Southold senior Connor Wilinski plays the ball against Pierson / Bridgehampton on Saturday. (Photo credit: Bill Landon)
To defeat a team as skillful as Pierson / Bridgehampton in the boys’ class C football championship game in Suffolk County, Southold realized they needed to play as close to a perfect game as possible against their eternal rivals.
The two-time defending champion, whose athleticism was one of his strengths, certainly had his moments but dropped a 2-0 decision against the Whalers on a rainy Saturday afternoon at the Diamond in the Pines in Coram.
In fact, Southold head coach Andrew Sadowski paid homage where appropriate by applauding his arch-rivals on the field with his hands and then complimenting them with his words.
“We were behind the eights from the first half,” he said. “We had problems adjusting to their pace outside in the middle.”
The game was played in intermittent rain, especially in the first half.
“The weather certainly had a big impact on their goals,” said Sadowski. “We just didn’t get the slippery jump I was hoping would bring us back.
“In the second half, I’m happy with the effort I made forward. You are a good team. You have a lot of skill. “
Southold’s co-captain and senior defender Thomas Cardi, who was hoping to complete his high school career with three consecutive county titles, saw Pierson’s excellence in the first half.
Southold senior Thomas Cardi vies for position. (Photo credit: Bill Landon)
“You own the ball well,” he said. “They are fast. You played it over the top. You were the first on the ball most of the time. You win balls in the air. They had a good first contact. “
The First Settlers paid dearly for this early and late in the first half.
With 33 minutes and 31 seconds remaining at halftime, Jose Ulloa sent a right-hand feed from Helio Paucer past goalkeeper Gavin Fredricks to take a 1-0 lead.
“We slept from the start but we have to choose our game,” said Cardi.
With only 2:28 remaining, the Whalers doubled their lead when Brandon Winenga raced down the left. Fredricks came out to shorten the angle, but Wingenga slipped the ball into the open net.
Sadowski called this goal “a real killer”.
“Going into halftime one behind is a different mindset than two defeats,” he added. “We had options; we didn’t use it.
Cardi added: “Two mistakes, they’ll cost you the game. That’s football. “
The First Settlers had the best chance of scoring at 10:56 before the end of the game. James (Jack) Sepenoski shot right at goalkeeper Gavin Gilbride.
“Oh my god,” said Sadowski. “It’s just technology. He hit with the wrong part of the split. at [10] If there are minutes left, we’ll come back and give them another run. “
Sepenoski wished he had that shot back.
“I was in there and just pushed it far,” he said. “I should have taken another touch and plugged it into the net.”
During the regular season, Pierson scored a 6-1 win over Southold on September 25, before the First Settlers drew 1-1 on October 18.
Southold senior Conor Kilcommons in action against Pierson / Bridgehampton. (Photo credit: Bill Landon)
“We did some things better and it was more exhausting,” said Pierson head coach Peter Solow. “Last time we came out really flat against some of them and we didn’t play very well.”
Southold finished the season 6-10-1 in League VII. The First Settlers had to deal with four larger B-teams in the league, which made it difficult for them and Pierson (9-7-1).
“We had a season with ups and downs,” said Sadowski. “Sometimes the effort was 110 percent. Sometimes they were half a step behind trying to figure out what they were doing. High school sport, that’s why we do it. “
Sadowski said the First Settlers were plagued with injuries. For example, Cardi, a senior co-captain, overcame multiple injuries during his career to make great strides this season and Saturday. In fact, he was on the side for 10 days during the COVID-19 season.
“It was really strange,” Cardi said. “A few other children were out with COVID for 10 days. You have to run a lot in this sport. You can’t just be out of shape. “
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