Celtics capture Continental championship

By Stephen Caruso

The New York Celtics, a local Irish football club, captured the 2007 Continental Youth Championship in the boys' under-10 division on July 29 in Chicago.

The team that calls Van Cortlandt Park home claimed the cup with a decisive 15-2 victory over a Philadelphia squad in the finals of the Gaelic Athletic Associationsponsored event.

The Celtics played six matches over a three-day span, winning five of them, to take the title over 10 other teams that qualified from across the country.

After losing their first match of the tournament by just two points, the Celtics rallied to claim four-straight wins - over teams from Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and New York - to reach the finals.

"The first loss was a big loss, but at the time I thought it would've done them well, because they were on a high out there and it was a little humbling," explained head coach Owen McSweeney. Before the opening day loss, the Celtics sported an undefeated record and had already earned the New York Minor Board championship just weeks earlier.

"The loss helped them to refocus," McSweeney continued. "And from that point on, they lifted their game and really started to compete for every ball."

When the Celtics reached the finals, they found the Philly squad - who had handed them their only defeat of the season two days earlier and had yet to lose in the tournament - waiting for them.

"They were so pumped up for that game against Philly," McSweeney said. "They wouldn't sit back that time and they were going out there to win that game."

With the added spring in their step, the Celtics dominated the action in the finals, leading by five points at halftime, and pouring it on in the second half against the bigger and physically stronger club.

Forwards Christopher Maguffin, Rory Allen and Patrick Heffernan each scored goals - worth three points each - in the contest, and center forward Ryan Lang tacked on three points of his own, by scoring the ball over the crossbar of the goal for one point each time.

However, center forward Shane Smith and goalkeeper Brendan Cole earned the most praise from Coach McSweeney for their play throughout the tournament.

"Shane Smith rose to the occasion and he played probably the best I have seen him play during the tournament in Chicago," the coach said.

Meanwhile, Cole earned the tournament's Most Valuable Player honors for his play in net.

"Usually one of the midfielders or one of the scorers gets an award like that, but on this occasion it was our defense line and our goalkeeper that kept us in these games," praised McSweeney, pointing out what a rare feat it is for a goalkeeper to win such an award.

After the tournament, the Celtics also rewarded the play of defenders Ian Power and Riverdalian Michael Dunnion, by voting to appoint the duo as team co-captains.

"From the first whistle to the final whistle, they were just so committed to trying to win," McSweeney said.