Calhoun wins county championship

Colts beat Massapequa on Hilke's OT goal

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Ryan Hilke has a flair for the dramatic.

For the second time in a week, the Calhoun sophomore scored an overtime goal in the Nassau Class AA boys’ soccer playoffs. His first one moved the Colts past Oceanside in the quarterfinals. His second secured their first county championship since 2001.

After 80 minutes of scoreless regulation, Hilke’s goal 51 seconds into OT off a scramble in the crease gave third-seeded Calhoun a 1-0 victory over No. 1 Massapequa on an unseasonably warm night at Hofstra on Nov. 2.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” Calhoun coach Jim Cantley said. “It’s surreal. It’s the second game in a row we used 17 players and the third great opponent we beat. The kids truly deserve it for all the hard work they put in.”

The winner came off a restart from just inside the midfield stripe. Senior Neal Gil sent a long free kick into the box, and after the Chiefs couldn’t clear the ball out of danger with Calhoun seniors Eric Stewart and Joe Thomann creating traffic, it deflected off Massapequa keeper Steven Mahan and right to Hilke, who for a second consecutive Wednesday tapped in a postseason game-winner.

“It was very similar to last week’s goal against Oceanside,” said Hilke, an outside midfielder who had one regular-season goal and two assists. “I followed the ball all the way and it was a crazy scramble in the box,” he added. “When it came to me, I just knocked it in.”

Senior goalkeeper David Futterman made nine saves for the Colts, who defeated defending champion Hicksville in the semifinals, 2-1, on goals by Stewart and Thomann. “Right before overtime started, I told Ryan to do the exact same thing he did against Oceanside,” Futterman said. “It was amazing.”

Calhoun (12-2) knocked on the door numerous times in the second half after Massapequa (12-5-1) controlled much of the first 40 minutes. The Colts were inches away from finding the back of the net three times between the 54th and 66th minutes.

“We were buzzing,” Cantley said. “We made some adjustments at halftime. We made it our focus to keep the ball on the outside and play it to feet. Massapequa is very big and physical, and we weren’t winning many of the balls in the air.

“The best chances we had were off restarts with our best players in the box,” he added. “We’re always looking to get a flick on the ball in close, and Ryan seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time.”

Mahan (five saves) denied Calhoun’s best scoring opportunity in regulation with about 14 minutes remaining when he dove to stop sophomore Alex Sipos’ blast that appeared ticketed for the left corner.

Defensively, the Colts, led by junior James King and seniors Cole Haile, Will Clarke and James Weinblatt, tightened the clamps in the second half. “It’s an impossible feeling to describe,” Futterman said. “The defense has played great in front of me all year long. This was a total team effort.”