Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Columbia snaps a two game slide with 2-0 shutout, Kleinberg scores twice
The Columbia girls soccer team snapped a miniature two-game losing streak on Monday afternoon at DeHart Park, defeating the visiting Millburn girls, 2-0. A pair of second half scores from Margot Kleinberg gave Columbia its first win in 10 days and improved the girls to 2-4 this fall. "I'm happy to get the win. It was a good game and I thought we played well, in the second half especially," said CHS co-head coach Mark Gillott. "First half we started well, but then we started to slack off a bit and we let them come back into it." Six minutes into the second half, Columbia co-captain Jessie Matalon sent a deep free kick from the Cougar side of midfield, all the way into Millburn's goalie box. Kleinberg beat the defense down the field, tracked…
Monday, September 19, 2011
Cougars fall behind early against Lancers in 3-0 loss.
The Columbia girls soccer team was denied its second win of the season and a chance to get back to the .500 mark on Monday, when the Livingston Lancers bested the locals, 3-0, at DeHart Field. The Cougars fell behind early against the defending American Division champs and were never able to recover. In the 14th minute of play, Livingston's Clara Scher took a centered pass in front of the Cougar net and deflected it in for the opening goal of the game. Ten minutes later, Scher took a shot on net which was saved by Columbia's Eliza Gray, but was rebounded and put back in by Jordy Bonvini. After playing a tight second half, Sabrina Flores put back another Scher rebound to put the Lancers up 3-0 in the 73rd minute. "The last two goals that …
Friday, September 9, 2011
Cougar girls soccer returns 15 seniors looking for a championship
Just when it looked like the Cougar girls soccer team was ready to take another step forward and take control of the Liberty Division, they get bumped up to one of the most difficult divisions in the state. It was their reward for turning around a struggling program which has won 20 games over the past two seasons, after winning just six times over the four years prior. But perhaps the Columbia girls have nothing to fear in the Super Essex Conference American Division. They are returning 15 varsity players from a year ago and have 18 seniors on the team. While the American is loaded with teams like Livingston, Montclair, Millburn and Glen Ridge, many of the seniors on this Cougar team have been playing together since they were young …
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Team strength will be on defensive side of the ball after graduating leading scorers
For the 49th straight season, the Columbia boys soccer team will open up this fall with head coach Gene Chyzowych at the helm. Something else that hasn't changed are his expectations. Despite losing most of last year's starters to graduation (including two who are now playing at Seton Hall University), Chyzowych still expects his team to compete for conference, county and state titles this season. "We are almost ready to meet and challenge other teams at this stage," Chyzowych said. "I'm very happy and satisfied with the progress that we have made, because we lost a majority of the team last year." A year ago the boys finished 13-9 and reached the second round of the North II Group 4 state sectional playoffs, before losing on an own goal …
Friday, December 3, 2010
In two seasons Stephen Jones transformed Columbia into a winning program
According to an old fairy-tale, Rumplestiltskin could spin straw into gold. This is no fairy tale, and former Columbia girls soccer head coach Stephen Jones is no dwarfish creature, but he did turn a low-ranking team into a playoff team instantly. Two years ago when Jones took over the helm of the Columbia program, the Cougar girls hadn't made the playoffs since the Bill Clinton administration and they had won four games in the past four seasons combined. "I knew that their schedule like [the football team's] was going to change," said CHS Athletics Director Dave Curtin. "I thought we could really have some success." Enter Jones, who returned for a second go-round as coach - during the 1990s, he led the girls to multiple county …
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Cougar soccer falls in second round
The eighth seeded Columbia boys soccer team saw its playoff season come to an end on Thursday at first seed Bridgewater-Raritan High School in a most unfortunate way. The Cougars lost 1-0 in the second round of the North II Group 4 state sectional playoffs, behind an own goal scored by center forward, Jeremy Witherspoon, in the second half. Despite some decent scoring chances, Columbia was never able to recover. "I've been coaching for 47 years and that's the first time it has happened to me. It was a mistake. He was going up to head the ball, he was trying to hit the ball out, but instead he hit it into the corner," said Columbia head coach Gene Chyzowych. "I told him to hold his head up high because he has helped us win so many games." …
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Columbia girls return to states behind strong defense
When the Columbia girls soccer team takes the field on Tuesday in the opening round of the state playoffs, they'll be hoping that the old adage rings true: defense wins championships. The Cougar defense has been anywhere from very good to downright suffocating throughout this season. In 15 games played this fall, Columbia has surrendered just 12 goals and has nine shutouts this season. They've allowed just one goal total in all 10 of their wins this year and have not surrendered a score in their last nine wins. "I really trust my defenders," said goalkeeper Eliza Gray. "I can count on them when I either want the ball or I tell them to clear it." What makes the defense so tough is their ability to not allow one-on-one match ups, which often…
Friday, October 8, 2010
Columbia boys soccer falls to 6-3-1
An early goal by West Orange's Jelani Williams, coupled with a strong defensive effort propelled the Mountaineer boys soccer team to its seventh straight victory on Thursday, defeating Columbia 1-0 at Meadowlands Park. In the 13th minute of the game, West Orange's Matt Schneier lobbed a pass to Williams about 13 yards out from Columbia's net. Williams somehow weaved his way through two Cougar defenders and the keeper for the game's only score. "I just pulled myself from the other kids and found space. Then Schneier put it over the top, took it down, the kid took away my right so I just had to go left. Then the goalie came so I just slotted it far," Williams said. "This is a pretty good win. We didn't think we would have to play this …
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Cougar soccer team stifled in loss to St. Peter's Prep
Perhaps the Columbia boys soccer team was thinking about Sunday's first round county tournament game. Perhaps the four day layoff from their last game left them rusty. Whatever the reason, playing at home, the Cougars were shutout 2-0 against St. Peter's Prep. "We were a little bit flat. We've got to get back the momentum," said Columbia head coach Gene Chyzowych. "We have a big game in the Essex county tournament." The Marauders' defense controlled the contest from start to finish, not allowing the Cougars any good scoring opportunities. Columbia's forwards could not get a step on the defensive backs, and the St. Peter's Prep midfield swallowed up the majority of the free balls to dominate possession. At the 19:40 mark of the opening half…
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Columbia boys soccer bests Millburn 4-2
The Columbia boys soccer team is playing like they have something to prove, and the Millers were their latest victims on Monday afternoon at Meadowlands Park. The Cougars used three first half goals to build a commanding early lead and held on for a 4-2 win, earning their first division win of the season. "They underestimated us. They did not rank us, they did not talk about us," said Columbia head coach Gene Chyzowych about The Star-Ledger. "Nobody mentioned us. We are the leftovers. We want to stand up now from the chair, rise and shine and show everyone what kind of leftovers we are." With 34:50 left to play in the opening half, Columbia's Jeremy Witherspoon scored the first of his two goals, knocking in a high bouncer from mid-air …
Elizabeth Nolet
11:15 am on Friday, December 3, 2010
All Coaches should aspire to lead a team the way Steve Jones coaches: with great knowledge of the sport, with high expectations for every player's development and with great repsect for his players, the opposing team and the game itself. more ›