklyn City F.C. saw its game against SUSA FC postponed midweek but did earn its first win of 2023 with the 2-0 victory over NJ Wizards SC. Calista Poulos (Johns Hopkins University) and Lorna Macfarlane (Dartmouth) scored for Brooklyn. Elizabeth (Betty) Hall tallied both assists.
 

“Saturday tested our team’s maturity,” Amy Marrown, Brooklyn City F.C. assistant coach, said. “The team took control of the game early and maintained possession for the majority of the 90 minutes. We saw a great team performance and individual efforts to secure the win. The group is excited to build off this win moving forward with two upcoming games this week.”
 

NYAC got a goal and an assist from Belle Golden (Yale) and goals from Louise Gottwald (Stevens) and Andrea O’Brien (Boston College) and will return to action Wednesday night at home against Brooklyn City F.C.
 

After its midweek game with Downtown United Soccer Club got postponed, STA got back to action Sunday, defeating SUSA FC, 1-0. A goal by Emerson Elgin (UNC) in the 43rd minute held up as the game-winner, snapping SUSA FC’s perfect 2-0 start to the summer.
 

“It was a very good result against an excellent SUSA team. The team worked tremendously hard to stay in front after a great solo goal from Emerson,” Ylon Krauweel, STA coach, said. “Kyla (Holmes) made some unbelievable saves as well to keep a clean sheet on the night.”
 

STA will take on NJ Wizards SC Wednesday night.
 

Heading into the third week of action, STA and SUSA FC are tied for the top spot with six points, followed closely by New York Athletic Club (four points), Downtown United Soccer Club (three points), and Brooklyn City F.C. (three points). New York Dutch Lions FC, which saw its lone game last week postponed, will be looking for its first point of the summer when it takes on league-leaders SUSA FC Wednesday night.