Soccer Club Honors One of Its Own

Members of the East Brunswick Soccer Club, friends and family will be at Diederiksen Park Sunday to remember a friend, Daniel Shaposhnikov.

“We want the kids to have some kind of closure,” said Joe Camarota, one of Daniel’s Coaches for United FC.

last week following a hiking accident with his family. He had been hiking with other family members along Ten Mile Creek located on Forest Service land near Yucca Flats in Eastern Fresno County, Calif., just outside the Sequoia National Park boundary. According to the Fresno County Sheriff’s department, Daniel’s father had apparently helped him down a steep incline before going back up a short distance to help other family members.  When the father turned around, the boy was gone and there were slide marks leading to the water below. Daniel’s body was found in Ten Mile Creek about 400 feet downstream several days later.

To honor Daniel, the club is organizing a moment of silence at 1 p.m., Sunday, on Field 2, in Dideriksen Park before the team’s game. Players are asked to wear their green jerseys as a show of support.

Hector Escobar, Daniel’s coach, remembers the boy fondly.

“Daniel Shaposhnikov – Warm smile, bright blue eyes. At 11 years old, Daniel was an unstoppable left-winger for the 2010 New Jersey State Cup Winner East Brunswick United FC Boys U-11 team. On the sideline, he was very shy and humble but once he stepped into the pitch the common statement on the sidelines was ‘watch out, here comes Daniel!’

“When Daniel would receive the ball and start taking it down the left side, he was simply unstoppable. Even in the rare moments when we thought ‘the defender got him...’ nope... we were wrong. Daniel would slip through and either cross it to his teammates or take a thunderous shot on goal.  And when he would score, there would be a big smile, hand raised in the air, and a look over to his parents... and this happened quite often. Daniel was a special boy and a part of a special group of kids. “There are no words to describe how much his teammates and his coaches will miss him on and off the field.  He will be in our hearts forever.”