Boys Soccer: Sleepy Ready for Stretch Run

Sleepy Hollow has had an up and down season as its 6-6-1 record can attest to. However, it may be playing its best soccer at the right time of the year as it enters the final week of the regular season looking to secure a playoff berth.

The Headless Horsemen won their second game in a row as they beat visiting Croton-Harmon 3-1 on the strength of a hat trick by Matthew Praino.

"We won our last two games, we are going in the right direction," Sleepy Hollow coach Brian Duschenchuk said. "The team is starting to jell. We are playing some teams where I think we could pull off winning two of our last three games and make the playoffs."

Those final three games Duschenchuk is referring to are 4:45 p.m. Oct. 18 at Westlake, 4:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at home against Briarcliff and 4:45 p.m. Oct. 22 at Croton-Harmon.

"You are looking for about .500 or better," Duschenchuk said. "It depends on where the conference lines up with the team's records and how they do against each other as to whether if you are one or two games below .500 if you made it. But traditionally you have to have a record of .500 or better to make the playoffs."

Sleepy Hollow put itself in a position to make the playoffs by beating Croton-Harmon on Oct. 16. After allowing a first-half Tiger score, Sleepy Hollow tied it before halftime on Praino's first goal of the game, assisted by Christian Zhinin.

"That was really big because that gave us momentum going into halftime," Duschenchuk said. "It was something for us to carry through into the second half. Obviously, some teams can get down after a goal gets scored on them. Matt scored that goal and we started to play a good possession game against them. We went in thinking we could do what we did the second half."

Praino sealed the game in the second half with two more goals. The first came on an assist from Juan (Petey) Pablo Loja, the second an assist on a corner kick from Mark Sanchez, who has a rocket for a leg.

"Matt had a good day finishing," Duschenchuk said. "Matt has had a great year all-around, in fact he's our leading goal scorer. He's had a really good year."

Being able to finish is a big reason why Sleepy Hollow hasn't won more games. Duschenchuk says his squad has hit the post 27 times this fall and in some games hit it four or five times.

"Their goalie actually made a save on one of Matt's goals but he hit it so hard, it was just a great shot, he couldn't hold on to it," Duschenchuk said. "I was on the sideline with (assistant) coach Mike Praino, saying we just need a break, we just need a break so I think we finally got those breaks and we won the game."