13 Photos
Westhampton Beach sophomore Will Tucker tries to dribble around an Amityville player. DREW BUDD
Westhampton Beach senior Riley Smith and an Amityville player converge on the ball. DREW BUDD
Westhampton Beach junior Bartolome Guzman takes an elbow from an Amityville player. DREW BUDD
The Hurricanes make a defensive wall just outside their goal box. DREW BUDD
The Hurricanes jump up to block a free kick just outside their goal box. DREW BUDD
Hampton Bays sophomore Brayan Rivera tries to play the ball with East Hampton senior Henry Pillco. DREW BUDD
Hampton Bays goalie Josue Jara comes up to play a ball. DREW BUDD
Hampton Bays senior captain Cristian Loaiza and East Hampton senior Henry Pillco tussle for the ball. DREW BUDD
Hampton Bays senior Roberto Orellana turns on East Hampton sophomore Zane Musnicki. Orellana scored the first goal of the game for the Baymen six minutes into the second half. DREW BUDD
Hampton Bays junior captain Dylan Flores tries to turn on East Hampton sophomore Zane Musnicki. Flores score
Seeking motivation for his players heading into Friday's home game against a hot East Hampton team, Hampton Bays boys soccer head coach Scott Garofola told his players that the Bonackers were coming into the game ranked 18th in the state in Class A in, what was at the time, the latest New York State Sportswriters Association Poll.
That seemed to do the trick.
The Baymen, facing a two-goal deficit at halftime, came back to defeat the Bonackers, 3-2, in overtime. Junior captain Dylan Flores scored both the game-tying and game-winning goals. He tied the game with 18 minutes remaining in regulation off a free kick from about 25 yards out in the upper, left-hand corner. Then, just two minutes into overtime, Flores was able to sneak behind the East Hampton defense, and when East Hampton sophomore goalie Danny Ruiz came out to meet him, Flores hit a composed shot over Ruiz's head that bounced a few times before crossing the goal line.
Prior to Friday's rain-soaked game, East Hampton had been unbeaten in its previous six games, its last loss coming at home to Hampton Bays on September 12. Garofola said both teams match up well against one another.
"I'm happy we could come out on top both times," he said. "One bounce here and there, they've both been such tight games that they could have gone either way.
"Other than Southampton, I think East Hampton is a team we get up for emotionally as well," Garofola continued.
East Hampton took a lightning-quick lead on Friday when senior Jorge Naula scored within the first 60 seconds of the game. He gave his team a 2-0 lead with about 10 minutes remaining in the first half with a rocket of a shot that he tucked in nicely underneath the crossbar off a direct kick from about 25 yards out.
Hampton Bays began its comeback just six minutes into the second half when senior Roberto Orellana capitalized on a misplay by Ruiz to cut the East Hampton lead in half at 2-1.
Friday's victory—coupled with a 2-0 win at Mount Sinai on September 28—greatly improved the Baymen's chances of clinching their first ever Class A postseason berth. According to Garofola, Hampton Bays (6-3-1 League VI, 7-4-1 overall) just needs a tie in its final four games to reach the playoffs. It played at Southampton on Wednesday night and hosts undefeated Elwood/John Glenn this Friday, October 7, at 6:30 p.m.
"The two games this week are our most difficult of the four we have remaining, but if we could somehow split them and clinch a playoff spot this week and get the monkey off our back, that would be great," Garofola said. "That could mean a tie. We know the results we need and we're going to make sure we're focused, especially for Glenn. We had a different set of circumstances when we played them last time ... I think we can give them a better run this time out."
Westhampton Beach Boys
After starting last week with back-to-back losses, the Hurricanes rebounded with a 2-1 victory at home over Miller Place on Friday. Junior Fernando Gimenez scored the winning goal with just two minutes remaining in the game off an assist from senior Tyler Small, who gave the Canes a 1-0 lead in the first half. Alex Naimo had tied the game for Miller Place with 13 minutes remaining.
Westhampton Beach (6-4 League V, 6-6 overall) suffered a 2-0 loss at home to defending state champion Amityville on September 28. The defending Class A state champion Warriors scored two late second-half goals to pull away and end what had been a three-game losing streak to the Canes dating back to last season.
Michael Barefield's goal eight minutes into the second half held up as the game winner in a 1-0 victory for host Harborfields over Westhampton Beach on September 26.
Westhampton Beach hosted Comsewogue on Wednesday and is scheduled to play at Sayville this Friday, October 7, at 4 p.m.
Westhampton Beach Girls
The Lady Hurricanes ended a three-game losing streak with a 6-1 victory over East Hampton/Pierson/Bridgehampton at Mashashimuet Park in Sag Harbor on Thursday, September 29. Jill Mapley, a junior, led the scoring attack for Westhampton Beach with four goals. Junior Kylie Cast and sophomore McKinley Skala each scored a goal. Senior Emily Wichard made eight saves in goal.
The Lady Canes (3-4 League V, 4-5 overall) are expected to host Comsewogue on Thursday, October 6, at 5:30 p.m. and is also scheduled to play at Amityville on Saturday, October 8, at 9 a.m.
