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The Avengers went undefeated on the day.
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The SDA Snipers
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The Berkshire Blue Mambas
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The Lenox Legends

Local Soccer Players Excel at Gillette Stadium Event

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Four teams from Pittsfield's Soccer Domain Academy made the trip to Gillette Stadium to compete in the second annual 4 v 4 Gillette Cup hosted by the MLS New England Revolution on July 23.
 
The SDA Snipers, the Avengers, the Berkshire Blue Mambas and the Lenox Legends were all victorious in their divisions and earned first place trophies during the tournament.
 
"Over the past 10 years I have had the privilege to work with some fantastic young players, we set the foundations for teaching the game and have been extremely proud of the players they have become, SDA main focus has always been to help guide and educate players from all areas and this weekend was a credit to the hard work they have all put in as individuals to achieve their goals," SDA Director Rich Powell said. "The past was amazing the present is fantastic and the future is very exciting."
 
The SDA Snipers are all members of the Soccer Domain Academy’s under-11 team. Team members include:  Brayden Astore (Dalton CRA), Brayden Bishop (Pittsfield Soccer Club), Brady Street (Pittsfield Soccer Club), Daniel Kankam (Pittsfield Soccer Club), Diego Revera (Pittsfield Soccer Club), and Ethan Breitmaier (Pittsfield Soccer Club)
 
The Berkshire Blue Mambas are members of the Soccer Domain Adademy's U13 and U14 teams and GPS Stateline’s u14 team.  The team went undefeated for the whole tournament.  Team members include:  Evan McAllister, (North Adams Soccer Club, SDA), Petie Breitmaier, (Pittsfield Soccer Club, SDA), Jace Nacht (Berkshire Hills Soccer club, SDA), Lucien Firth, (Berkshire Hills Soccer Club, SDA), Benjamin Heim, (Lenox, SDA, and Justin Hawkins, Berkshire Hills Soccer Club, GPS Stateline).
 
The Avengers also enjoyed a winning streak on Saturday and emerged undefeated for the day.  The team included four players from the u14 Soccer Domain Academy team. Team members:  Harrison Keator, (Lenox and SDA), Gabe Rich, (Pittsfield and SDA), Luke Peploski, (Pittsfield and SDA), Donovan Keegan, (Dalton, SDA), Tanner Shepard, Pittsfield, and Evan Perry, Amherst.
 
Finally, the Lenox Legends competed against some of the top clubs in the area including Western United and  an academy team from Buffalo, N.Y.  The Lenox team competed in the highest division of the U16 brackets and ended the day without a loss and brought home the first place trophy. The team was comprised of five Lenox varsity soccer players and two guest players from Amherst and Fitchburg. Team members included:  Ian Laurin, Alec Jordan, Matthew Heim, Zilion Santos and Keveen Delgado — all from Lenox Memorial High School. ODP teammates, Colton Spirko and Landon Tucker rounded out the team. 
 
The kids and their families stayed after the tournament to watch the New England Revolution take the field against the Chicago Fire. The Revs finally put the ball in the back of the net during the last minutes to win the game in front of the home crowd.
 
During halftime, the members of the Berkshire teams were invited on the Gillette Stadium field for a victory lap.

Tags: youth soccer,   

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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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