Eli Tyll nets late winner for Glenn in key Suffolk VIII victory over Shoreham-Wading River

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of scoring the winning goal late in a game, especially a big game like this. Eli Tyll put on a demonstration Tuesday afternoon in the fading light over Glenn’s soccer field. 

“I don’t even know what happened,” the Knights’ joyous junior midfielder/striker said. “I was running to the corner at one point. Then I started coming down the sideline and just running around in circles. Just so much adrenaline.” 

Glenn arrived with a half-game lead over second-place Shoreham-Wading River in Suffolk League VIII.  

Tyll stretched it to 1 1/2 games by scoring with 2:23 left. That gave the Knights a 2-1 win and clinched at least a share of the league title. 

“I think it shows the county that we’re a real deal,” Tyll said. “I think it has a lot of momentum moving forward into our last game and also into the playoffs.” 

Glenn (12-1, 10-1), which has outscored the competition 62-5, has one league game among its remaining three before the Suffolk Class A tournament. SWR (9-3-1, 8-2) has two league games left among its remaining three. 

“A lot of these things go down to the last day,” Wildcats coach Rob Marine-Mancuso said. 

Knights coach Lou Hanner cited his 16 seniors and the team’s commitment from January intramurals to summer league and then through the season as reasons for the success.   

“I just think we’ve really been into it,” Hanner said. 

His team’s one stumble? That was a 1-0 loss at Shoreham-Wading River last month. 

“I think we have a lot of talent and everybody steps up in the places we need them to,” Marine-Mancuso said.    

Tuesday's deciding goal came after Cooper Kassan dribbled in the right side of the box and sent over a cross. Tyll beat Kyle Rose (nine saves) for his 12th of the season. 

“Frustrating,” Marine-Mancuso said. “Soccer happens that way sometimes.” 

Sam Palmer gave SWR a 1-0 lead about midway through the first half, delivering an impressive shot from about 35 yards out that beat Tyler Ziminski (three saves) and landed in the left side of the net.  

But Glenn's Matthew Pepper tied it from about 5 yards out on the right side with just 2:49 remaining until the intermission. The senior midfielder/forward called it “huge.” 

“I felt like we were dominating even though we were down 1-0,” Pepper said. “But going into halftime down 1-0 is so much different than going into halftime tied 1-1.”