Girls Soccer Suffolk Class AA Finals Preview: No. 5 West Islip vs No. 6 Smithtown East

Flashback to Sept. 22, 2010 – the first time the West Islip girls varsity soccer team took on Smithtown East.

The Lions, down a player in the game, fell 1-0 to East for their first, and what would turn out to be their only loss of the season.  However, The Lions were able to get revenge in a 3-0 win in the rematch on Oct. 12, and now it comes down to another contest between the top two teams in League III.

On Wednesday, Nov. 10, No. 5 West Islip will take on No. 6 Smithtown East in the Suffolk County AA Finals at the Dowling College Brookhaven Campus at 6:30 p.m. East defeated No. 2 Connetquot Saturday and the to set up the third matchup between the teams this season. Head coach Nick Grieco believes his team's early loss in September helped the Lions focus and prepare for what has turned out to be a long, tough season.

"We actually played them a man down that game," he said. "They kind of caught us off guard as it was the first real big tough match of the season and it kind of prepared us for the long haul the rest of the season."

A key matchup to look for on Wednesday will be East's offense against the West Islip's defense. East has scored six goals in three playoff games while the Lions have recorded in their playoff matchups. has recorded 16 saves in the playoffs behind the back three of Samantha Schindler, Marissa Segreto and Jenn Martinez.

"We got our three in the back and if someone gets beat, someone else is there coming back around…we're just a big family," said after Saturday's 4-0 win over North Babylon. Perniciaro had two goals in the win.

For the Lions and coach Grieco, winning is nothing new. Under the direction of Grieco and assistant coach Jim Albert, the Lions have been to the county finals three years in a row and are the defending Long Island Champions. Grieco points to the "team first" concept he and Albert preach to his girls each year as a big reason for their success.

"Three years ago, we had 17 seniors and last year we graduated 12 seniors so I don't think the public knows it's not the same kids coming through," Grieco said. "It's a whole new group of kids each year so we just try to drill that team concept and it's been really successful for us and we're hoping it works for us again on Wednesday."

The Lions quest to repeat continues Wednesday night, and the team will need their eyes on the prize in order to make sure their stellar run doesn't come to an abrupt end.

"What we need to do is buckle down and give it everything we got with 100 percent effort," Grieco said. "Just keeping the kids focused making sure we're ready to play West Islip soccer which is playing good defense, staying focused, and playing with confidence, urgency and intensity."

Playing West Islip soccer has gotten them this far. On Wednesday, we'll find out if it can bring them another Suffolk County AA Title and get them one step closer to repeating as Long Island Champions.