Mooch Games are moved to Rider
Thursday’s deeper-than-expected snowfall left the playing of the 2018 Glenn “Mooch” Myernick Senior Games in doubt until the down-to-the-wire hard work of people like committee chairman Dick Sword, EDP’s Steve Shilling and Rider University head coach Charlie Inverso found a new field for the annual event to be held Sunday.
Instead of the Al Cowell grass field in Hamilton’s Veterans Park, the games will return to Lawrenceville and Rider’s Ben Cohen turf pitch at 1 and 3 p.m. today.
The event honors the memory of Myernick, who grew up playing soccer in Lawrence and went on to earn national and international fame, before dying suddenly in 2006. This year’s games will also be dedicated to the memory of Trentonian sports writer George O’Gorman, who passed away during the summer.
It begins with a 1 p.m. game featuring senior high school girls soccer players from Mercer County. A game featuring senior high school boys soccer players from Mercer County will follow at 3 p.m. to cap the festivities. Players are asked to arrive at least a half-hour prior to their scheduled game time to check in and receive their game jersey.
With the help of sponsorship from the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame, the Central Jersey Youth Soccer Association and EDP Soccer, Jersey Area Girls Soccer, the Bob Smith Soccer Academy, the Ancient Order of the Hibernians Club, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance, Fornaro Francioso LLC, the Spadaccini Law Firm, plus Conte’s Pizza & the Baldino family, the Reid family of Princeton and Dr. Anthony Chiurco, the Mooch Senior Games remain free to the public.
The teams, coached by members of the Mercer Soccer Hall of Fame, are divided into White and Red squads to commemorate Myernick’s Lawrence school colors.
The referees for the matches donate their time in hopes that all might enjoy one more fun day of soccer before the 2018 season comes to a close. SENIOR GAMES ROSTERS GIRLS RED TEAM
Emma Pascarella, Alex Searing, Lauren Coiante, Abby Howell, Allyson McConnell, Andie Barnes, Molly O’Brien, Nicole Apai, Katie Baker, Lucy Gutman, Daphne West, Olivia Panko, Carly Smith, Megan Dee, Sara Haas, Ivonne Vasquez, Brooke Smukler, Charlotte Meyercord, Kelsey Lane, Sara Hutt, Macie Renner, Kamryn Diel, Ryane Alvarez, Jillian Pelosi, Sierra Counts.
GIRLS WHITE TEAM
Lauren Korpics, Aaliyah Dennis, Raya Mount, Courtney Fox, Caitlin McConnell, Leah Sutphen, Olivia McNulty, Breezy Worthy, Evelin Dapprich, Sarah Berardi, Sarah DiLuzio, Becky Harris, Amanda Lindsay, Gianna Lucchesi, Jaydin Avery, Mary Griswold, Sydney Gibbard, Shannon Romaine, Camille Franklin, Gabby DeLisa, Brielle Flodmand, Chloe Zoldi, Bridney Nieves, Tia Saade, Susan George.
BOYS RED TEAM
Hunter Zytkowicz, Connor Maher, Mike Ilesanmi, Roberto Recinos, Gerardo Perez, Coleman Chiurco, James Muldowney, Elijah Smarr, Jack O’Reilly, Cole Heinz, Ryan Sullivan, Larnicho Weh, Franklin Hytegha, Nigel Woodroffe, Arkan Tahsildaroglu, Timmy Coe, Nico Herrerias, Tommy Reid, Sebastian Ratzan, Atticus Lynch, Loyalty Buch, Leor Hecht, Ryan Grund, Gavin Grecsek, Elijah Moore McGuinness. BOYS WHITE TEAM
Daniel Tobito, Ian Lumkong, John Chuqui, Luke Tartaglia, Pat Mormile, Ben Morreale, Eric Goldberg, Thomas Ehret, Cameron Desnoes, Brendan Rath, Chad Nelson, Sam Griffis, Kyle Dixon, Wesley Leggett, Coby Auslander, Sal Rego, George Fotiou, Josh Breese, Max DiPierro, Adrian Strawinski, Aidan Klein, Mario Palacios, Erick Lopez, Brendan Kerins, Alex Quezada, Rohan Joseph, Evan Robinson.
NOTRE DAME ALUMNI GAME Current and former Notre Dame High boys soccer players are invited to take part in the school’s annual Alumni game from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21 at Msgr. Walter E. Nolan Field on the Lawrence Township campus. For more information, contact varsity head coach Rich Leedom at (609) 540-9233.