Charles Murphy scores go-ahead goal for Babylon boys soccer in Suffolk Class B final
Babylon midfield Charles Murphy (9) reacts to the crowd, after scoring the go ahead goal, to make it 2-1 against Center Moriches, Saturday, October 29, 2022 in the Suffolk Class B boys soccer final in Coram. Credit: George A Faella
It would seem odd to hear a team fresh off their third consecutive county championship say that no one expected them to be here. It would be just as odd to watch a player just months removed from a broken foot, in his first year on the team, score the go-ahead goal.
But that is the story of the 2022 Babylon boys soccer team.
Charles Murphy gave top-seeded Babylon the lead in the 49th minute in its 2-1 victory over No. 2 Center Moriches in the Suffolk Class B final at Diamond in the Pines in Coram Saturday afternoon.
“I broke my foot over the summer, so I’ve been trying to get healthier,” Murphy said. “I’m still not 100%, so that made getting the game-winning goal even more special.”
Despite being picked preseason to finish fourth and losing 14 players from last year's team, Babylon will attempt to repeat as Long Island Class B champions when it faces Carle Place on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Diamond in the Pines.
Center Moriches jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as John Krauss floated the ball over the goalkeeper in the sixth minute. Babylon came right back down the field with Owen Morris on a breakaway less than 30 seconds later and sailed a kick just wide of the goal.
Morris would get redemption as he scored off an assist from Aidan Krollage in the 21st minute to tie it.
“It’s never good to go down, but this team has that fighting spirit,” Morris said. “Nobody was going to give up, I was in the right place at the right time.”
That set the stage for Murphy. He received a corner kick from Nico Giammarino and found the back of the net early in the second half to put Babylon ahead for good.
“We played them two weeks ago and they scored first, and we came back, so we were comfortable playing from behind," coach Dennis McGovern said.
Center Moriches did not have another strong scoring chance until the final minute, but goalkeeper Eric Hoffman made a sliding stop to seal the win.
“Last year the team had a lot of seniors, expectations and stress,” Murphy said. “This year no one thought we would make it, but we proved them wrong.”
The Babylon girls soccer team won their county championship a few hours prior, providing a little extra boost to the boys team.
“The girls had a heart-breaking loss in the championship last season, so it was nice to see,” McGovern said. “We got here in time for their plaque celebration, and I told my team ‘wouldn’t it be nice to hold that?’”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
