Confidence builds for Oceanside

With only one loss in its last five games heading into the regular-season finale, Oceanside has gained some confidence just in time for the Nassau Class AA girls’ soccer playoffs.

The Lady Sailors (2-6-3 in Conference AA-I) will be seeded No. 5, 6, or 7 and host a first-round playoff game this Saturday at a yet-to-be-determined time against either Mepham, Plainview-JFK, or Valley Stream Central. Last Friday, they scored a season-high three goals but had to settle for a tie at home against Hicksville after leading by one at halftime.

“For whatever reason, we spark a little bit in the second half almost every year,” Oceanside coach Marianna Winchester said. “Except for Port Washington, we had better results against teams the second time around. Hopefully we can play a strong game on Saturday and keep the season going.”

Winchester said she was happy to see junior Julia Duffy continue to play at a high level and have a hand in all three goals against Hicksville. She scored twice, once unassisted and once off a feed from junior Gabbie Mihale, and assisted on senior Jackie Walsh’s tally. Duffy leads the team in goals with five. “Julia’s been a little frustrated, but the shots are starting to find the far post and not the other keeper,” Winchester said. “She works really hard.”

After closing the first half of the conference slate with a 2-1 win thanks to a pair of Duffy goals, the Lady Sailors opened the second half with a loss to Massapequa despite getting goals from Mihale and senior Angelica Cafiero. Then they managed points in three straight games against teams it came up short against the first time around.