Sports
Hills West Soccer Devastated by First Loss of the Season
Hills West boys soccer knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by East Islip.
The end to this Friday's boys' soccer playoff game between and East Islip was a truly heart-wrenching scene. As the East Islip boys ecstatically ran off the field to celebrate, the Hills West team collapsed on the field, many of the boys lying down, covering their faces and a few of them openly crying.
The 2010 season for the left the boys with a conference record of 12-0 and an outstanding overall record of 16-0. It seemed as though there was no team that could match the superior efforts of these boys.
The Colts were seeded first in the Suffolk Class AA quarterfinals. Unfortunately, yesterday was not their game. Despite offensively dominating the first half, the Colts were unable to convert any of their attempts into a goal. The second half saw a surge in East Islip's performance and a breakaway by East Islip's Keith McKenna resulted in the only goal of the game.
Hills West fans came out in droves to support their team and the entire crowd was on their feet for the last ten minutes of the match. The mounting pressure to score seemed to finally get to the boys, however, allowing East Islip to clinch the victory.
Score: East Islip – 1, Half Hollow Hills West – 0
Records: Half Hollow Hills West finished the season with a 16-1 record.
The Hero: Hills West goalie Mike Primiano, who made an impressive 10 saves during the game.
The Turning Point: The first half was undoubtedly dominated by Hills West offense. Junior Donovan Fraser had a few excellent breakaways in the opening 20 minutes, but Hills West was unable capitalize on their scoring opportunities. The turning point came 23 minutes into the second half, when East Islip's McKenna scored off a pass from Dylan Kruger. Hills West was noticeably shaken by the goal and was unable to recover for the remainder of the game.
The Quote: "Their defense is eating you alive right now!" an exasperated coach Doug Gannon yelled at his players minutes before East Islip scored.
Who's Next: Unfortunately, this game marked the end of Hills West's remarkable season. After eliminating both Hills East and West from the playoffs, East Islip will play Brentwood in the semifinals.