Turri's coast-to-coast goal gives WI win

Kyle Turri had made the coast-to-coast journey before. This time, he changed the itinerary. This time, he reached the ultimate destination.

West Islip's senior goalie with the distinctive red hair dusted off his old attack skills and dashed down the middle untouched to score 56 seconds into overtime to give the visiting Lions a dramatic 7-6 victory over rival Ward Melville Wednesday night in a battle of unbeaten Suffolk Division I teams.

"As a goalie, I know it's hard to see the ball coming out of a goalie's stick," said Turri, who had an assist against Smithtown East earlier this season and hit a pipe against Chaminade last year, but never scored a varsity goal. "I shot it high over his right shoulder. It feels good to finally put one away."

The goal not only put Ward Melville away after a terrific defensive contest, but it extended the Lions' winning streak to 31. West Islip is 7-0 in Division I; Ward Melville is 6-1.

The winning play unfolded after West Islip gained possession following a turnover and called timeout to set up a clearing play. Ward Melville's defensive ride was aggressive, leaving only the goalie uncovered. So Turri, an attack until the eighth grade, made his move.

"We were passing it back and forth for about 10 seconds and I was worried about a 20-second count," Turri said, referring to the time allowed to get the ball across midfield. "I saw the opening and just kept going. When I got deep into the box, I just felt like I had to go all the way."

That a goalie had to score the winning goal on a misty, foggy night was evidence of just how tough it was for the regular field players to score. "Both teams played great defense," West Islip coach Scott Craig said.

SEE PHOTOSWest Islip 7, Ward Melville 6 (OT)

The only real offensive surge was during a four-minute stretch of the second quarter when West Islip scored four straight goals to grab a 5-4 halftime lead. But Ward Melville held the Lions scoreless in the third quarter and took the lead on goals by Sean Cleary and David Nemirov.

Nick Aponte scored his second of the game, whistling a low, hard shot off a feed from Drew Federico to tie the score at 6 with 7:52 left, setting the stage for Turri's memorable jaunt.

"We talked about it on the bus," Craig said. "Kyle had come close before."

This time he finished his trip with a flourish.