Degrassi, Bruckner lift Ward Melville
Ward Melville M Andrew Degrassi #3 moves the ball between M Nick Schook #7 and M Andrew Tinari #2, in the Sachem East zone. (Oct. 27, 2011) Credit: George A. Faella
Andrew Degrassi was given a momentum-shifting opportunity. Awarded a penalty kick in the 31st minute of a scoreless tie, the Ward Melville midfielder had no doubt where he was going to kick the ball with a playoff seeding on the line.
"I played it to the left side, which I always do," Degrassi said. "I always go left."
Degrassi fired his PK in for his 11th goal of the season, Vinny Morra added a goal and Jack Bruckner made five saves in Ward Melville's 2-0 win over host Sachem East yesterday in a Suffolk League I boys soccer game Thursday.
Ward Melville (11-2-1) finishes in a tie for second place with defending state champion Brentwood in the highly competitive League I.
"The importance of second place is I can try and push [my team] to get a number two seed in Suffolk County; although it's out of my control," Ward Melville coach Jon Stecker said of the seeding selection committee. "The only [losses] we have this year is to Sachem [East] once, to Brentwood once. Brentwood hasn't beat these guys. We have. They would have a lot of trouble denying us a second seed."
Ward Melville was dominant in the first half, winning most of the 50/50 balls and keeping possession inside Sachem East territory. Degrassi set up two scoring chances off set pieces during the first half, a corner kick in the 25th minute which was headed toward the goal but cleared by a Sachem East defender and a free kick from 41 yards out in the 34th minute that was also cleared out of the 18-yard box.
Sachem East's lone shot in the first half rolled just wide of the far post in the 37th minute.
"It would have been nice to have more energy in the first half," Sachem East coach Matt Stallone said.
Degrassi took another corner kick in the 57th minute, which bounced off several players inside the 6-yard box before the referee ruled Vinny Morra had scored to make it 2-0.
The Patriots nearly took a 3-0 lead five minutes later on a breakaway by Steven Nworjih but Will Silber came out to make a sliding save, one of his six in the game.
Shane Dineen, Alex Wolfe, Michael Zerbo and Anthony Humphreys formed a nearly impenetrable defensive line in front of Bruckner, who picked up his school-record 11th shutout of the season.
"I'm nothing without my defense," Bruckner said. "They allowed no shots on goal that were too tough for me to save."
WM has not allowed a goal in more than 420 minutes, spanning more than five games.
Sachem East (12-1-1) falls from the ranks of the undefeated after clinching the League I title following Tuesday's 3-2 win against Brentwood. "You want to try to [go undefeated]," Stallone said, "but at the same time. you want to be healthy and have a proper week of preparation before the playoffs start."
