Southampton United 2005 Boys Academy Team Reaches Semifinals Of NY State Cup

A bit of history was made over the weekend for the Southampton Town United soccer club.

The 2005 boys academy team advanced to the semifinals of the Eastern New York State Cup tournament, with a 3-2 win over the Long Island Slammers on Saturday in Moriches.

It’s the second year in a row that a Southampton Town United soccer team has reached the semis of the prestigious tournament, joining last year’s 2003 boys team, and meaningful considering the size of the clubs that compete and typically have success in the event.

The team, coached by Gary Easlick, includes several players who are standouts on the varsity soccer teams at East Hampton High School, Pierson, Southampton, Hampton Bays and Westhampton Beach, as well as one player from Mattituck and another player from a New York City-area school.

After falling behind, 1-0, in the ninth minute of the game, Southampton United scored three unanswered goals to take the lead for good. Eric Armijos tied it off an assist from Chris Sullivan in the 15th minute, and eight minutes later, Michael Figueroa scored off an assist from Erick Camphermoso to put Southampton up, 2-1. Armijos added his second goal of the game, off another assist from Sullivan, in the 36th minute. The Slammers made it 3-2 in the 66th minute (the game consists of 45-minute halves), but Southampton held on, thanks to 10 saves by goalie Andrew Panza.

The team will play again May 14 at Southampton High School at 1 p.m. for a chance to advance to the championship game.

Easlick said he was impressed with the effort in the win on Saturday.

“The team has been excellent,” he said. “They’re playing with a level of maturity that is a testament to their hard work and desire to win.

“It was a gutsy performance, where we executed our game plan in the first half and then continued to push for goals while dealing with our opponent’s constant pressure,” he added. “Now the bar has been raised, and I couldn’t be happier to continue to help the team do it again.”

Both Easlick and Southampton Town United Executive Director Andreas Lindberg agree that a key part of the team’s success is the fact that the players have been competing together with the club since they were as young as 4 and 5 years old. They say the success of this team is a testament not only to the hard work and commitment put in by the players and their families, but also to the Southampton Town United organization itself.

“The club provides a professional atmosphere that has nurtured the players individually and collectively,” Easlick said. “It’s really cool that they come from different parts of the East End, and they’re products of the club’s grassroots system.”

“I’ve never been more proud of the club than where we’re at now with this team,” said Lindberg who, in addition to serving as executive director, is also the head coach of the Division I Seton Hall University men’s soccer team. He gave credit to Easlick, as well as team manager Tony Panza, and added that the level of commitment from the players and their parents has been consistent from the start, and that the club and parents are on the same page when it comes to supporting the players academically as well.

Lindberg said that while it wasn’t necessarily accurate to call the 2005 team an underdog in the tournament, the run to the semifinals of such a competitive tournament is impressive considering the sheer size of many of the other clubs. An organization like the Slammers, he said, is drawing players from a pool of thousands, while Southampton Town United is a much smaller club. He said that Southampton Town United has roughly 400 travel players currently, with another 400 or so players overall, counting those that play in recreational leagues and in summer camps and clinics. By comparison, the Slammers are one of the biggest youth soccer organizations on Long Island, with somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 or more players between its affiliations with clubs in the central and western portion of Suffolk County.

“We have a small club, and we’ve beaten some big, big clubs along the way,” he said. “I’m really proud.”

The 2005 boys team includes: East Hampton players David Armijos, Eric Armijos, Sebastian Avila, Michael Figueroa, Gary Gutama and Brian Tacuri; Southampton players Danny Bustamante, Erick Campohermoso, Andy Panza, Mason Stevens and Chris Sullivan; Pierson players Halsey Burton, David Moreno, Anthony Ponzini and Javier Tubatan; Hampton Bays players Marcelo Arbelaez and Alex Posada; Westhampton Beach players Robert Bertorello and Montgomery Hahn; Mattituck player Erik McKenna; and Yogi Kellner, who attends a magnet school in New York City.