Emily Leverich key as Smithtown West wins LI 'AA' title

They counted down the last 10 seconds to a historic ending and when it was over the Smithtown West girls soccer team raced to the middle of the Islip High School field to mob goalkeeper Emily Wallace. It was pandemonium, but maybe that’s what winning a school’s first Long Island championship should look like.

Smithtown West put on a dominating performance to post a 3-0 win over Syosset in Saturday night’s Class AA championship, which also doubles as the Southeast Regional of the state public school tournament. Emily Leverich was central in two quick early scores and Nicole Mennella and Jillian Unkenholz added goals for the Bulls.

Smithtown West (16-1-3) advances to a state semifinal at 10 a.m. Saturday at Tompkins Cortlandt CC.

“We are literally writing history,” Leverich said.

“The feeling is a little surreal to say the least, but it’s a long time coming, given the commitment these girls have put in the last few years,” Bulls coach Rob Schretzmayer said. He added that after the team reached the Suffolk title game three of the last five years, “this almost feels like we won for some of the girls who put in the work and aren’t here anymore.”

Smithtown West prevailed with aggressive play and some spectacular athleticism; the Bulls seemed to be on attack almost all game. Wallace gets credit for the shutout though she didn’t have to make a save. The back line of Natalie Sancillio, Taylor Mennella, Nicolle Marshall and Isabella Casucci were the unsung heroes of this one.

Syosset, the upstart Nassau champ after starting out the tournament seeded fifth, was going without one of its difference-makers. Gifted freshman Bella Romano was out with an injury and the impact was obvious as the Braves tried to adjust. They didn’t manage a shot on goal in the first half and, though they were more aggressive and played much of the first 20 minutes after the break in the Bulls’ end, finished the game with just two.

Syosset (7-7-3) next season will return most of its key players including freshman keeper Eve Waldhauser, who made 13 saves.

Leverich got deep into the Braves’ defense and put a beautiful centering pass across the goal to Nicole Mennella — the surprising freshman and team scoring leader — who only needed to tap it to put it into the left side of the net with 30:54 left in the first half.

Exactly 1:40 later, Leverich got a feed right by the front of the goal and went left-footed into the upper left hand corner.

“It was a tone-setter to get those two one after the other,” Leverich said. “That put a lot of pressure on them."

Unkenholz scored on a direct kick over the outstretched Walhauser with 2:38 left in the game.

“I’m a senior so this is a great run,” said Unkenholz, who will play on scholarship for Stony Brook next year. “I’ve seen it all — from losing in the first round to the quarterfinals to the [Suffolk] championship. We’d lost a lot of good players off last year’s team but we clicked.”