Tommy Browne’s two goals help Carle Place rebound
Tommy Browne, #10 of Carle Place, maneuvers the ball away from Vincent Alesi, #1 of Locust Valley. Carle Place went on to win 2-1 on Friday, September 23, 2016. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
For the fourth time this season, Tommy Browne produced a multi-goal game.
The Carle Place senior scored both of his goals in the first half and led the Frogs to a 2-1 Nassau ABC-III soccer victory over host Locust Valley Friday afternoon.
Through 10 matches, Browne has scored 12 of Carle Place’s 22 goals and accumulated four assists.
“He’s a marked man now,” coach Allen Foraker said. “He was man-marked and he had a second guy shadowing, and even with that he finds the net.”
Browne scored his first goal in the eighth minute after tracking Jon Flecker’s long ball into the box and sending his shot from the right side into the bottom left corner. In the 30th minute, Locust Valley goalkeeper Michael Mullen (seven saves) came off his line to bat away a dangerous ball.
“I saw the ball go up in the air,” Browne said. “I thought the goalie was going to punch it out, and he did. I just took it down one-touch and hit it in.”
Browne has made a habit of impressing his coaches and his opponents with his knack for placing himself in the right spot at the right time.
“He brings the intangibles,” Foraker said.
For Carle Place, the win came on the heels of an upset loss to Oyster Bay, which won, 2-1, Wednesday on Jasson Cruz’s 75th-minute free kick. The Frogs (5-1-1) knew earning three points against Locust Valley would leave them within striking distance of first-place Mineola (6-1-0) for Monday’s match.
“It was pretty rough,” Browne said of losing to Oyster Bay. “We need to win the games. Teams behind us are coming up. We just needed to do what we had to do to win this game. We didn’t get the job done on Wednesday. We got it done today.”
For Locust Valley, Kyler Rowe scored in the 46th minute off a feed from Park Farren. The Falcons (1-7) continued to attack, but couldn’t get another shot past Chris Ruscillo (four saves).
“They fought. They played well,” Foraker said. “I thought they played better in the second half than we did.”
“It’s been a tough, hard start to the season,” Locust Valley coach Joe Lee said. “To be able to raise their play after falling down 2-0, I was really happy with their play. I’m definitely seeing them progress as a team.”
