Promising start for V.S. South

Constant pressure finally paid off for Valley Stream South early in the second half of last Monday’s Nassau Conference VI-A boys’ soccer game at Lynbrook.

Senior Shaquille Richards won it for the Falcons, 1-0, when he took a pass from senior Jon Hernandez and beat Lynbrook senior goalkeeper Evan Foley with a left-footed shot from 15 yards out with 28:02 remaining. It was their second straight conference victory out of the gate. 

“We did a lot of good things and fortunately we were able to finish once,” VSS coach Richard Boyd said. “We’re still sorting out the pieces of the puzzle, but so far, so good.”

The Owls (0-1-2 in conference games) produced their best scoring opportunity with 14 minutes remaining when senior Michael Milillo, who scored with five minutes left to pull out a 1-1 tie with Floral Park Sept. 15, had a bicycle kick from point-blank range not quite reach Falcons senior goalkeeper Brandon Garrett, who had three saves.

“We always have competitive games against them,” Lynbrook coach Josh Berlin said. “We have a lot of respect for their program. It’s the fifth time we’ve played in three years. We tied three times and now we’ve both won one. One mistake is all it took today.”

The Falcons, who last fall missed the playoffs for only the second time in Boyd’s 17 years at the helm, controlled the tempo all afternoon but were denied five times in the first half by Foley. “We won a lot of 50-50 balls and created a lot of scoring chances,” Boyd said. “It’s frustrating when you’re not able to finish, but that’s soccer.”

Hernandez, who moved from marking back to midfield, finished around the cage twice in a 3-1 victory over Floral Park in the conference opener. Senior Flynn Shanahan also scored, while seniors Ness Levy and Chris Brocher picked up assists.

“After such a disappointing year and not making the playoffs, we’re just trying to build some confidence,” Boyd said. “It’s nice to come out of the blocks with two conference wins. With guys playing with more confidence, maybe we’ll start to take more risks and get more shots.”