County title for North Shore

Excitement and drama in sports may be measured in the inability to take one’s eyes off the game for even a second. This year’s Nassau Class A girls’ soccer title game between rivals North Shore and Manhasset last Friday at Cold Spring Harbor High School portrayed every aspect of an exciting and dramatic matchup.

Top-seeded North Shore avenged a pair of regular-season losses to No. 3 Manhasset to capture its first-ever county championship, winning an extremely physical and intense game, 4-2.

Junior Cailey Welch scored twice and seniors Izzy Glennon and Isabella DiBenedetto added once goal apiece to lead the offense for the Lady Vikings, who saw their 2016 campaign end with a tight loss to eventual champion Garden City.

“I knew we had a special team last year when we played Garden City tough and hung with them,” North Shore coach Lauren Gotta said.

The game kicked off with a common theme for North Shore, possession control and crisp passing. It kept the ball in the attack zone in the opening minutes before capitalizing 10 minutes into the first half thanks to a Glennon strike from the corner of the box.

Manhasset answered almost immediately, as Madison Rielly netted a goal less than two minutes later to bring the score level once more.

North Shore continued to push the issue, working the ball constantly back towards the net before a well placed cross by DiBenedetto found the head of Welch, ricocheting the ball into the back of the net for another lead.

Welch’s imprint on the game continued as she struck again to open up the scoring in the second half, pushing the lead to 3-1 with 23 minutes left.

Throughout the entirety of the game, players from both North Shore and Manhasset both played with a chip on their shoulders. Pushing, hustling, colliding and diving were on display, and Gotta was all for the extra hustle.

“The goal was we run through the ball,” she said. “We wanted the ball, that was it. If you were in the way, we were taking you with us. We wanted this.”

Working with a deficit, Manhasset began to settle in defensively, opening up lanes for counter attacks. Manhasset started to build some momentum with well-timed runs and good vision.

With 13 minutes left, Manhasset’s Kendall Sims took a highlight-worthy curling rip from outside the box that slid past North Shore freshman goalie Guiliana Graziosi’s grasp, sending her bench into a frenzy now down by a goal.

As if retribution for earlier, DiBenedetto lined up for a free kick with just over 11 minutes to go, when she delivered her own highlight with a screaming ball sent to the corner of the net for a game-clinching 4-2 lead. Graziosi and a defense led by seniors Patricia Cammarano and Eileen Quinn, and junior Taylor Berry did the rest.

“Our girls have a lot of heart; they push each other and let one another know when they make a mistake,” Gotta said. “But they also will be there to pick up their teammate when they do make that mistake.”

North Shore’s mentality did not change going forward. “For the Long Island championship, we had the same focus as we’ve had all year. Win the ball, play simple, win possession, play hard,” Gotta said.

The Lady Vikings defeated Shoreham-Wading River, 1-0, in overtime last Sunday to take the L.I. Class A title. They’ll head to the state semifinals this Saturday at Cortland High School.