Stephen Padilla’s PK gives Carle Place LI Class B title
Carle Place's Stephen Padilla gets the winning penalty kick in victory over Center Moriches after scoreless reguation and two overtime periods in Long Island Class B final at Hofstra University in Hempstead on Nov. 1, 2016. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
As fans of both sides swarmed near the designated penalty kick net, Stephen Padilla toed the penalty spot.
He paused, stepped back, and drilled the shot into the net to lift Carle Place to a Long Island Class B boys soccer title in a 5-3 penalty-kick win over Center Moriches at Hofstra Tuesday night. The teams had played to a scoreless tie after regulation and two overtimes.
Right before the penalty kicks, Center Moriches’ Alec Maag dove to his left and stopped Tommy Browne’s penalty kick with 2:52 left in the second overtime.
It didn’t take long for Browne to put that play behind him, as Giancarlo Cavallaro, Connor Feit, Browne and Marc Chiappone made four consecutive shots to set up the winner.
“I knew I had to get the job done, placed it on the corner and that’s what I did,” Padilla said.
Carle Place had come close to netting the game-winner moments before Browne’s first attempt, when Clay Pine took a cross and shot it with his back facing the goal. The ball landed right over the bar.
Center Moriches almost ended it in the first overtime, when Eric Amaya sped down the left sideline, made his way into the box and put up a last-ditch effort that almost went in. The ball sailed just past the top-right corner of the net and the clock hit zero as he got up.
“Even through the craziness, there was also some calm,” coach Allen Foraker said. “You had two good defensive teams.”
Regulation ebbed and flowed, with both sides making runs, but Center Moriches took the shot advantage. A frenetic first 10 minutes were punctuated by two shots from Center Moriches, including a booming kick from Jhon Quizhpe from 25 yards out that banged off the crossbar.
Carle Place goalkeeper Chris Ruscillo, who had eight saves, made a diving grab off a shot from Amaya early.
Maag showed his own athleticism by deflecting a high shot from Browne. Center Moriches closed the half with a 3-1 shot advantage and a 9-6 edge for the game.
The pace picked up with less than 20 minutes left in regulation. Each team got a yellow card 20 seconds apart.
Carle Place faces the winner of Hastings and Fallsburg in the Southeast Regional.
“I didn’t lose faith at all,” Padilla said “I knew we were going to keep on fighting.”
