Boys soccer game abandoned after player breaks opponent’s jaw with a punch
A boys soccer game in suburban New York was abandoned on Wednesday after one player punched an opponent, sending him to the hospital with a broken jaw.
As reported by the Westchester Journal and a variety of other outlets, including News 12 Westchester, Stefedson Dieudonn, a 17-year-old soccer player for New Rochelle High (New Rochelle, N.Y.), faces charges of third-degree assault after he allegedly punched White Plains High (White Plains, N.Y.) player Ozzie Escobedo.
The alleged attack sent Escobedo to the hospital with a broken jaw, and officials decided to abandon the remainder of the match, calling it off with just more than a minute remaining in the first half.
"I saw the kid absolutely throw a haymaker and punch him in the face," White Plains boys soccer coach Marcel Galligani told the Journal.
"There was a foul across the field, there was some arguing and pushing and shoving, and next thing you knew, the guy just threw a right hook. It was absolutely uncalled for."
Escobedo underwent surgery for his broken jaw at the hospital. There have been no additional updates on his condition, though there was no reason to expect that he would require an extended stay in the hospital.
Meanwhile, New Rochelle athletic director Steve Young said that the incident was not reflective of the larger relationship between the two schools.
"It's not what I expect when I send a team up to play a sport," Young said. "There's a rivalry here with White Plains. This isn't the first time that there’s been an issue, and it's certainly something that White Plains athletic director Jennifer DeSena, myself and our principals have to address."It's funny, we had a football game against White Plains the other night with nearly 3,000 people here, and everything went great," Young said. "It's very upsetting."
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