By Rob Potter
FALLSBURG — September 24, 2010 — The Fallsburg Comets took the lead in the opening minutes of their Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Div. V soccer match against the visiting Tri-Valley Bears on Tuesday afternoon.
And the Comets didn’t look back on their way to a 5-0 victory.
T.J. McAuliffe led the Fallsburg offensive attack with two goals.
McAuliffe scored his first goal about five minutes into the game with a low shot into the near corner of the net. Jose Lemus assisted McAuliffe on the tally.
With 26:43 left in the half, Andrew Juarez gave Fallsburg (2-2, 1-1 Div. V) a 2-0 lead on an assist by Armin Chavez. From near the top of the goal box, Juarez sent a high shot toward the goal cage. The ball bounced off the goal post and into the back of the net.
Chavez also recorded the assist on the next Comets’ goal, which was scored on a header by McAuliffe with 28:23 elapsed in the half.
Fallsburg pushed its lead to 4-0 when Julian Giamo scored on a rebound amid a group of players in front of the goal cage with less than three minutes left until halftime. Juarez assisted Giamo on the goal.
Chavez scored the final goal of the contest on a penalty kick with 25 minutes remaining in the second half.
Fallsburg had 24 shots on goal in the match. T-V (0-3-1, 0-2-1 Div. V) registered five shots on goal.
Goalkeeper Dustin Foertsch made six saves for the Comets and teammate Kyle Miller had one save. T-V goalie Michael Devault had 14 saves.
“We have struggled this season with getting an offensive flow going,” T-V Coach Jason Closs said. “Fallsburg played great in the midfield today. They were able to pass the ball and move it around very well.”
Despite the loss, Closs saw some positives from his team.
“In the second half, we started communicating more and moving the ball better,” he said. “Our goalie, Michael Devault, is a junior who’s never played the position before. He’s getting better every game. He’s learning to come out more to challenge shots and he’s becoming more vocal. He’s doing well and the other guys are supporting him.”
Fallsburg Coach Herb Foertsch is in his first year of guiding the Comets. But he is no stranger to the game of soccer. Foertsch, who has coached AYSO teams, said he began playing soccer when he was 3 years old, played the game in high school and college and now plays in adult leagues in Orange County and Poughkeepsie. He has even played soccer in Germany and Spain while visiting family members in Germany.
In addition, Herb Foertsch’s father played soccer while serving in the U.S. Army.
Herb Foertsch’s two children are very involved in the game as well. Dustin Foertsch, a junior, is the Fallsburg Comets’ starting goalkeeper and Kassie Foertsch, who is in the eighth grade, is a member of the Fallsburg Lady Comets’ modified soccer team.
As for Tuesday’s game, Herb Foertsch was pleased with his team’s performance.
“This was a good league win for us,” he said. “These guys are working very hard. They are communicating with each other and working together as a team.”