The Pancyprian Freedoms have a rich history in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and are the last team to win back-to-back titles in 1982 and 1983. The amateur side moved 90 minutes from entering the tournament’s main draw on Sunday, beating Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks, 2-1, in overtime at Belson Stadium on the campus of St. John’s University.
The Pancyprians rallied late, tying the game on Joel Gustafsson’s header four minutes from full time. Veteran striker Julio Cesar DoSantos struck for what proved to be the winner in the 104th minute and goalkeeper Chad Calderone made sure the result stood up with a pair of spectacular saves in the waning moments of the second 15-minute overtime session.
The Pancyprians will take on United German Hungarians in the USASA Region I semifinal on May 2 with the winner entering the main draw of the competition, the oldest continuous tournament in the country. United German Hungarians defeated Charm City, 3-1, Sunday.
“This club has a great tradition in this Cup,” said Matia Damiani, who moved from midfield to center back Sunday. “We might not be one of the best teams out there, but this shows if we put everything just as today, we’ll try to do our best and hopefully move on and on.”
The Hawks traveled to Queens with just 11 players after competing Saturday afternoon in Washington D.C. Playing on the turf in hot and humid conditions 24 hours later, it seemed only a matter of time before the Hawks wore down.
But that never happened. The Hawks bunkered down defensively, letting the hosts take the game to them and when the time was right, they went on a counter. That’s what happened in the 73rd minute when a spectacular solo effort by Robby Wright, who often played as the lone man in front of the ball, put the Hawks in front.
The Aegean Hawks’ hopes of an upset, though, were thwarted in the 86th minute. Gustafsson, a former St. John’s standout, flicked a header past former LIU goalkeeper Alex Fatovic to level the game at 1.
“I would have celebrated, but I was conserving energy,” Calderone said. “But he’s fantastic, to go above where a keeper’s hands are on the other end of the field.”
DoSantos, who scored a goal and set up another in a come-from-behind 3-2 win against Phoenix SC in the previous round on April 11, struck again in overtime Sunday. The ageless wonder didn’t have many chances, but he buried the most important one, taking a pass from Stelios Andreou and bouncing it inside the far post.
“He’s great,” Damiani said. “He’s one of these guys where you know if you give him the ball, something is going to happen.”
The same could be said about Calderone, who had little to do for much of the match, but came up huge in the late stages. The former standout at Kellenberg, Colgate and Old Dominion lunged to his right to make a stunning reaction save on a shot by Michael Goldman in the 119th minute. One minute later Calderone robbed John Stephens on an open attempt from 16 yards.
“I guess I was making up for that one I let in,” Calderone said. “I’ve got 10 guys in front of me working really, really hard, giving everything and I’m not doing any running, I’m just shouting out. They’re giving everything for me and that’s the least I can do.”
Calderone wasn’t part of the Pancyprian Freedoms last Cup run two years ago, but thanks to the club’s second straight come-from-behind victory, he could do just that this year.
“For today’s game, that’s one of the positive things I would say,” Damiani said. “We kept on fighting until the end. We didn’t get frustrated or upset. I believe we showed great composure, everybody was ready to do his job and something extra, too.”
The Pancyprian Freedoms aren’t the only local team still alive in Open Cup qualification. The Brooklyn Italians made the most of their second chance, defeating New Jersey’s Go Soccer FC, 1-0, at John Dewey HS in Brooklyn Sunday. Emigrantes Das Ilhas defeated Brooklyn in the previous round, but was disqualified for using an illegal player.
Long Island-based Fenerbahce USA advanced on penalty kicks after playing Danbury United to a wild 4-4 draw Sunday afternoon.
The Brooklyn Italians will meet Fenerbahce USA on May 23 with the winner advancing to the main draw.