Cougars End Season At County Finals

Ending with slightly fewer shots on goal, the Commack boys varsity soccer Cougars, 16-2-1, couldn’t get past the Brentwood Indians’, 17-1-2, goalie, as they lost Thursday night at Dowling College. 

Heroes: Harrison Sussman and Jack Miller were giving the Cougars their offensive opportunities, for the most part.  Both put well-placed balls off of free kicks and corners, which against any other defense would have created points. As head coach Pat Friel mentioned, Alex Joseph and Adam Tamburello had been heroes all year on defense. Tamburello reinjured his knee during warm ups and wasn’t able to compete in this game. 

Turning Point: The first 15 minutes of play was a balanced trade of possession and attempts in scoring position for both teams. One point of separation seemed to be Brentwood following through their shots and picking up second tries.  In the 16 th minute, an Indian shot flew up, crashing against the top corner before being kicked again. This time, Commack goalkeeper Jake Amereno was there to get his body on the ball, but not entirely. The deflected ball bounced into the net with Cougar defense chasing behind it. With the score at 1-0, in Indian favor, the Cougars still had some good looks at goal, and there certainly weren’t any signs of defeat. But, the Indians crowding the goal on attacks were able to tack on another score before half, and that’d be the end of scoring for either team. The second half was a bit sloppy for both sides. Penalties were called and possession was lost over frustrated attempts to pick up momentum. 

Quote: “We just came out kind of flat, maybe a little nervous.  It was a shame to see Tamburello out, being his last season with us, but I’m really proud of everyone.  They all adjusted to some issues and have had a great season,” said Friel.  Speaking about a red card that left the Indians a man down through the end of the game Friel said, “they adjusted well.  Something like that doesn’t make much of a difference to a team as good as they are.” 

Bottom Line: Brentwood has won the Suffolk Class AA title 3 years in a row now.  In 2008, they won the state championship, and finished second in states last year.  Commack had faced them twice this year, with different results.  The regular season’s opening game was a 1-0 win for Commack over Brentwood, and from there as Friel said, it’s been a sort of revenge.  The second time these teams met, Brentwood won 3-0, and that same fire must have carried over today.  

Key Statistic: Amereno- 5 saves