Okoro, Bingham spark Nassau's late rally
Nassau Blue-2 Justin Okoro of Elmont scored against Suffolk Red-2 during the second half of the Long Island boys senior all-star game at Dowling Sports Complex. (Nov. 26, 2011) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
It took a while, but Nassau turned it on late and forced a 2-2 tie against Suffolk yesterday at the Nassau-Suffolk Exceptional Seniors All-Star Games at Dowling College. Nassau scored twice late in the second half to erase a 2-0 deficit in the second game of the all-star doubleheader.
Elmont's Justin Okoro put Nassau on the board with 26:32 left when he scored on a penalty kick, then Garden City's Sean Bingham scored off a touch pass from Great Neck South's William Rezin to tie it with 12:25 to go.
"We were starting to move the ball well and we were finally connecting on some passes," Bingham said. " had a nice pass to Rezin, who flicked it to me and I just put it in."
Nassau keeper Eli Rousso (Friends Academy), who was solid in net, made one big save after another to keep his team in it. Rousso stopped three breakaway chances by Bay Shore's Victor Romero and also stopped multiple shots in the last five minutes, including a kick save off a strike by West Islip's Phil Denara from point-blank range with three minutes left to preserve the tie.
"The whole season I haven't had to work like this and I was just pumped," Rousso said. "We were moving the ball well at the end and that helped us hold on."
For Suffolk, it was the combination of Colts and Thunderbirds from Half Hollow Hills who opened the scoring in the first half, as Hills West's Chris Lange scored on a one-timer off a pass from Hills East's Robert Reiser with 1:42 to go.
Suffolk took a 2-0 lead on a goal from Newfield's Sam Durkot early in the second half when he converted a give-and-go with Denara by muscling his way to the front of the net to chip the ball past Rousso.
