Mattituck defeated Center Moriches in the “B” bracket game Wednesday 4-3 in penalty kicks.
These two teams met during the season, and both games were decided in double overtimes. Not so yesterday, as Mattituck took Center Moriches into four overtimes, and then penalty kicks to decide a wild game.
First half had both teams playing cautious, but looking for a opening to get a shot on net. Center Moriches started the scoring on a broken play by Mattituck, in which the defender and the keeper were expecting each other to field the ball, and before you knew it, Center Moriches forward Lola Kochanskyj grabbed the loose ball and tucked it into the wide open Mattituck goal. The clock ran out for the first half, and Center Moriches had the lead 1-0.
Second half was more of the same, with Mattituck having many scoring chances, only to have the crossbar and posts save the day, and keep the score in the Lady Red Devils favor. With about 23 minutes left in the game, Claire Gatz took a sweet pass up the middle, between two defenders, and buried a 30 yard strike to even the score.
That’s how the score would stand until four overtime periods later, going into the penalty kicks to decide the game. With the penalty kicks tied at three apiece, and one shot remaining for Mattituck, Halle Foster stepped up for her turn to shoot, she quickly studied the keeper, and let loose with a 20-yard blast that hit the back of the net, giving Mattituck the victory and propelling them to the next round against Babylon Friday at Islip High School. Game time: 7:30 p.m.
SoutholdLOCAL photos by George Faella
