Fullam's 2 goals lead Sayville to LI Class A title
South Side goal keeper Devev Khosla saves a shot on goal by Sayville's Sean Fulham in the Long Island high boys soccer Class A final. (November 14, 2010) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
When a player refers to himself as "scrappy" - as Sayville's Sean Fullam does - it usually means he does things on the field that don't show up in a boxscore. Fullam's recent performances are throwing conventional thinking out the window.
Fullam scored two goals to help lead Sayville (18-1-1) to its first Long Island Class A boys soccer championship since 2007. Sayville defeated South Side (14-2-4), 3-0, in the Long Island final / Southeast Regional final Sunday at Dowling Sports Complex.
"He's a big-time, big-game player and he has a nose for the ball," Sayville coach Val Winter said of Fullam, who scored two goals in a Suffolk Class A semifinal, as well.
Fullam took a pass from Travis Redding inside the 18-yard box in the 12th minute of play. While falling, Fullam fired a shot past South Side keeper Deven Khosla to give the Golden Flashes the early lead.
"I just saw it dribbling through the middle and put my body out there," Fullam said. "I didn't even see where it went, but it found the net."
Sayville took a 1-0 lead into halftime and had a mission of putting the game out of reach as early as possible in the second half. "We knew they were a good team and we didn't want to let up against them," Winter said. "We just wanted to put the hammer down."
Robert Hammerle took the ball up the right side for Sayville and sent a cross in to Fullam, who shot it in from inside of 10 yards in the 48th minute. Less than three minutes later, Jon Paciorek took a shot that trickled through Khosla's hands and over the line to put the Golden Flashes ahead 3-0.
With a comfortable lead, the Golden Flashes stuck to their game plan and played sound defensively. Sayville has allowed only three goals all season, posting shutouts in 18 of its 20 games.
Dan Scheck made four saves in his third shutout in a row. Scheck, who has committed to Temple, has shared time in goal with Brian Lutcha for much of the season, but Winter said Scheck will remain between the pipes for the Golden Flashes.
"It's a strategy we had from the very beginning," Winter said. "We have a lot of confidence in Brian Lutcha, but Danny is probably the best goalkeeper in Suffolk County, and when you have the best goalkeeper, he's got to play."
Sayville will face Section I champion Goshen in a Class A semifinal at Middletown High School's turf field Saturday at 11 a.m. It's Goshen's first time in the state semifinals since 1997.
