Garfield Gillespie's goal secures Connetquot win over Commack

Garfield Gillespie intercepted a free kick at the defensive side of the field and saw nothing but green and the goal in his sight nearly 100 yards out. And Connetquot boys soccer coach John Zambriski knew that meant bad things were in store for the opponent.

Gillespie dribbled nearly the length of the field, dodging and leaping past a defender at midfielder before sliding the ball past the charging goalkeeper to give Connetquot a two-goal lead in its 2-1 victory over No. 3 Commack in the boys soccer Suffolk Class AA semifinals at Connetquot High School Monday afternoon.

“He is a star,” Zambriski said. “The kid is a star and I know he can do it. It was unfolding and I felt like I’ve seen it 1,000 times. Only this one was a little bit longer in duration coast-to-coast. It was super impressive, I couldn’t be more proud of that guy.”

Gillespie, a sophomore, knew a one-goal lead wasn’t going to cement Connetquot a trip to the county finals. After his goal with 13:16 left in the second half, Gillespie ran toward the crowd and wanted to celebrate near his classmates.

“I knew I had to take it,” Gillespie said. “We needed another goal. 1-0 is scary. I missed the 1-on-1 earlier and I knew I couldn’t miss this one. I had to put it in the back of the net and I did.”

No. 2 Connetquot (14-2-3) advances to play No. 5 Smithtown West (12-4-1) in the Suffolk Class AA final at Comsewogue High School Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Commack finishes 14-2-2.

Brandon Vecchia scored less than three minutes into the contest to give Connetquot a 1-0 lead with 37:18 left in the first half.

Connetquot is looking to win its first county championship in program history. The Thunderbirds have set their sights on doing something no other Connetquot boys soccer team has in the past.

“We’re making history for the school,” midfielder Andrew Johnson said. “Nobody is used to this, so we are making history for us, the fans, literally everybody. It’s just something new for the whole school.”

Johnson reached into his backpack after the victory and pulled out a white shirt. On the shirt has the name of the teams Connetquot has been paired with during the postseason. The Thunderbirds have written each opponent and crossed it off after each victory and hope to do so again Thursday.

“It’s our playoff journey,” Johnson said. “Every team we’ve beaten, we cross them off and we want to get that shirt filled up to the top. It’s more motivation for us, the team. It’s just part of our journey.”

On Connetquot's first goal, Gillespie sent a cross toward the goal, which Vecchia just barely missed getting his head on. But Vecchia stayed with the play and kicked the ball in after it hit a Commack defender to give Connetquot a 1-0 lead with 37:18 left in the first half.

“I saw the cross coming in, I tried to head it, it missed me, but luckily I was there to finish it,” Vecchia said. “I didn’t think it was going to happen, to be honest. I thought I missed my chance but it still went in.”

Tyler Kurtis scored for Commack with 9:21 left in the second half. The Cougars continued putting pressure on Connetquot throughout the final 10 minutes. They sent two shots high in the final two minutes, including one with 30 seconds left in the half.

The Thunderbirds are thrilled to reach the final after losing in the semifinals last season but they aren’t satisfied.

“It’s massive,” Johnson said. “The program’s never done it, we’re just a different team this year. There’s a different vibe, it’s just different from any other year.”