Hey soccer fans, we've got plenty of material today to feed your high-school sports appetite.
First up, here are the Nassau, Suffolk and CHSAA boys soccer previews, and here are 10 players to watch in Nassau. The top-10 rankings can be found in each preview.
Now onto the girls. Here is the Nassau preview and 10 players to watch, and the same for Suffolk.
That should keep everyone busy for a little while. But here's a little extra for all you Suffolk girls soccer fans:
-Yesterday, we nearly saw one of the top-10 teams go down, as North Babylon was pushed to the brink by West Islip. North Bab has had a rocky start to the season, but I expect an uptick soon. Jenny Melton is coming off an ACL tear at the end of last season, striker Emily Ude is just a freshman and the Bulldogs have a new coach in Stephen Corrado. Though Corrado worked as an assistant prior to taking over head-coaching duties, it still takes time for a team to get used to a new regime. Having speedster Bria Hartley bail you out in the overtime period of a non-league game certainly helps. North Babylon's next big test will come on Thursday, when the team travels to Smithtown West to face Katherine Van Son and the rest of the talented Bulls.
-Also yesterday, Connetquot continued its hot start with a 3-1 win over Bellport. Danielle Murino has been spectacular in the early-going this season. She scored her seventh goal yesterday in just the team's fourth game. An extremely tough matchup looms on Tuesday at Northport in the League II opener. If the T-Birds' defense can keep up with its blistering offense, a league title could be on the horizon.
-And finally, an intriguing matchup from yesterday, as Class AA state semifinalist Sachem East squared off against Class B state semifinalist Bayport-Blue Point (which has since moved up to Class A). Kudos to BBP coach Russ McCormack for scheduling tough non-league games in preparation for the talented teams the Phantoms will most likely see later this year in the playoffs (such as Islip and Sayville). The teams played an even first half, but Sachem East's depth was too much for BBP to handle in the second, as Jamie Smith scored twice to give the Flaming Arrows a 3-1 win.
Plenty more quality games on tap today, including Smithtown East at East Islip in the League III opener and Sayville visiting Eastport-South Manor in a battle of two of League V's elite. Sayville and ESM lost their openers and are looking to get back on track today.
Okay, that's all for now. See ya'll out on the pitch!