FishHawk U11B Wins Region C Cup Championship
By Tamas Mondovics
The FishHawk U11 Boys Soccer Team, coached by Eddie Ababio, was pleased to win a hard fought Region C Cup Championship with an impressive win over Tampa Bay United, 3-2.
The win marks the first time that a FishHawk Boys Soccer team won the Region C Cup allowing Ababio and the U11 Boys to advance to the Division II Cup tournament scheduled for the weekend of April 11-12 in Fort Myers.
Proud of the program’s accomplishment, team-parents and fans were proud of Ababio’s players who have undoubtedly demonstrated exceptional teamwork and unrivaled drive from the offense, never trailing in any of the games leading the team to victory.
Wasting no time, FishHawk and TBU traded quick goals right from the start of the game taking a 1-1 tie into the half.
The start of the second half produces similar results with goals from both sides taking the match to a 2-2 tie.
With 13 minutes to go in the game, FishHawk’s third goal of the match coupled by the boy’s defense led by goalie, Liam Swanson, sealed the victory, while shutting out the TBU offense.
During the seven games played at Region C Cup Swanson and his fellow players allowed only four goals to reach the back of the U11’s net.
Photo: U11 Boys Soccer Coach Eddie Ababio, left, is joined by his team after winning the 2015 Region C Cup Championship. The program now prepares to attend the Division II Cup tournament scheduled for the weekend of April 11-12 in Fort Myers.
Tampa Thunder, Preps to Host National Power Wheelchair Championship
Tampa Thunder, Tampa’s premier wheelchair soccer club, is once again gearing up to host one of the sport’s most anticipated events of the year.
Scheduled for this summer, at All People’s Life Center 6105 E. Sligh Ave. in Tampa, the MK Battery Premiere Conference Cup Tournament will be held on Friday, June 19 through Sunday, June 21 and will bring together the top 10 teams, including the Tampa Thunder, to compete for the coveted title and claim each teams appropriate nationwide ranking.
With the continued support of Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department, and Paralympic Sports of Tampa Bay, the upcoming national championship will give power wheelchair soccer and its dedicated players and coaches a much-deserved attention.
Players include those with quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, head trauma, stroke, spinal cord injury and other disabilities. The game is played in a gymnasium on a regulation basketball court as two teams of four power chair users attack, defend, and spin-kick a 13-inch soccer ball in an attempt to score goals.
“The sport combines the skill of the wheelchair user with the speed and power of the chair itself, to participate in an extremely challenging game similar to soccer,” said Tampa Thunder Team Captain Ben Carpenter.
Proud of his participation of the sport for the past 12 years and to lead his team to its current second place ranking in the country, Carpenter, a sophomore Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Central Florida, was recently selected as one of 12 members of Team USA for the upcoming World Cup scheduled for later this year or early 2016.
“Our five member team is doing very well, even as we have made some changes to our game strategy,” Carpenter said. “We used to be a defensive team, but with the addition of a couple of new players our offense has improved.”
The team is led by Head Coach Don Gorman, a board member of the United States Power Soccer Association and other governing bodies in the power soccer world, and is supported by Assistant Coach and team mom, Tari Carpenter.
Besides preparing to host the national tourney, the team will be busy taking part in a number of local events in the coming months; playing of local games as well as fundraising.
As it works hard to maintain its top ranking, the Tampa Thunder hopes to enjoy the community’s continued support.
For more information, visit www.tampathunder.org.
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