Carey's second-half goal lifts Island Trees
North Shore's Cara Dellavecchia and Island Tree's Theresa Hinshaw leap for possession in the high school soccer game. (Oct. 26, 2010) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Island Trees girls soccer team is most certainly not afraid of the dark.
With the score tied and the specter of a "called for darkness" looming large, Erin Carey fired in the game's final goal with 22:27 left in the second half, giving Island Trees (7-2-3) a 2-1 win over North Shore Tuesday.
"I never do anything like that," said Carey, who had only two goals coming into the game. "Honestly, it was just more the willpower that I want to win this game. We need to win this game. It was just adrenaline running through me."
Carey narrowly helped her team avoid a tie, with the minutes - and the daylight - running out. The North Shore girls soccer field doesn't have lights, and at 6:10 p.m., things were growing dim.
"We don't panic," coach Andy Schneider said. "All season, for whatever reason, we've been resilient. We've come back three or four times from deficits. And the one thing we do know is our defense has been amazing all season. And we know very rarely do we give up more than one goal."
Brie Ruane scored the North Shore goal only 8:17 into the game and gave the Vikings (8-3-1) a 1-0 lead. The sophomore scored 34 goals to lead Nassau in 2009, but she missed the first 10 games this season with an injury. The goal was her first of the year.
"That was important," North Shore coach Clifton Schultz said. "Now she's back, and she's finding her sea legs."
Island Trees answered five minutes later, scoring on a penalty kick by freshman Kristen Breihof.
"She acts her age, but she doesn't play her age," Schneider said. "They call her 'Stone' 'cause she's got an amazingly hard shot, which is why we use her on the penalty kicks."
Island Trees is now just a point behind North Shore for second place in Conference VII, whose final standings will determine playoff seedings.
Part of the reason the young Island Trees team is so close is its defense, which has posted eight shutouts and allowed only nine goals in 14 games.
"North Shore did a good job possessing the ball today, but I think our defense came out strong," Island Trees keeper Brianna Ferrara said. "The first goal we were a little rough, but after that we got it together."
