For the past five years, the situation has been the same: Center Moriches vs. Mattituck at Diamond in the Pines — winner takes the Class B County Championship.
And for the past five years, including this Saturday, Mattituck has been victorious.
According to head coach Mat Litchhult, the 2-0 victory puts Mattituck in a class of their own. No team in Suffolk County has ever won five consecutive county crowns.
Senior striker Kaan Ilgin scored both goals in the second half after struggling to find his footing to start the game. The first half was a bit of a feeling out process because Diamond in the Pines is a turf field and playing in the freezing rain made it especially difficult.
“Overall, it was a tough day to play because it was just bitterly cold,” Litchhult said. “We were playing with a strong wind in our face in the first half which we weren’t that upset about because we want to have the ball on the ground and controlled and the wind dictated that.”
So after a scoreless first half, Litchhult asked Ilgin, who led the team in goals scored this season, to be a little selfish.
“At halftime we talked about the advantage of having the wind at our back,” Litchhult said. “I told Kaan that if we have a chance, if you have a shot from like thirty yards out with the wind at our back, you know, go ahead and take it.”
“I didn’t play well in the first half,” Ilgin said. “I didn’t have confidence going into halftime. But then after coach was like ‘why don’t you take some shots’, I was like you know what, I’m going to take a shot.”
With 21 minutes left in the second half, that chance emerged.
“I beat two players and the second I hit it, I knew it was going in,” Ilgin said.
“He took a shot from big strong side, his left side, from like thirty yards out, just like I said and he struck a great goal,” Litchhult said.
Taking a shot from that far out isn’t a high percentage shot so many coaches prefer a player get a bit closer but a player of Ilgin’s capabilities is more than able to put it on goal.
“He’s done it in the past,” Litchhult said. “It was funny the way the play broke, it was kind of exactly how we talked about it at halftime. He saw the goal and unleashed a strike, halfway through the shot I knew it had a chance. With the wet surface, it took a skip and went off the post and in. He has that kind of range. As long as it’s down and on goal, he always has that potential to score.”
Ilgin scored the second goal to put the game away with 30 seconds left in the game. Center Moriches pushed its team up in an effort to tie the game and on a counter-attack, Ilgin was one-on-one with the goalie and put it away to seal the victory.
Though Ilgin scored the goals, Litchhult calls his defensive unit which consists of Walter Jacob, Ozzy Albez, Kevin Williams, Erik Schwartz, Paul Hayes along with goaltender Ben Knowles, the unsung heroes.
“They were just phenomenal,” Litchhult said. “They just completely shut down Center Moriches and limited them to five shots on the day.”
Last year’s team lost in the Long Island final. This year Litchhult feels things will play out differently. He sees them not only winning the Long Island championship but also making a run in the state championship.
“This team has the potential, they just need to come together,” Litchhult said. “This is one of the most talented teams to come through Mattituck without a doubt.”
Ilgin’s ready for the challenge.
“I’ve never lost a county championship in my four-year varsity career and I never won a state championship so that’s our goal this year,” Ilgin said.
The Tuckers (15-2) will play the winner of Oyster Bay and Wheatley in the Long Island Class B championship at Adelphi University in Garden City at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
