Recent Grads Win Loeffler Indoor Tournament
The team anchored by the 2016 Staples team — but also including the oldest player in the fieldhouse, and the youngest — won this year’s Loeffler Indoor Tournament.
The event — held tonight in the Staples fieldhouse — is a fundraiser for the Albie Loeffler Scholarship. Each year, $3,000 is awarded in the name of the Staples soccer program’s founder.
Josh Berman, Shane Dasbach, Sam Kantor and Griff O’Neill — plus Staples assistant coach/former Columbia University All-American Kurt Dasbach, and current freshman Haydn Siroka — edged current Staples players 1-0 in the finals. The lone goal came early in the match, thanks to Berman and Shane Dasbach.
The finals pitted that team — #3 in the 4-team round-robin play — against the 4th seed. That squad pulled off a stunning upset in the semifinals, winning 3-2 on a goal by Vaughan Sealey with just 3 seconds remaining. The junior’s teammates included Nick Ambrose, Gabe Baltierra, Ry Cohen, Chris Martenson and Teddy O’Kane. Martenson is a senior; all the rest will return next fall.
It was a great way to spend a snowy evening. And an excellent way to help fund an important scholarship too.
The Loeffler Indoor Tournament drew 4 former and current #15s. From left: Andrew Puchala, Josh Berman, Gabe Baltierra and Chris Martenson. The #15 jersey is handed down each year by the current #15, to the next player he deems worthy of carrying on Preston Hirten’s competitive spirit and passion for the game.
