Montano's switch helps Dalers draw 'Pequa
Farmingdale's Victor Montano flies through the air against Massapequa defender Roberto Reyna, right, in the second half of a 0-0 draw. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
It was difficult to distinguish whether it was a waiting room for a doctor or the Farmingdale bench. The Dalers had several starters on the sideline nursing injuries during the second half against Massapequa Monday.
Mike Doller left with a sprained MCL, Mike Kildare came out in the second half with a sprained right ankle he aggravated, and Fernando Cortez had a shin injury. That forced Victor Montano, one of the Dalers' top forwards and scorers, to play defense.
"I had to help the team," Montano said of the switch. "It changed the offense a lot. We weren't making runs."
Farmingdale survived the injuries and played to a 0-0 tie against visiting Massapequa in the Nassau Conference I boys soccer opener.
Montano played some defense in the past for his club team and Farmingdale coach Kevin Shanley said he really needed someone to play the position.
"He did a good job back there," Shanley said. "We missed him up top. That's for sure."
For the second time in three games, the Dalers (1-0-2, 0-0-1) had to deal with adversity in the final half of the game. They played the final 15:35 one man down against nationally ranked Chaminade last week in a scoreless tie and played shorthanded Monday.
"It definitely hurt us because at the start of the second half, we put together two nice combinations quickly and then one of the injuries occurred," Shanley said. "Then we had to adjust, but Massapequa played very well. It was more of a battle than a match."
Massapequa goalkeeper Sean Brailey and Farmingdale goalkeeper Harry Rosen each made three saves, but Massapequa (1-0-1, 0-0-1) applied the pressure in the second half and missed a few good opportunities.
"We're not pulling the trigger," Massapequa coach Keith Stanley said. "We wanted to shoot as much as possible. It just didn't happen. Defensively, we got better as the game went along. I don't want a tie. I felt like we should have won, but I'm happy with the way we played."
Massapequa senior Nick Fetzer is hoping the Chiefs do better than last season after losing in the quarterfinals. Before last season, they won six county championships in seven seasons.
"It was upsetting last year," he said, "but we're ready to redeem ourselves. We have a strong defense and a nice offense this year. We were ready to play once last season ended. This was one of the biggest games of the season. They're a top team."
