Norwalk Eagles Win 1998 U13 Boys State Cup Championship!

Pictured above (from left to right): Standing: Trainer Danny DiChiara, Charlie Perlwitz, Phil Russo, Alex Sweeney, Jamison Kendall, Devon Calloway, Josh Sebastian, Steve Surace, Michael Annunziato, Amar Bellara, JP Sebastian, Chris Sharp, Coach Bill Russo; Kneeling: Marco Antunes, Jonathan Rotner, Jason Colangelo, Ben Laughton, Mike Bruno, Kevin Fishman, Jason Alvarez, carlos Guzman. JUNE 1998 -- The Norwalk Eagles capped off an undefeated 17-0 season with a 3-2 win over Suffield in the State Cup Final. The game was originally postponed due to thunderstorms and moved to Coleytown Middle School in Westport the following day. Excerpt from The Hour Newspaper: It was an historic week for youth soccer in Norwalk as a pair of NJSA travel teams won State Cup championships 48 hours apart. First, the Norwalk Eagles U-13 team nipped Suffield 3-2 in the State Cup finals at Coleytown School in Westport. Steve Surace scored with just over six minutes left to snap a 2-2 tie and give the city of Norwalk its first State Cup championship in 15 years. Surace gained control of the ball just over midfield and raced down the sideline with two Suffield defenders on him. As he reached the corner of the field, Surace side-stepped one defender, dribbled past the other, and fired a shot from 20 yards out that beat the goalie and landed in the lower left-hand corner of the net. The Eagles fell behind 1-0 just two minutes into the game when Suffield converted a penalty kick. That would be the only goal until 15 minutes into the second half when Norwalk captain Josh Sebastian took a pass from Carlos Guzman and from 30 yards away sent a booming kick into the upper left-hand corner of the goal to tie the score. Sebastian scored again 10 minutes later on a direct kick with Phillip Russo assisting to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead. But Suffield tied it with 15 minutes left in regulation when Jeff Moreau scored his second goal of the game. That set the stage for Surace's game winner. It was the second comeback win in a row for the Eagles, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the semifinals to defeat South Windsor 4-2. The win also capped a 17-0 season which the locals outscored the opposition 80-9.