November 20, 2007 -
The Under 9A Rat Pack has been together now for about six months. The team, guided by head coach,
Grant Myers, and assistant coach Rasheed Epps, began training shortly after player selections were made last
spring. In August, the Rat Pack competed for the first time at the Spirit United Kickoff Classic Tournament. The
team faced top competition from many other big-name clubs.
The Rat Pack won their first tournament, going
undefeated. Players deserving special recognition
for their play during the weekend were strikers
Nico Coffin and Matthew Real for their relentless
attacks on opposition goals. Rock solid defenders
Will Marks, Evan Haas, and Max Auerbach
deserve a standing ovation for their aggressive
protection of Rat Pack turf, frustrating opposition
offenses, and rarely permitting their opponents
to take shots on star goalkeeper, Michael
Kalpokas who had a number of world-class
saves and blocked several shots taken from
nearly point-blank range.
One week later, the Rat Pack participated in the
Gettysburg Battlefield Blast Soccer Tournament.
The Rat Pack managed to rack up a 4-0 record,
before tournament officials terminated the tournament
due to inclement weather. For the second
time in two weeks, the team was on
track to capture their second tournament title.
Next up for the team was the Yardley Columbus Day Tournament. Matthew Blackman demonstrated his skills
during the tournament by making a number of very impressive overlapping runs, a few of which resulted in shots
on goal and Rat Pack scoring. During the finals, outside midfielder Nicolas Kane made a sideline run toward the
opposition goal, and placed a picture-perfect, one-touch assist to the foot of a fellow teammate, resulting in yet
another Rat Pack goal. Greg Bradbury also had an outstanding weekend, with super strong contributions both
offensively and defensively. The Rat Pack again finished this tournament undefeated and tournament champions.
During the fall 2007, the Rat Pack went 8-1-1 in the top division of the Delco League. The team defeated the West
Chester Predators in a tough semi-final game. Midfielder William Cypress had an outstanding day, delivering a
strong performance offensively. In the fading minutes of the match, central midfielder Hans Kroschwitz ripped a
left footed shot from outside the box to give the Rat Pack a 2-1 victory. The following day, head coach Myers and
assistant coach Epps simply watched their match-ready team decisively defeat the Baltimore Bays 5-1, to win the
2007 Delco Under 9 first division championship. Congratulations to the boys on an excellent first season of play.