Gahan, Friends Academy win Nassau Class C title
Friends Academy's Bridie Gahan, right, gets pressured by Carle Place's Katie Megiel in the first half during the Nassau Class C championship game at Adelphi University. Gahan scored the game's first goal en route to Friends Academy's 2-0 win. (Nov. 7, 2010) Credit: James Escher
Bridie Gahan has a knack around the net.
So when the Friends Academy sophomore somehow emerged from a scrum and squirted the ball past the Carle Place defense and goalkeeper Leanne Iannucci to break a scoreless tie, it came as little surprise.
Gahan scored with 19:57 left - her 13th goal of the season - and Erica Sklar added a late insurance goal as No. 1 Friends beat No. 2 Carle Place, 2-0, Sunday in the Nassau Class C final at Adelphi's Motamed Field.
It's the sixth straight title for Friends Academy, which will play the winner of tomorrow's Pierson/Bridgehampton-Southampton winner in the Long Island championship game Sunday.
And no, winning never gets old. "It's exciting every time, and it would be a big disappointment if we didn't follow through with the tradition," Gahan said.
In a scoreless first half, both sides were unable to capitalize on numerous scoring chances. Friends goalkeeper Charlotte Gelfand stoned Taylor Martello on a kick save with 11:20 left in the half. At the 10:10 mark, Friends' Savannah Febesh took a penalty stroke that scooted wide.
Despite controlling much of the first half, Friends showed little for its efforts.
"We were dominating the entire game," Gahan said. "We knew we could do it, but we just needed a little more to get it in."
Friends coach Christine Botti relayed her halftime message. "It's 30 minutes or your season is over," she said. "They understood the implication that, if they wanted to continue and have another shot at going upstate, they needed to get in and get the job done."
After extended runs in the Carle Place zone, the Quakers capitalized in the second half. "When you give them too many chances, things don't happen," Carle Place coach Carol Nesdill said. "We didn't clear the zone well."
Now, Friends Academy needs to play well in the LI final, a game the team has lost the last three years.
Said Botti: "We're ready."
