Clarke wins playoff thriller

The way Clarke’s quarterfinal matchup in the Nassau County Class B field hockey playoffs was unfolding, the outcome was going to be determined by the team that could find a way to convert a single scoring opportunity. And that was almost expected going into last Monday’s game, because the two teams had played to a tie in the first regular season meeting, while the Lady Rams (10-3-3 overall) came out on top 2-1 in overtime in the rematch.

Junior left wing Kristen Keller deflected a feed by senior right wing Demi Shanahan with just 1:30 remaining in the second half to lift Clarke to a 1-0 victory and its first semifinal appearance since 2001. “It was just a matter of who got the lucky break,” Lady Rams coach Leslie Murray said. “We just got the break and took advantage of it.”

Sophomore goalie Amanda Gargiulo stopped all 10 shots she faced and had plenty of help from the defense in front of her that helped steer nine different corners away from the net. It was the second consecutive shutout for Gargiulo, who stopped a pair of shots in the regular-season finale, a 4-0 win over Floral Park on Oct. 25. “She made some key saves and the defense was outstanding,” Murray said. “Everyone played a great game.”

The victory set up a rematch with top-seeded Garden City, which had allowed just two goals in 14 games during the regular season. One of the goals that squirted by Lady Trojans keeper Laura Fanning came off the stick of Lady Rams senior Emma Foster in an Oct. 17, game. Garden City won 2-1, but the goal by Foster, who has a team-high 13 through 16 games, snapped a string of seven consecutive shutouts by the still unbeaten Lady Trojans. “We played Garden City equally up the field,” Murray said. “When we scored, that was a victory right there. They were undefeated and unscored on.

“They are top three in the county, so that helped us realize we can play [with the best teams]. We just have to be prepared.”