Two tournaments, WCUSC on August 5 and 6, and the Battle at Hilltop sponsored by WestMont United on August 26 and 27, enabled the WCUSC Hurricanes to come together as a team and even win second place in Division III of the WestMont tournament.

In their first three games together in the WCUSC tournament, the Hurricanes took rough losses but showed that they will be a force this season.

The Hurricanes lost 0-3 against Rose Tree on Saturday morning, but not without a strong showing from new goalie David Natalie (10 saves), with support from a tireless backfield, including Conner Battilana, Will Mau, Kyle Leidheiser, and Andrew Brightbill. The team saw some aggressive footwork from newcomers Tyler Marraffa and Colin Neilon, while Bret LePard, Alex Kemmler, and Tomas Brooks supported the team with shots on goal.

The second game against the Garnet Valley Crash Saturday afternoon was closer, as the Hurricanes lost 0-1 and played a much more offensive game. There were eight shots on goal and several steals from midfielders Jerry Baldino, Jimmy Scorzetti, and Tyler Zarr. The team seemed to jell in this game, and all moved aggressively downfield.

Sunday’s game against Lionville was closer than the 0-2 loss indicates. Great footwook and follow-up from midfielders Ryan Fogel and Tyler Gallen kept the team in the game, with the support of solid passing from Mark Butte and Ryan Kirkman. Goalie Tyler Zarr’s several diving saves kept Lionville to only two scores in the second half.

The WestMont tournament was where the Hurricanes showed their mettle. First, three qualifying mini-games against WestMont (Whitman), WestMont (Dishman), and Methacton Fire resulted in a two losses and a tie, which placed the team in Division III of the tournament. The first game was a fairly even defensive battle, with WestMont scoring with five minutes to go to give the Hurricanes a 0-1 loss. The second game was much more offensive, but WestMont scored with ten minutes to spare, resulting in another 0-1 loss. Before the third game, a joint team “shot of sugar” jolted the Hurricanes into action. This hard-played, evenly matched game resulted in a 0-0 tie. Coaches Warren Zarr and Tim Kemmler experimented with positioning to give the team more offensive opportunities and defensive power.

During the first full game, the Hurricanes won in overtime, with a score of 2-1. LePard scored first with a header off a corner kick from Zarr. Keeper Natalie kept the WestMont Campion to one goal, with support from five headers by Mau and good footwork by Leidheiser, Battilana, and Scorzetti. The Hurricanes scored again in the second half but had the goal called back for offsides. With the game tied, the playing went into sudden-death overtime. Brooks scored the winning goal in under two minutes.

On Sunday, the Hurricanes stomped Pottsgrove 4-0. Brooks scored twice in the first half, and in the second half, Marraffa scored on a penalty kick, while Mau scored on a direct kick. Backfielders Battilana and Natalie continued to keep the ball away from the goal, with sharp passing to his midfielders. In addition, fans saw more strong offensive play from Kemmler and Butte.

Although the team lost the final game 0-3 to Council Rock, the game was closer than the score reveals. Midfielders Brightbill and Neilon controlled the ball well, passing to Gallen and Fogel for solid offensive play.

The 2-1 tournament record gave the Hurricanes second place. Look for even more exciting games to come!