High School Soccer

CHSAA FINAL

No. 1 St. Anthony’s vs. No. 2 Chaminade

I’ve seen a lot of both teams this season, which play contrasting styles. Control of this games pace will decide the winner. Chaminade, the two-time defending CHSAA state champions, needs to run its offense through Patrick McCann. The sure-footed senior is strong with the ball He can make the smart pass to get Chaminade a quality shot or score himself. His teammates need to look for him, especially when St. Anthony’s ups the pressure. Other wise they will struggle to score goals. The Flyers’ defense, led by Steve Stefanak, is one of the best around, but its up to the midfield to keep St. Anthony’s from quickening the pace. The Friars need to use their superior athletic ability and let Orlando Castanada and Mike Valencia create on offense. They are the two best of many weapons. Alex Naples is excellent in goal and will stifle many of Chaminade’s set pieces.

Pick: St. Anthony’s

SUFFOLK CLASS B FINAL

No. 1 Mattituck vs. No. 2 Southampton

Southampton handed Mattituck, the defending Class B champion, its only loss, a 3-1 defeat on October 14. Danny Hudson, 13 goals and four assists, is one of Long Islans’s best players. He and Alex Doubrava made up a good one-two punch for a strong Mattituck (15-1) offense. Mattias Ruiz and Irineo Amador are both double-digit goal scorers for Southampton. I’m sure Mattituck wants nothing more than to make up for its lone loss and give itself another shot at Oneonta. It also has a big-game goalie in Billy Birkmier. He will be the difference.

Pick: Mattituck

NASSAU CLASS B FINAL

No. 1 Cold Spring Harbor vs. No. 3 Carle Place

It is had to see Cold Spring Harbor (6-5-5) losing this game. The defending champions have been battle tested all year playing against Class A schools Jericho and Mineola and finishing ahead of schools like South Side and Great Neck North. Bryan Nason, 10 goals leads the Seahawks offense, which is not high scoring. Cold Spring Harbor is known for its defense. Carle Place (7-2-6) is coming off a 1-0 semifinal win over Wheatley and has a 10-goal scorer of its own in Ricky Jarvis. Chris Barbosa has eight goals and eight assists. Expect a Cold Spring Harbor win probably 2-1 or 3-1.

Pick: Cold Spring Harbor

NASSAU CLASS C FINAL

No. 1 Friend Academy vs. No. 2 Oyster Bay

Friends Academy has not beaten Carle Place this season. Carle Place won 3-2 on September 10 and lead 3-0 in the game. The two teams played to a 2-2 tie when Chris Campbell scored his second goal with one second left in the game off a direct kick just outside the 18 for Friends Academy on Oct. 2. Matt Slotnick, 11 goals and eight assists, and Colin Heffron, 10 goals and four assists, lead a Friend offense that can put some points on the board. Oyster Bay has won five straight games coming into this one. Thomas Treiber has 12 goals and five assists and Matt Capozzo had nine goals and five assists. I think Oyster Bay has proven it can beat Friend and is the hot team right now. Oyster Bay takes home the crown.

Pick: Oyster Bay

SUFFOLK CLASS C FINAL

No. 1 Southold vs. No. 2 Port Jefferson

Southold, the three-time defending champion, has been the favorite to win the Class C title all season. Port Jefferson lost by one goal both times during the regular season, 3-2 and 1-0. So expect this to be another close one. Port Jefferson (13-5), which lost 4-0 to Southold (15-2-1) in last season’s final, needs to play solid team defense to counter Southold’s balanced attack. Matt Ellis, 24 goals, is the most dangerous scorer for Southold, but many of its players are threats. Sam Davis, 12 goals, is Port Jefferson’s best option on offense. If the game, which should be physical, is low scoring than Port Jefferson can pull it out, but you have to like Southold to win by a goal or two.

Pick: Southold

CLASS D FINAL

No. 1 Greenport vs. No. 2 Smithtown Christian

The team split to two regular season meetings, both winning by a score of 2-1. Greenport (11-6) won the most recent match up. Greenport lost 4-2 to defending Class C champions Southold in its final regular season game. Orlando Lopez, 27 goals and seven assists, is the key to the Greenport offense. James McEnaney has six goals and 11 assists. Smithtown Christian (8-8) the reigning Class D champ, is coming off a 2-1 win over Class C finalist Port Jefferson on Oct. 22. Larry Kim, the teams, leading scorer tallied two goals in the game. Ryan Mohr, 12 goals, is its second scoring option. The experience Smithtown Christian gained going to State last season will be the reason they prevail in this game and they will have to slow down Lopez. If not, then we will have a new champion.

Pick Smithtown Christian

BY CHRIS MASCARO

Hey folks, just a quickie on yesterday's action...

I was at Ward Melville, where the No. 3 Patriots took down No. 6 Commack, 1-0.

Chelsea DeVerna was by far the best player on the field. She was a step ahead of the defense at all times and nearly scored three times (once on a breakaway, and twice after she hit the top of the crossbar) before she tallied the game-winner just before the midway point of the second half.

It's easy to say this after the fact, but just watching yesterday you could tell that if a goal was going to be scored in regulation, DeVerna was going to tally it.

Commack goalie Chelsea Intrabartola played a very solid game as well, but DeVerna just kept persisting, and eventually she made her mark.

Yesterday's quarterfinal results setup the following semifinal matchups Monday afternoon:
-No. 5 Northport at No. 1 East Islip, 2 p.m.
-No. 7 West Islip at No. 3 Ward Melville, 3 p.m.

Also, here are yesterday's Class A results:
-No. 1 Islip 2, No. 9 Mount Sinai 0
-No. 4 Glenn 2, No. 5 Shoreham-Wading River 1
-No. 6 Bayport-Blue Point 0, No. 3 Harborfields 0 (BBP wins 4-3 on penalty kicks)
-No. 2 Sayville 5, No. 7 Hauppauge 2

The semifinal matchups between Islip and Glenn, and Sayville and Bayport-Blue Point are tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the higher seed.

Okay, that's it for now. See ya'll on the pitch this weekend!

BY CHRIS MASCARO

Good morning everyone! It's Tuesday, and you know what that means — rankings!

But first, thanks to everyone for keeping me in check and letting me know about my wrong predictions.

Yet I'll counter by asking, was it really that bold to assume Sachem East would beat West Islip? A No. 10 seed defeating a No. 7 isn't exactly a huge upset, and Sachem East has been to the county title game each of the past two years, so it had the experience.

I commend West Islip for winning such a highly-contested battle, and the Lions should be a worthy foe for Connetquot tomorrow afternoon. We shall see...

Moving on, it was a little surprising to see North Babylon bow out in the first round. And even more surprising to see the Bulldogs get shut out, which hadn't happened to them at all this season.

Credit goalie Kim Callahan and the Centereach defense with tightening up in a big game. Also, the contributions of Alexis Parrotta cannot be overlooked. She has carried this team through thick and thin this season and has 21 goals (her next closest teammate has four). She assisted Lindsey Thompson on the lone goal against North Bab.

Just a quick note before we get to the rankings:

-I think that I slightly overvalued League I, while slightly undervaluing League III. Sachem East has lost a lot of talent over the past two years, so it's understandable the Flaming Arrows took a small step back this season. And Pat-Med had a great run, but the Raiders are a young team.

Pat-Med and Ward Melville finished one game apart in the standings, which I believe shows how close all of the playoff teams are talent-wise. Would Pat-Med still be alive if it had faced Sachem North rather than a very dangerous Deer Park team? It's completely speculation, but I think so.

As far as League III, not only did West Islip and Centereach prove me wrong, but so did Half Hollow Hills East, putting up a valiant effort against the T-Birds.

Okay, before we get to the Suffolk Top 10, here is this week's Big 10, which includes the Connetquot girls at No. 8. And here is some visual evidence. Remember, Gregg loves to hear your feedback, so post your thoughts here.

Right here is where you can find the Long Island girls soccer Top 10, and without further delay, here is this week's Suffolk Top 10. (Feel free to vent about these rankings right here on the blog.)

Suffolk Top 10
1. Connetquot
2. Northport
3. St. Anthony's
4. East Islip
5. Islip
6. Commack
7. Ward Melville
8. Sayville
9. West Islip
10. Deer Park

Also, here are tomorrow's Class AA and A playoff matchups:

Class AA
*all games start at 3 p.m. unless otherwise noted

No. 9 Deer Park at No. 1 East Islip
No. 13 Centereach at No. 5 Northport
No. 6 Commack at No. 3 Ward Melville, 4:30 p.m.
No. 7 West Islip at No. 2 Connetquot

Class A
*all games start at 3 p.m.

No. 9 Mount Sinai at No. 1 Islip
No. 5 Shoreham-Wading River at No. 4 Glenn
No. 6 Bayport-Blue Point at No. 3 Harborfields
No. 7 Hauppauge at No. 2 Sayville

Okay, that's all for today. See ya'll out on the pitch tomorrow!

No. 12 North Shore at No. 4 Great Neck North

North Shore (9-3-4) pulled off the first big upset of the playoffs with a 1-0 win over No. 5 South Side on a Greg Puskuldjian goal in the first round. “I saw a team play Friday that I hadn’t seen all year,” North Shore coach Bernard Hintz said of his squad. Robbie Grabher, who has 12 goals and five assists this season, has been North Shore’s leading scorer for the last three seasons.

Great Neck North (5-8), the defending county champions, has not loss since the return of starting goalie Tal Greenbaum, the MVP of the county final against Garden City. It beat No. 13 Island Trees in the first round behind two goals from Jose Lopez, who makes up a strong offensive tandem with Cesar Sasson.

The rain tomorrow could play a major factor in slowing up the Great Neck North offense and allowing North Shore to better counter attack. If the same North Shore team that beat South Side shows up and you add in better weather, their Cinderella run could continue. But I think Great Neck North is finally healthy and playing too well right now.

Pick: Great Neck North

No.9 Lynbrook at No.1 Jericho

Jericho (11-4-1) is the top-seed, but certainly not a power house squad. It lost two of its last three games going into the post season, before beating No. 16 Manhasset 2-0 in the opening round on two first-half goals from Josh Haberman on assists from Adam Seiden. If Lynbrook (6-6-4) wants to win this game it has to neutralize that duo, which as produced the majority of Jericho’s offense. Lynbrook needed penalty kicks to beat No. 8 New Hyde Park in the opening round. The score was 2-2 at the end of regulation Gino Cipriano, who Jericho will need to keep an eye on, scored two goals. Both teams, do not score a lot of goals nor give too many up. Expect Jericho to pull out a low-scoring game.

Pick: Jericho

No. 6 Roslyn at No. 3 Garden City

These two teams are in the same conference and know each other very well. They tied at 1 in their first meeting of the season and Roslyn (3-6-4) won the second time 1-0. So don’t expect a ton of goals in this one. Roslyn used balanced scoring to beat No. 11 Hewlett in the first round. Adam Goldman scored the third and deciding goal from 30 yards to give Roslyn a lead 3-1 in an eventual 4-2 win. Garden City (4-3-6) saw Mike DiMasso put in the rebound of Vincent Chiodo's shot for the winner 2:00 into the first overtime against No. 14 Valley Stream North. Garden City is the hotter team right now with a win over Jericho and a scoreless tie with Cold Spring Harbor in its last three games. The game is a toss up. But I lean toward Garden City and its defense to win a low-scoring game.

Pick: Garden City

No. 7 Valley Stream South at No. 2 Mineola

Mineola (10-3-1) got two goals from Nuno Rodrigues who has 13 goals and six assists this season, in a 3-1 victory over No. 15 Sewanhaka in the opening round and a goal and an assist from Carlos Lopez. Mineola has won three straight games. Tyler de la Torre, who has 21 goals this season, had two goals and Jonathan Velasquez had two assists for Valley Stream South (13-1-2) in the first round win over No. 10 Roosevelt. South is unbeaten in its last 13 games. Both Rodrigues and Velasquez were All-Long Island selections last season and are exceptional players. The fact the Velasquez has a finisher like Torre along side him could make all the difference. This one will be the day’s upset special.

Pick: Valley Stream South

strong>BY ADAM RONIS

1. Massapequa
2. New Hyde Park
3. East Meadow
4. Sacred Heart
5. South Side
6. Garden City
7. Island Trees
8. Oceanside
9. Baldwin
10. Cold Spring Harbor

1. Massapequa
2. Connetquot
3. Northport
4. St. Anthony's
5. East Islip
6. Islip
7. East Meadow
8. Commack
9. New Hyde Park
10. Sacred Heart

Class AA
1: 13-0-3 Massapequa-8
2: 18-0-0 Union-Endicott-4
3: 14-0-0 East Islip-11
4: 19-0-0 Bethlehem-2
5: 17-0-0 John Jay EF-1
6: 18-1-0 Baldwinsville-3
7: 14-1-1 Horace Greeley-1
8: 14-1-1 Greece Athena-5
9: 12-2-2 LI St. Anthony’s-CHS
10: 13-1-1 Connetquot-11
11: 14-2-2 Aquinas-5
12: 16-1-3 Kenmore West-6
13: 16-2-0 CBA-3
14: 10-4-3 Vestal-4
15: 13-4-2 Ballston Spa-2
16: 13-2-1 Brockport-5
17: 13-4-2 Niskayuna-2
18: 15-1-0 Warwick-9
19: 13-3-0 North Rockland-1
20: 12-5-2 Shenendehowa-2

Class A
1: 9-1-0 Islip-11
2: 17-0-0 Cornwall-9
3: 17-1-0 Williamsville East-6
4: 15-2-1 Maine-Endwell-4
5: 12-5-2 Burnt Hills-2
6: 11-4-1 Lourdes-1
7: 9-2-1 Sayville-11
8: 14-1-1 New Hyde Park-8
9: 16-1-1 Palmyra-Macedon-5
10: 15-1-3 Scotia-Glenville-2
11: 11-1-4 Somers-1
12: 4-3-5 Rockville Ctr. SS-8
13: 13-2-0 Massena-10
14: 12-2-2 Byram Hills-1
15: 14-4-0 Honeoye Falls-Lima-5
16: 15-4-0 Cortland-3
17: 9-8-2 Averill Park-2
18: 14-3-1 Red Hook-1
19: 11-1-2 Harborfields-11
20: 11-7-0 Fulton-3

Class B
1: 19-0-0 Lansing-4
2: 18-0-0 Nanuet-1
3: 17-1-1 Nichols-AIS
4: 8-4-2 Cold Spring Harbor-8
5: 13-2-1 Mechanicville-2
6: 17-1-0 Briarcliff-1
7: 15-2-0 Chenango Forks-4
8: 17-3-0 Marcellus-3
9: 17-1-0 Potsdam-10
10: 15-2-2 Tamarac-2
11: 13-0-1 Center Moriches-11
12: 15-0-0 Rye Neck-1
13: 15-3-1 East Aurora-6
14: 16-4-0 Dryden-4
15: 15-1-2 Bronxville-1
16: 15-3-0 Highland-9
17: 13-5-0 Wellsville-5
18: 14-3-0 O’Neill-9
19: 15-5-0 Westhill-3
20: 16-3-0 Greenville-2

Class C
1: 17-0-2 Stillwater-2
2: 18-1-0 Plattsburgh Seton-7
3: 16-1-0 St. Lawrence-10
4: 18-0-1 Bloomfield-5
5: 16-1-1 Naples-5
6: 16-3-0 Holland-6
7: 10-5-1 North Salem-1
8: 16-2-1 Thousand Islands-3
9: 14-4-1 Marathon-4
10: 13-3-1 Greene-4
11: 16-2-2 Sauquoit Valley-3
12: 16-2-2 Mohawk-3
13: 12-6-1 Hoosick Falls-2
14: 15-2-2 York-5
15: 15-3-1 Fort Plain-2
16: 12-2-2 Sidney-4
17: 12-5-0 Tuxedo-9
18: 10-3-1 Schecter-1
19: 10-7-1 Delhi-4
20: 11-8-1 Utica Notre Dame-3

Class D
1: 18-0-0 Florida-9
2: 19-0-0 Edmeston-4
3: 19-0-0 Davenport-4
4: 14-1-1 Chazy-7
5: 19-0-0 Remsen-3
6: 15-0-3 Harrisville-10
7: 10-0-1 Smithtown Christian-11
8: 17-0-1 McGraw-3
9: 16-3-1 Maple Grove-6
10: 13-5-1 Ellicottville-6
11: 14-3-0 Chateaugay-10
12: 16-2-0 Jasper-Troupsburg-5
13: 15-5-0 Old Forge-3
14: 14-2-2 Jefferson-4
15: 13-3-1 Wheatland-Chili-5
16: 13-4-1 Heuvelton-10
17: 12-4-2 Edwards-Knox-10
18: 14-3-0 Cherry Valley-Springfield-4
19: 14-2-2 Fillmore-5

BY CHRIS MASCARO

Highlights from all of the first-round Suffolk Class AA girls soccer games can be found in tomorrow's paper (and here online). But for all of you who just can't wait until then (or are too lazy to look it up), here are today's scores (I'll be back with some analysis on these games early next week):

*Note: All quarterfinal games will be played at 3 p.m. on Wednesday

-No. 9 Deer Park beats No. 8 Pat-Med, 5-4 in penalty kicks
Deer Park will play at No. 1 East Islip

-No. 13 Centereach upsets No. 4 North Babylon, 1-0
Centereach will play at No. 5 Northport

-No. 5 Northport over No. 12 Floyd, 4-0
Northport will play host to No. 13 Centereach

-No. 3 Ward Melville defeats No. 14 Sachem North, 2-0
Ward Melville will play host to No. 6 Commack

-No. 6 Commack takes out No. 11 Smithtown West, 2-0
Commack will play at No. 3 Ward Melville

-No. 7 West Islip edges No. 10 Sachem East, 3-2 in penalty kicks
West Islip will play at No. 2 Connetquot

-No. 2 Connetquot bests No. 15 Half Hollow Hills East, 3-2
Connetquot will play host to No. 7 West Islip

Also, No. 9 Mount Sinai beat No. 8 Rocky Point, 2-0, in a Class A outbracket game. Their gift? A trip to No. 1 Islip on Tuesday.

Have a good weekend everyone!

BY ADAM RONIS

South Side's Crystal Dunn and Massapequa's Victoria DiMartino were part of the 21-player roster recently named to the 2008 U.S. FIFA Under-17 women’s World Cup being held beginning Tuesday until Nov. 16 in New Zealand. It's the first world championship for women at the U-17 level. Dunn, a midfielder/forward at South Side, is playing defense for the national team. DiMartino is a forward. The U.S. has a 16-1-1 record this year, including 8-0-0 in international matches.

By Stephen Haynes

Roslyn soccer coach Juan Mejia stressed to his team all season that the most important thing was to “peak at the right time.” The record didn’t matter that much to him; it was all about flipping that imaginary switch (the one that activates the heat) down stretch and making a postseason run.

The “down the stretch” part didn’t happen – the Bulldogs placed last in ABC-I and finished with losses to Great Neck North and Jericho. They played in one of the toughest divisions and certainly took a lot of lumps. But, in the words of Robert Randolph (and a bunch of other people): It don’t matter.

Roslyn, because of ability-based grouping, made the playoffs at 2-7-3 and, because of their 4-2 win over Hewlett (7-2-3 in ABC-III) yesterday, will advance to the second round.

Roslyn had struggled to score throughout the regular season, managing just 10 goals, but they exploded for three in the second half against Hewlett. Talk about peaking at the right time.

The Bulldogs made the playoffs last year (6-6-2), but graduated two of their best players in goalie Max Sielgelman and defender Randy Goldstein. Replacing Sielgelman, now at Oneonta, is Casey Musiker, a converted forward who hadn’t manned a net in three years. It worked well enough. And, stepping up to fill Goldstein’s void was Fardad Sabsevari, who led the team with three goals.

“We finished last, but once the playoffs start everyone starts back at 0-0,” Mejia said. “So as a coach, what you want for them is to peak at the right time. It’s all about getting them to believe in that.

“A lot of our losses came at the end of games. It wasn’t as if we were killed (blogger's note: Their lopsided losses were to Jericho and Great Neck North). Some of those games we dominated and either didn’t get a break or we made one crucial mistake. The team continued to believe that if we can avoid that one big error, we can win.”

On Thursday against Hewlett, up 2-1 with 25 minutes left, Adam Goldman scored the buffer goal to provide the insurance that if an error was made, it wouldn't have been crucial. And then Craig Mittman tacked on another.

“We had lots of scoring chances during the season but we rarely ever did anything with them,” said the coach, who gets credit for blunt honesty. “It was good to see them cash in on those, and at a time we really had to have it.”

Roslyn now awaits the winner of the Valley Stream North/Garden City game to be played on Saturday. The second-round match will be played next Tuesday.

Oh, and here’s the really good part. You know how coaches – from little league on up to pro sports – when waiting to find out their opponent, always say that it doesn’t matter who they get? Mejia threw the changeup.

“We'd feel more comfortable facing Garden City because of familiarity,” he said.

The Bulldogs played Roslyn twice this season. One was a tie (1-1 on Sept. 19) and the other, on Oct. 14, was a 1-0 win in which Trevor Simms scored the game-winning goal with 20 seconds left.

“We're confident we can beat them,” continued Mejia, who said he’ll be in attendance for the Saturday game for some just-in-case scouting as he’s never watched Valley Stream North play.

Click here to check out LISoccer.org's Nassau playoff brackets.

BY CHRIS MASCARO

Before we get to the matchups, here's a list of the Suffolk league champions:

League I: Ward Melville
League II: Connetquot
League III: East Islip
League IV: North Babylon
League V: Islip and Sayville both finished 10-1-1 and split their two meetings this season.
League VI: Harborfields
League VII: Glenn
League VIII: Center Moriches

The Class AA Suffolk playoffs begin tomorrow at 2 p.m. Here are the matchups:

-No. 9 Deer Park at No. 8 Patchogue-Medford (the winner will play at No. 1 East Islip next Wednesday at 3 p.m.)
-No. 12 Floyd at No. 5 Northport
-No. 13 Centereach at No. 4 North Babylon
-No. 14 Sachem North at No. 3 Ward Melville
-No. 11 Smithtown West at No. 6 Commack
-No. 10 Sachem East at No. 7 West Islip
-No. 15 Half Hollow Hills East at No. 2 Connetquot

In my estimation, the only real intriguing first-round matchups are the 8/9 and 7/10 games, as upsets are possible in both.

But the quarterfinal round should provide plenty of intrigue, as a meeting between last year's champ (Sachem East) and the No. 1 team in our poll (Connetquot) is likely. As are games between Northport and North Babylon, and Ward Melville and Commack (four ultra-talented teams that could each make a run at the title).

In Class A, No. 9 Mount Sinai will visit No. 8 Rocky Point in an outbracket match tomorrow afternoon. The winner will travel to top-seeded Islip at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

Here are the rest of the Class A matchups (which will all be played at 3 p.m. on Tuesday):

-No. 5 Shoreham-Wading River at No. 4 Glenn
-No. 6 Bayport-Blue Point at No. 3 Harborfields
-No. 7 Hauppauge at No. 2 Sayville

The Class B semifinals (only four teams make the playoffs) are next Thursday at 3 p.m. Top-seeded Center Moriches plays host to No. 4 Southold/Greenport, while No. 3 Babylon visits No. 2 Mattituck. The winners will play in next Saturday's final at the Dowling Sports Complex at 2 p.m.

Following the Class B final will be the Class C final at 4:30 p.m. between No. 1 Stony Brook and No. 2 Pierson/Bridgehampton.

Smithtown Christian is the Suffolk Class D representative, and will play the Section IX champion at 6 p.m. on 11/4 at the Dowling Sports Complex.

Now, as promised, some love for the small schools:

Center Moriches completed an unbeaten league slate with a 3-0 win over Smithtown Christian yesterday afternoon. Danielle Sweeney notched two goals, while Kayla Brantmeyer chipped in two assists.

Those two girls, along with Jessica Bandrowski, give the Red Devils three potent scorers — a combination that is very hard to stop come playoff time.

Center Moriches has also been getting it done in the back row, as the defense has allowed just nine goals in 15 games.

And as far as the playoff competition, Mattituck (which went 6-4-2 in League VII) could provide a competitive final behind Amber and Demi Mello. But that's if the Tuckers can get past Babylon, who they went 0-1-1 against during the regular season (for comparison's sake, Center Moriches beat Babylon, 4-0, in the teams' only meeting).

And though we won't see them for another 11 days until their regional final, the girls from Smithtown Christian deserve recognition for not only hanging around in a league in which it is the smallest school (its 151 students rank as the third smallest enrollment in Suffolk ahead of Bridgehampton, 40, and Shelter Island, 67), but it nearly outpaced Center Moriches (a school more than double its size with 349 students) for the league title.

The upstate competition in Class D is strong, but Chelsea Bellini, Christina Casamassina and company are a good bet to advance to the state tournament.

*All population numbers are according to the NYSPHSAA website.

Okay, that's all for now. Playoff soccer abound! See ya'll on the pitch!

FridayClass AA First Round at higher seeds
(9) Calhoun at (8) Mepham, 2:30 p.m.
(12) Bellmore JFK at (5) Oceanside, 6 p.m.
(10) MacArthur at (7) Hicksville, 3 p.m.
(11) Valley Stream Central at (6) Baldwin, 3 p.m.

Monday
Class AA Quarterfinals at higher seeds
(9) Calhoun/(8) Mepham winner at (1) Massapequa
(12) Bellmore JFK/(5) Oceanside winner at (4) Syosset
(10) MacArthur/(7) Hicksville vs. (2) East Meadow
(11) Valley Stream Central/(6)Baldwin winner at (3) Farmingdale

Friday Oct. 31
Class AA Semifinals at Denton Avenue Park, New Hyde Park

Class A First Round at higher seeds
(16) Glen Cove at (1) South Side, 4:30 p.m.
(9) Seaford at (8) West Hempstead, 3 p.m.
(13) Manhasset at (4) New Hyde Park, 3 p.m.
(12) Clarke at (5) Plainedge, 3 p.m.
(15) Valley Stream North at (2) Island Trees, 2 p.m.
(10) Jericho at (7) Division, 6 p.m.---This game is Saturday
(14) Hewlett at (3) Garden City, 3 p.m.
(11) North Shore at (6) Bethpage, 3 p.m.

Tuesday
Class A Quarterfinals at higher seeds
(16) Glen Cove/(1) South Side winner vs. (9) Seaford/(8) West Hempstead winner
(13) Manhasset/(4) New Hyde Park winner vs. (12) Clarke/(5) Plainedge winner
(15) Valley Stream North at (2) Island Trees, 2 p.m. vs. (10) Jericho/(7) Division winner
(14) Hewlett/(3) Garden City winner vs. (11) North Shore/(6) Bethpage winner

Saturday Nov. 1
Class A Semifinals at Denton Avenue Park, New Hyde Park

Thursday Oct. 30
Class B Semifinals at Denton Avenue Park, New Hyde Park
(1) Cold Spring Harbor vs. (4) Carle Place, 7:30 p.m.
(2) Wheatley vs. (3) Locust Valley, 5 p.m.

Tuesday Nov. 4
Finals at Denton Avenue Park, New Hyde ParkClass AA,
Class A,
Class B,
(1) Cold Spring Harbor/(4) Carle Place winner vs. (2) Wheatley/(3) Locust Valley winner

Smithtown West's Stephen Bieneman and Half Hollow Hills West's Stefan Carter chase down a ball during a 3-3 tie. (Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara / October 21, 2008)

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Half Hollow Hills West and Smithtown West played a phenomenal game Tuesday, but it lacked a fitting finish.

The back and forth, 3-3, tie between League IV’s top teams was as good a regular season game as I have seen in my two-plus years at Newsday, but it was missing something.

I understand ties happen in soccer, but this one needed to be a win for either team. Years from now both squads will be able to look back at this game fondly, right now the tie probably doesn't sit so right.

Both had plenty of chances in overtime, but couldn't find the winner. There was no end-game celebration after a diving header goal or a blast that found the back of the next from 20 yards.
There was no jubilation, no finality.

Am I asking for too much?

“Ties always kind of feel like losses though,” Hills West forward Stefan Carter said. “But this tie helped us clinch a tie for the league title.”

So not all was lost.

Half Hollow Hills won at least a share of the League IV title. Smithtown West won a chance to at least tie for the league crown, but lost a chance to win it.

But with a win the Colts could have clinched it's third straight league title in epic fashion or Smithtown West could have kept is hopes for the outright crown alive.

Instead they will have to waiting until Thursday to finally find out its fates, in games probably less exciting then this one.

On a side note, watching the game does make you wonder how things would have turned out if Christian Quevedo, who is recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome, was at full strength.

“Christian played his heart out,” Smithtown West coach Tom Lips said. “He is not at 100 percent. He is fatigued. I’m just trying to get him ready for the playoffs.”

Quevedo, who played all but four minutes, looked more active and willing to get physical than from when I saw him at practice just a week ago. He seemed to get swept up in the emotion and importance of the game and was asking his body for just a bit more.

A healthy Quevedo would have given the Bulls an explosive and relentless player to counter Carter, who was not question the best player on the field and arguably on Long Island. Carter was consistently double teamed, but still found a way to score two goals, one on a sneaky header and the other a quick run behind he defense.

“I have to get lucky like that,” Carter said. “When I have two players on me it’s hard to do anything. I can’t turn one way. I can’t turn the other way. I just have to pass it. I have to look for those lucky breaks.”

BY ADAM RONIS

1. Massapequa
2. New Hyde Park
3. Sacred Heart
4. East Meadow
5. South Side
6. Garden City
7. Farmingdale
8. Island Trees
9. Oceanside
10. Plainedge

BY CHRIS MASCARO

Hello everybody! With the postseason just around the corner (the Suffolk Class AA tournament starts Saturday), teams are jockeying for playoff seeding and league championships.

They're also vying for that coveted spot in Gregg Sarra's Big 10. Though Massapequa's girls soccer team dropped two spots to No. 5, the female footballers got a Suffolk representative this week, as Connetquot joined the party at No. 10.

To hear further explanation of this week's choices, check out this video. If you disagree with any of Gregg's choices, feel free to share your opinions with us here.

Here is this week's Long Island girls soccer top-10, and finally, my Suffolk top-10:

Suffolk Top 10
1. Connetquot
2. Northport
3. St. Anthony's
4. East Islip
5. Islip
6. Commack
7. Patchogue-Medford
8. Ward Melville
9. Sayville
10. North Babylon

*On Wednesday, I'll be at Ward Melville for the League I finale between the Patriots and Sachem East. Ward Melville won the league title last year, but Sachem East was the Suffolk Class AA champion.

If Patchogue-Medford loses at Floyd, Ward Melville will be the League I champion, otherwise they will share the title with the Raiders. (Ward Melville is 1-1 against Pat-Med this season.)

**And I haven't forgotten about you League VIII fans. Thursday's matchup between Smithtown Christian (9-0-1) and Center Moriches (9-0-1) will likely be for the league title, so check back either later that evening or Friday morning here on the blog for coverage of that contest. These two teams played to a 1-1 tie on September 29, so expect another close outcome.

Okay, a busy week in girls soccer, so I'll see everyone out on the pitch!

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Sophomore Joe Dettori scored a school-record five goals for Bay Shore in a 7-0 win over Whitman on the Oct. 15. The game was Dettori’s first career start in his first year on varsity. He scored four goals in the first 16 minutes and then came in for five minutes in the second half and scored again. He had been coming off the bench as a backup forward, playing about 15 minutes a game and scoring nearly every game.

Last year he scored 10 goals for the junior varsity team, the most in the 15 years and his brother John Dettori, now graduated, led League II in scoring last year with 15 goals, according to coach Jon Nelson.

Barea becomes scoring leader at IT

Stephan Barea scored two goals and set two school scoring records in the process for Island Trees (5-3-7) in a 4-1 non-league win over Manhasset yesterday. Barea is now Island Trees' single season and all-time leading goal scorer.

1. Brentwood
Brentwood is a bit banged up, but did not miss a beat least week. It remained nationally ranked, is 18-0 and clinched the League I title for the sixth straight season with tight wins over Ward Melville and Sachem East last week. Danny Hernandez made five saves in each win to record his 11th and 12 shutout of the season.

2. St. Anthony’s
The Friars (14-0-1) showed off is athleticism and speed during an impressive 2-1 win over rival Chaminade last Tuesday night. The win against the Flyers and one over St. Mary’s put St. Anthony’s in position to win out and clinch the CHSAA regular season title.

3. Chaminade
The Flyers (13-1-3) suffered its first loss of the season to St. Anthony’s last week, but beat nationally-ranked Martin Luther King Jr., the defending PSAL champion Sunday. Bill Cikos had a goal and an assist in the 2-0 win of MLK.

4. Massapequa
Massapequa (9-2-2) locked up the Conference AA-I title with two wins last week. It’s most impressive was a 3-0 victory of Syosset in a rematch of last season’s county final. Jimmy Nealis, who has 10 goals this season, scored twice in the win.

5. Patchogue-Medford.
Patchogue-Medford (10-3) used a strong week from Mike Molinare, two goals and two assists, to grab wins over Commack and Floyd. Patchogue has won three straight since losing to Brentwood.

6. Great Neck South
Great Neck South (12-1-1) has won 10 straight and clinched the Conference AA-III title with a 6-3 win over Long Beach on Oct. 14 and held reigning Nassau Player of the Year Ahkeel Rodney to a goal in a 2-1 win over Elmont on Oct 16.

7. Centereach
Centereach (10-2-1) is unbeaten in its last nine games, but didn’t have the most impressive of weeks with just a 1-1 tie with Half Hollow Hills East.

8. Half Hollow Hills West
The Colts (10-2-3) rebounded from having its eight-game winning streak ended with a 5-0 victory over Deer Park and, 3-1, win against Bellport. The Colts can move a step closer to the League III title and a bump up in the rankings by beating Smithtown West Tuesday.

9. Comsewogue
Comsewogue (14-2) has won 14 straight games and remains unbeaten in League V with victories over Hauppauge and Rocky Point last week.

10. Port Washington
Port Washington (8-4-2) is back in the top 10 because it knocked of Hicksville 3-1 on three goals from Stephan Brossard and beat Oceanside 4-1 to move back into second place on Conference AA-II.

BY ADAM RONIS

Things looked bleak for Wheatley at halftime trailing 2-0 against Valley Stream South. Coach Paul Paino decided to move Molly Bruh from stopper to midfield and she made him look like a genius. The senior scored a career-high four goals to start the second half to give Wheatley (2-10) a 4-2 lead in the 38th minute. She wasn't done. Bruh also assisted on Jen Butwin's goal in the 60th minute to extend the lead to 5-2.

"I've never seen anything like it," Paino said.

BY CHRIS MASCARO

Is it possible we here at the soccer blog aren't giving the top-ranked Class A girls soccer team in the state its proper due?

Perhaps, but not many could have predicted the 4-0 hurting the Bucs put on previously unbeaten Sayville Wednesday afternoon.

Sayville won the first matchup between the League V rivals on Min Hodak's penalty kick in overtime back on Sept. 19. But like last year (when it started 0-5 but advanced to the Class A Long Island championship game), Islip is hitting its stride at the right time.

Coach Mike Reilly told me earlier tonight that his club is finally 100 percent healthy after being banged up earlier the season. And the results are reflecting that.

"We really showed our full potential," he said of the 4-0 win. "All our girls, 1 through 23, had their best day. It was our best performance of the year so far."

Leading the charge was one of the team's 10 seniors, Trisha Sileo. The co-captain had a goal in each half and now leads the team with 12 points.

Another bright spot in the team's resurgence has been the net-play of keeper Ali Griffin, who notched her fifth shutout of the year against Sayville. Of course, it helps to have all-state defender Gabby Martino snuffing out attacks.

Reilly's club is just three games away from a seventh straight league title. But while that honor and the No. 1 state ranking are nice, the coach won't be happy with anything less than a trip upstate next month (something that has eluded him each of the past three seasons after losses to South Side in the Long Island championship game).

"We'll take it, and we appreciate it," he said of the accolades. "It's like being at the Oscar's — it's nice to be nominated, but we want to win."

Some hardware may very well be coming the coach's way this season.

***Couple quick notes on Thursday afternoon action:

-Northport took out Commack on eighth-grader Courtney Fortunato's game-winning goal, paving the way for Connetquot to a League II title. But don't count the other two teams out during playoff time.

Yes, it's been a rough week for coach Tracie Morenberg's Commack squad, but the Cougars are a talented team that I believe will bounce back heading towards the postseason.

-And East Islip earned its second 2-0 win over West Islip this season to remain undefeated and all but wrap up the League III title for the Redmen. Cari Roccaro had a goal and an assist.

Also, I'll be at St. Anthony's tomorrow night, as the Friars take on Sacred Heart for Catholic League supremacy. The teams tied 2-2 in their first meeting, so this one should be fun.

I'll see ya'll out on the pitch!

Class AA

1: 11-0-2 Massapequa-8
2: 15-0-0 Union-Endicott-4
3: 13-0-0 East Islip-11
4: 16-0-0 Bethlehem-2
5: 14-0-0 John Jay EF-1
6: 15-1-0 Baldwinsville-3
7: 16-1-0 CBA-3
8: 11-1-0 Horace Greeley-1
9: 13-1-1 Greece Athena-5
10: 11-1-1 Commack-11
11: 12-1-0 Warwick-9
12: 11-1-1 Connetquot-11
13: 13-2-2 Aquinas-5
14: 13-1-3 Kenmore West-6
15: 10-4-2 Vestal-4
16: 12-3-1 Niskayuna-2
17: 11-4-1 Ballston Spa-2
18: 13-2-1 Brockport-5
19: 11-1-1 LI Sacred Heart-CHS
20: 7-2-2 Northport-11
20: 12-3-0 Williamsville North-6

Class A

1: 7-1-0 Islip-11
2: 13-0-0 Cornwall-9
3: 9-1-1 Sayville-11
4: 13-2-0 Victor-5
5: 15-1-0 Williamsville East-6
6: 12-1-1 Maine-Endwell-4
7: 10-5-1 Burnt Hills-2
8: 7-3-1 Lourdes-1
9: 13-1-0 New Hyde Park-8
10: 15-1-1 Palmyra-Macedon-5
11: 10-1-2 Somers-1
12: 10-3-0 Owego-4
13: 4-3-3 Rockville Ctr. SS-8
14: 12-2-2 Grand Island-6
15: 11-1-3 Scotia-Glenville-2
16: 13-2-0 Massena-10
17: 10-3-1 Schalmont-2
18: 8-1-2 Byram Hills-1
19: 8-1-3 Wallkill-9
20: 13-3-0 Honeoye Falls-Lima-5
20: 12-4-0 Cortland-3

Class B
1: 16-0-0 Lansing-4
2: 15-0-0 Nanuet-1
3: 14-1-1 Nichols-AIS
4: 13-1-0 Chenango Forks-4
5: 15-2-0 Marcellus-3
6: 6-4-2 Cold Spring Harbor-8
7: 16-1-0 Potsdam-10
8: 12-2-1 East Aurora-6
9: 10-2-0 Mechanicville-2
10: 11-1-0 Briarcliff-1
11: 13-3-0 Dryden-4
12: 10-2-2 Tamarac-2
13: 8-0-1 Center Moriches-11
14: 12-0-0 Rye Neck-1
15: 13-0-1 Bronxville-1
16: 12-1-3 Clinton-3
17: 12-1-0 Falconer-6
18: 14-2-0 Lowville-3
19: 12-2-0 Highland-9
20: 11-5-0 Mynderse-5
20: 12-1-0 O’Neill-9

Class C
1: 12-0-2 Stillwater-2
2: 15-1-0 Plattsburgh Seton-7
3: 12-2-0 Frewsburg-6
4: 15-1-0 St. Lawrence-10
5: 16-0-1 Bloomfield-5
6: 12-3-1 Marathon-4
7: 14-1-0 Naples-5
8: 13-3-1 Greene-4
9: 12-2-1 Middleburgh-2
10: 13-2-1 Galway-2
11: 12-1-1 Mohawk-3
12: 13-1-2 York-5
14: 13-3-0 Holland-6
15: 8-5-1 North Salem-1
16: 12-2-1 Fort Plain-2
17: 14-2-0 Thousand Islands-3
18: 12-2-1 Sidney-4
19: 10-4-0 Tri-Valley-9
20: 10-4-0 Tuxedo-9

CLASS D
1: 15-0-0 Florida-9
2: 17-0-0 Edmeston-4
3: 16-0-0 McGraw-3
4: 16-0-0 Davenport-4
5: 13-1-1 Chazy-7
6: 16-0-0 Remsen-3
7: 14-0-3 Harrisville-10
8: 14-2-0 Maple Grove-6
9: 11-4-1 Ellicottville-6
10: 13-3-0 Chateaugay-10
11: 15-2-0 Jasper-Troupsburg-5
12: 13-1-2 Jefferson-4
13: 11-2-3 Hamilton-3
14: 8-0-1 Smithtown Christian-11
15: 12-3-1 Arkport-5
16: 12-4-1 Heuvelton-10
17: 11-4-2 Edwards-Knox-10
18: 14-3-0 Madison-3
19: 13-2-0 Cherry Valley-Springfield-4
20: 12-3-1 Wheatland-Chili-5

BY CHRIS MASCARO

As I said yesterday, the winner of the Commack-Connetquot matchup would be the new No. 1 team in our Suffolk girls soccer rankings.

The T-Birds achieved that yesterday by out-hustling Commack to a 2-0 win.

Commack (8-1-1) has played more league games than Connetquot (7-1-1), so the Cougars still hold a slight advantage in the standings. But Commack concludes its regular season with games against Northport (6-1-2) and Sachem North (5-5), while the T-Birds round out the slate against the bottom three teams in the league — Bay Shore, Whitman and Central Islip, which are a combined 5-23 in League II play. So look for Connetquot to win the league crown and possibly be the top seed in the Class AA playoffs.

What surprised me yesterday about Commack was its listless play. The Cougars had a few opportunities early in the game, but once Connetquot scored, they really got stuck in the mud.

Commack did win the first go-around between these two teams, and yesterday was its first loss of the year. Every team has a bad game now and again, and maybe this one will serve as a wake-up call for coach Tracie Morenberg's girls.

Kelsey Dlugos was really held in check by the Connetquot defense, and Chelsea Intrabartola allowed two goals in a game for just the second time this season.

This team will be back though, and a possible rubber match in the playoffs is sure to be both entertaining and very physical.

**Just a quick note about East Hampton goalie Nicole Fierro before I go. The Bonackers have struggled this season — their 3-5-1 League VI record places them fifth in the seven-team league. But the all-county keeper has been quite a bright spot.

On Saturday, the senior (who is also a talented third baseman for the softball team) made 35 saves against Miller Place, including stops on four breakaway attempts, to preserve a 1-1 tie. Fierro has had her share of tough games (six goals allowed against Shoreham-Wading River and a seven-goal outburst by Miller Place the first time they played), but that is mostly due to a young defense and a struggling offense.

Solid effort by her to stifle the Panthers.

Okay, that's it for now. See ya'll out on the pitch!

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

I want to applaud the referee in St. Anthony's 2-1 win over Chaminade last night.

He did one of the best jobs I have seen in awhile in keeping the players in line and taking control of a physical game early. The beginning of the first half featured plenty of aggressive tackling, hard hits to try to gain possession of loose balls and of course plenty of pushing.

The referee had none of it. With most of the hard hits he'd pull the player to aside and explain to them why he called the foul. He never even reached for a yellow card after reprimanding the player for his actions. He was like a police office pulling you over for speeding, but not giving you a ticket, just a stern warning that sunk in.

I know if I was played he would have made my scared to be too aggressive, especially a second time.

He kept preaching fairness to the players during the game and was on top of the spotting of every free kick and every throw in, making sure neither team gained even the slightest advantage.

A St. Anthony's player kick a ball further out of bounds with Chaminade trailing 2-1 and time running down. The referee stopped him for a second and told him they had talked about fairness and not to delay the game.

Officiating like it ought to be.

(Extra Credit -- Where does the phrasing and theme of the headline for this blog stem from? You may have to be a bit older to get it.)

1. Brentwood
The Indians, ranked second in the nation in the ESPN Rise.com Fab 50 Poll, are 13-0 and increased its League I unbeaten streak to 73 games with wins over Lindenhurst and Patchogue Medford last week. Joseph Lopez scored four times against Lindenhurst for team that has outscored opponents 52-3.

2. Chaminade
The Flyers, still unbeaten, regained their scoring touch last week with six goals in a win over Holy Trinity and two in a victory over Syosset. Chaminade (12-0-3) has not given up a goal since Sept. 11.

3. St. Anthony’s
The Friars (12-0-1) beat Kellenberg 7-1 last Saturday. Tyler Botte had a goal and an assist to lead seven different goal scorers.

4. Massapequa
Massapequa (7-2-2) is unbeaten in its last nine games and in Conference AA-I. Even so, the Chiefs have not proven they are a dominate team. Hicksville came back and tied them 3-3 and they beat Valley Stream Central 2-0 last week.

5. Hicksville
The Comets (6-3-2) earned a 3-3 tie with Massapequa last week on a Joe Chae second-half goal, beat Valley Stream Central 4-0 on two goals and an assist by Tyler Arnone and got a 3-0 victory over St. Francis Prep.

6. Patchogue-Medford.
Patchogue-Medford (7-3) lost 3-0 to Brentwood last week in a game that was just 1-0 at the half.

7. Great Neck South
Great Neck South (9-1-1) has won seven straight and avenged its only loss with a 1-0 win over Hempstead last week. It has not allowed a goal in its last five games.

8. Centereach
It is unbeaten in its last seven games and earned an impressive 2-1 overtime win over North Babylon and a 1-0 victory over Newfield last week.

9. Half Hollow Hills West
The Colts (8-2-3) were unbeaten in eight straight games until it lost 3-1 to Eastport-South Manor Saturday. They did beat Bay Shore 1-0 on a Nolan Gelman header off a pass from Stefan Carter on Sept. 6.

10. Comsewogue
Comsewogue (10-2) has won 10 straight since losing to Newfield and Sachem East, both AA schools to start the season. It has outscored opponents 40-6 since the two losess and is unbeaten in League V.