Home Sports

Soaring to new heights

Epiphany coaches don’t believe in pressuring their group of fifth- and sixth-graders into must-win situations.

The soccer players don’t go around bragging about how many goals they scored in a game, or what their win-loss record is. Instead, the focus has always been on fun and teamwork.

This season, though, the coed squad might be thinking about winning just a bit more.

That’s because the stakes are higher for the Epiphany Hawks, who play their home games at 12th and Wharton streets. The team will play in the Catholic Youth Organization Del-Val League semifinal game Saturday at 10 a.m., with the winner advancing to Sunday’s championship game.

Center-midfielder Joseph Parmisciano said he is surprised by his team’s 9-1-1 record, especially given last season’s mark.

"I thought we would be real bad like last year when we had zero wins," the sixth-grader said. "We are playing together. I think we have a chance to win it all."

The Hawks advanced to the semifinals by beating St. Philomena 4-2 in Sunday’s thriller, which included two overtimes and a sudden-death shootout. The score was tied at 1 after 80 minutes of play, which included the two 10-minute overtime periods.

Billy McAfee provided a strong effort in goal, while Giuliano Lozzi, Michael Riverso and Mark Gambacorto scored in the shootout period.

The Hawks are a tight group, as most started playing together at age 4 in the Southeast Youth Athletic Association, Seventh and Bigler streets. They continued playing in Epiphany’s indoor soccer program.

"They know how each other reacts and feed off each other’s emotions," said coach Robert Simon.

The players show their unity by attending Sunday Mass dressed in their team uniforms.

Sabrina Calabro and Nica Meccariello, the only two girls on the squad, say they have no problem fitting in.

"[The boys] treat me with respect," Meccariello said. "I play football with them."


The Hawks are winding down their sixth season in the Del-Val League, in which they are the only Philadelphia-based team. The squad had to go out of the area to find a coed CYO fall soccer league.

In previous seasons, Hawks varsity and junior-varsity teams have advanced to the finals and semifinals, but this year’s squad may have the most potential, organizers said.

"This is by far the best team we’ve ever had," said athletic director Nick Marro. "Those kids have more heart than anything."

The Delaware County teams have the ability to recruit a greater number of skilled players for most youth sports. For the South Philly group, that has just meant trying harder. The Hawks gave up part of their summer vacation to start practicing in early August.

"It’s harder, but kind of the same," center-forward Joey Brydges said of the suburban competition. "They have better fields and better teams."

The Delaware County parishes are starting to take notice of South Philly’s winning ways. Simon recalled a recent game against St. Dorothy in which the opposing coach approached him and asked, "When did South Philly kids learn how to play soccer?"

For the Epiphany players, those skills have been half a lifetime in the making. Assistant coach Joe Brydges started the indoor soccer program five years ago. Now, most of the players practice twice a week and play two weekly games.

"The only way they learn situations in soccer is by playing more games and having more situations," noted assistant coach Bill McAfee.

The coaches stress the importance of playing the team game.

"We took away the individual play where they say, ‘I had eight or nine goals,’" McAfee said. "The forwards are the only ones allowed to score inside the 18. Everyone else does their job of getting them the ball."

T.J. Biondo, Justin Brydges, Michael Capocci, Stephen Ciccone, John Cujdik, John Defeo, Roy Dillon, William Huff and Robert Simon are all buying into the system.

Seven shutouts in nine victories prove the Hawks’ strategy is working to perfection. Five players represented the team in this month’s Del-Val League all-star game. No matter what happens this weekend, the Hawks’ first-place finish earned them the chance to represent their league in the upcoming Archdiocese Tournament.

The success is making soccer one of Epiphany’s most popular sports. Marro said he ordered 40 uniforms for two soccer teams, and 45 uniforms for three basketball teams.

The Region Six CYO, which includes South Philadelphia parishes, launched a new soccer program this fall with separate boys’ and girls’ leagues. However, the majority of the area parishes are still without soccer teams.

It shows on the high-school level, where the St. John Neumann and St. Maria Goretti soccer squads struggle to stay out of last place in the Catholic League’s Southern Division. Maybe with a feeder program like Epiphany, the high schools will improve their standings.

"Soccer is growing in the city," Simon said. "It’s a matter of time before the coaches start learning the game more and more."

At Epiphany, the players and coaches have built a system that is serving as a model for other programs in South Philly.

"We are winning because we have very good players and coaches," Meccariello said. "The coaches teach us what we need to know about the game."

Exit mobile version