CUP FINALS DAY & NIGHT, SUNDAY AUGUST 22nd

With two cup finals scheduled, last Sunday was the biggest day in WSP's fledgling history.

HIGHLAND PARK CUP FINAL

(Liz S., WSP's MVP and Golden Boot winner at Highland Park, celebrates her team's 10-4 Cup Final victory)

In Sunday afternoon's Highland Park Cup Final, Long Island's Rockville Centre Hammers faced New Jersey's Titans FC in a wet, blustery affair.

Such conditions often balance things out between two unevenly matched sides. But within the first 8 minutes, the heavy favorite, powerhouse Hammer's stuffed three unanswered goals into the back of the net.

Titans tightened up its defense. And with the help of some acrobatic saves from Kris K., they managed to let in only one more by the 30-minute mark. Titans also tallied one of their own, giving them a glimmer of hope for the second half.

(Caroline C. puts on a shooting demonstration to get her team back in the game during the early minutes of the 2nd half)

Late-arriving Caroline C. entered the game at the start of the second half for the Titans. It was no coincidence that the game soon shifted from 4-1 to 4-3.

For the first time since their first regular season game (and only loss on the season), the squad from Long Island looked a bit concerned.

(Some RVC Hammers looking concerned after Titans strike back twice in two minutes.)

Though a youthful side, the Hammers showed veteran composure. They switched from a long-ball game, which served their height and speed advantage well during the first half, to a possession game.

Marching the ball up the field by degrees, they slotted in goal after goal to run away with the game.

Liz S., former captain of Div. 1 Boston University, factored in on almost every second half goal for the Hammers.

(Liz S., the most decorated WSP player to date, with her two team and two individual awards from a single season.)

Liz was competing against U23 NY State representative male players for League MVP and Golden Boot this season, but she - irrespective of her performance in the cup final - was the clear, runaway winner for both accolades.

Final score: 10-4.

The cup final victory gave the RVC Hammers their second championship title in the same season. The Hammers are the first team in the WSP to have secured a league title before the final week of a regular season. They are the second team to win both the league and the cup in the same season.

(League and Cup title holders, the RVC Hammer's)

The Hammer's season stats: Games won, 7. Games lost, 1. Goals for, 59. Goals against, 17.

BUSHWICK INLET PARK SEMIS & FINAL

In contrast to the Higland Park final, BIP's semi-final matches between Hawks (7th) and Scousers (3rd), and Chico's Bail Bonds (1st) and FC Headers (4th), saw the underdogs come out on top.

Hawks' Andre A. was the big points earner on the night (2 goals and 2 assists). Tim S. would have rivaled his midfield partner hadn't Scousers keeper (Sean S.) come up with four big saves.

But it wasn't at all a two-person affair. Every Hawks player had a great game. Left Back Frances C. kept the Scousers from penetrating the goal box on a good five occasions. Benny J.'s commitment to running full tilt gave the possession-hungry Scousers little space. Clayton C. provided crucial passing options by hunting open ground all night.

Back to front, it was a great Hawks' team effort - a well-deserved victory against a fine-tuned Scousers squad.

Final score: 5-2

In the other semi-final affair, it was WSP's biggest rivalry: FC Headers vs. Chico's Bail Bonds.

Like the last three times they've met in the WSP, it was just a one-goal difference separating the two teams. But it was FCH that finally came out on top, after a six-game losing streak to CBB since 2009.

As usual, the match was fraught with tension. Words were exchanged, as well as few surreptitious boots to ankle and not so sly shoves in and out of the box. Ref Alex (who was new to these two teams) soon decided to reel in the culprits with some timely calls to help temper matters.

But the fouls kept coming in the second half. And so did the arguing, which even involved a non-player entering the pitch. The main issue: some people saw contact in a slide tackle in the box. Others didn't. The ref's view was the latter and so no penalty was given, only a technical foul.

(It should be noted that it's at the referee's discretion to give a yellow for slide-tackling when no contact is made. It's not an automatic yellow and the free kick is indirect. When contact is made, it is an automatic yellow and a direct free kick. To make the WSP even safer and to take away any ambiguity, we're considering making any slide tackle an automatic yellow and a direct free kick.)

But the team who wasn't awarded the penalty, which they felt was their due, did come away with the win they've been after.

It was a good game that was a tad marred by things being taken perhaps a bit too seriously for recreational soccer in support of children's charities. That said, we do like a good, hot competition and relish the encounters between these two sides.

Next time, however, we'll do our best to start a rugby tradition, where the two teams go to the pub afterwards and buy opposite numbers a pint.

Final score: 3-2 (FCH).

The Cup Final was called off, just two minutes after the opening whistle, owing to lightening in the vicinity of the pitch. It's NYC Park's rule to immediately cancel all on-field activity at the first sign of lightening in the area.

The final between FC Headers (4th) and Hawks FC (7th) is rescheduled for 8:05pm this Sunday.