Two former William & Mary men’s players competed for a team that took the winner-take-all $1 million first prize Sunday in the first edition of The Soccer Tournament.
Marcel Berry and William Eskay played for Newtown Pride FC, based in Sandy Hook, Connecticut — a city thrust into the limelight in 2012 because of a deadly mass shooting at elementary school — in the 7-v-7 event.
Newtown defeated SLC FC 2-0 in Cary, North Carolina, to win the 32-team tournament. The club has announced it will donate a portion of the winnings to Sandy Hook Elementary School charities.
A MILLION DOLLAR CELEBRATION FOR THE MILLION DOLLAR CHAMPIONS! 💰
Congrats @NewtownPrideFC on making HISTORY as the first-ever TST champs. pic.twitter.com/ztWco6adP6
— TST (@TST7v7) June 4, 2023
Newtown dominated the run of play. Berry hit the crossbar in the 30th minute, and Eskay was denied on a scoring chance in the 31st. But Gabriel Costa broke the tie in the 35th of 40 regulation minutes.
Like its predecessor, The Basketball Tournament, TST games conclude with the Elam Ending — a basket on the hardwood, a goal on the pitch. The target score to win throughout the tournament was one more goal than the leading team’s score at the end of regulation time — in this case, 2.
After 10 minutes of scoreless play during the ending phase, one player per team was removed, providing more attacking space. After five minutes, the game was reduced to 5-v-5.
Kelvin Nunes then scored the decisive goal, igniting a celebration.
KELVIN NUNES SCORES THE $1 MILLION GOAL!!!!@NewtownPrideFC IS YOUR TST 2023 CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!@Ally pic.twitter.com/JE9CSanFO0
— TST (@TST7v7) June 4, 2023
LOCAL BASEBALL
Chili Peppers keep Pilots winless
Leading by four runs at the seventh-inning stretch, the Peninsula Pilots saw hopes of their first victory of the Coastal Plain League baseball season dashed.
The Tri-City Chili Peppers (5-1) went ahead with a seven-run seventh and went on to post a 15-10 victory over the Pilots (0-3) Sunday night before 618 at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights.
The loss spoiled one of the best games of Trey Morgan’s career. Leading off for the team his father, Hank, manages, the VMI All-Southern Conference player batted 5 for 6 with two runs and an RBI.
Also for the Pilots, Barham White of LSU-Eunice homered and drove in three runs, Hunter Cole had a hit and two RBIs, future Nebraska Cornhusker Aaron Manias had two hits and two RBIs, and Hickory High graduate Mason Dunaway of James Madison had two runs and two RBIs.
Cole, from Granby High, was one of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s best players this season.
Tri-Rivers outhit the Pilots 15-13. Longwood’s Michael Dolberry, from nearby Prince George, was the Peppers’ prime contributor, driving in six runs and falling just a triple short of the cycle. He scored three runs. VCU’s Brandon Eike added a home run among three hits, four RBIs and two runs.
FIELD HOCKEY
Ex-ODU goalkeeper achieves shutout with American team
Former Old Dominion and York High goalkeeper Kealsie Robles posted a shutout as the U.S. Women’s National Team began its 2023 Hockey5s Pan American Cups campaign with an 8-0 triumph against Costa Rica in pool play in Kingston, Jamaica.
Monday, the U.S. will face Guatemala at 2:40 p.m. and Paraguay at 6:40 p.m.
Robles is now an assistant field hockey coach for Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina.
