Sports
Commack Wins at Home Against Sachem East, 3-2
The Lady Cougars defeated Sachem East on a rainy Monday afternoon at home with aggressive play.
The Commack varsity soccer lady Cougars, 4-1-2 (4-0-1) gave the Sachem East, 7-2-0 (4-1-0) varsity soccer team their first conference loss on Monday.
Heroes: Brittany Costa scored the first goal for the Cougars midway through the first half. Costa was able to keep pressure on the low end of the field beating out her defenders, which gave her a couple opportunities at the goal throughout the game. Three minutes after Costa's goal, Kristin Brandman, put away a free kick past Sachem East's goalkeeper. The first half finished at 3-0, after Sarina Manetta's assist to Colleen Ekert's goal.
Turning Point: At the twenty-minute mark, Sachem East was able to take advantage of an eager goalkeeper and dribble a slow roller into the goal. Within the next minute, Sachem East's intensity put the ball back in their position. A shot deflected off the goalkeeper's hands flew into the net, making the score 3-2. For the next fifteen minutes, the ball stayed in Sachem control only passing the midfield line for misdirected kicks. Sachem had plenty of chances around the net, but they were unable to score that third goal.
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Quote: "Sachem's a tough team. We knew they were going to be physical. In the second half they just came right at us. But, the girls stayed in there and we were able to hold them off," head coach Tracie Morenberg said after the game.
Bottom Line: It was a rough game. Both teams played aggressively and it didn't look like anyone walked off that field without some soreness and bruising. Generally, there was not much direct passing. Each side knocked the ball out of their half as quickly as they could, which led to a lot of possession changes.
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Key Statistic: Sachem East only recorded 2 saves, while Commack's Jackie Birnbaum had 10. Sachem's second half play kept Birnbaum moving more than she would have liked, but the defense performed well enough to force difficult shots.
Who's next? Commack will play at Patchogue-Medford, 4-3-0 (2-2-0) on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
