Bermuda Players Help New England Surf Win
Bermuda’s Alexander Rymon Lipinski, Xhavi DeRoza and Nile Bean helped New England Surf to a Championship win at the Jefferson Cup in the U.S.
A spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Triangle connection of Alexander Rymon Lipinski and Xhavi DeRoza from the Warwick Archers [Robin Hood FC] youth program and fellow Bermudian Nile Bean helped the 2007 New England Surf State Navy team win in the U15 Platinum division championship match at the Jefferson Cup Showcase in Richmond, Virginia.
“Heading into the final group match on Sunday morning with an undefeated record against the winless Progressive Youth 07 from New York, the Surf only needed to score a single goal to top the group and advance to the championship match.
“The Progressive Youth team would upset the form charts and defeat the Surf by a score of 3-1. Trailing 2-0 in the first half, the Surf would get the lone goal they needed to advance just before half time when Nile Bean scored to book their place in the final. Pressive Youth would add another goal in the 2nd half to claim their first tournament win 3-1 over the pre-match favorite New England Surf.
Alexander [Olek] Rymon Lipinsji and Xhavi DeRoza with the championship trophy
“The championship match would feature Surf going head to head against the Richmond Strikers 07 Elite. The Strikers advanced to the final with a record of 2 wins and a tie in their preliminary group matches.
“The Warwick Archers’ dynamic duo of Rymon-Lipinski and DeRoza would both score goals to lead Surf to a 2-1 win over the Strikers Elite. The Strikers would take the lead with an early score in the first half, before DeRoza leveled with a neat finish into the top corner from outside the box to take the teams into half time all even.
“With everything to play for in the second half, the Surf would find the winner from the head of Rymon-Lipinski as he rose to head home with five minutes remaining in the match from a wide free kick.
“This completed a fantastic weekend for the Bermudian ambassadors, leaving family and friends following the game at home beaming with pride at the success of the team and the significant contributions of the Bermudian players.”
Warwick Archers Program Manager, Richard Todd, reveled in the news of the win, saying, “I am ecstatic for both Alexander and Xhavi, and am sure that the memory of the experience will remain with them for some time to come. The Warwick Archers and Robin Hood FC football family are proud that they have represented our program, and indeed Bermuda, with distinction at this event.
“They have captured the attention of coaches and players at the tournament during the course of the weekend, and I am confident this will lead to future opportunities for them and others to have similar experiences. It was also pleasing to learn that there was another Bermudian player on the team, and that Nile Bean was the scorer of the key goal to take the team to the final.”
Tommaso Trevisan, New England Surf and IDA General Manager spoke at the conclusion of the final on the partnership with the Warwick Archers, saying, “Surf and IDA we’re all about playing opportunities.
“We love to collaborate with the Warwick Archers to provide additional overseas exposure for Bermudian players interested in collegiate and professional football pathways. There will be another player from the Warwick Archers joining Surf at the Easter Cup tournament in Orlando, Florida during April 12-16.”
