LaRose's goal gives W. Islip quarterfinal win over E. Islip
West Islip's Taylor LaRose celebrates scoring on a free kick to give her team a 1-0 lead that held up as the final score during a Suffolk Class AA quarterfinal against East Islip. (Nov. 3, 2010) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Taylor LaRose's kick wasn't quite the distance between One Lions Path in West Islip and One Redmen Street in East Islip, but it didn't seem far off.
The proximity between the two Islip high schools has fueled one of the better crosstown sports rivalries on Long Island. With the stakes raised this week, it was understandable if residents who split the stands didn't feel like acting very neighborly.
Three days before West Islip and East Islip face off in the first round of the football playoffs, the girls soccer teams provided the opening act for a town divided by borders and a postseason schedule.
When LaRose lined up for a free kick from 40 yards out late in the second half of what was a scoreless game, the order from the sideline was to simply "put the ball on frame" and force the keeper to make a save. LaRose instead put the ball in the net to give No. 5 West Islip a 1-0 win over No. 13 East Islip in the quarterfinals of the Class AA playoffs.
LaRose sent a looping shot from the left side to one of the few places where fully extended and backtracking keeper Dana Henderson couldn't get to with 14:20 remaining. The goal was the first of the season for the junior midfielder, the timing of which was ideal for points West, horrible for points East.
"Once it went in I was like this is our game, we are going to win this,'' LaRose said. "It means everything to me. The team is my family and I just wanted to win it for them.''
West Islip (14-1-3), which will host No. 9 North Babylon in the semifinals at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, is looking to make a third straight trip to the county championship game.
"We just take it game by game,'' West Islip coach Nick Grieco said. "Saturday is going to be a tough opponent. We aren't taking anybody lightly. We are going to keep preparing and playing West Islip soccer.''
Shannon Cummings nearly tied the score for East Islip (10-7-1) with just more than 11 minutes remaining, but her shot from inside the box went just wide of the near post. Cari Roccaro then created another opportunity on the left wing with five minutes left but overshot the goal as West Islip held on.
Keeper Samantha Whitney, who had five saves in her 11th shutout of the season, and her teammates vacated the turf field after the game, giving way to the West Islip football team, which continued preparation for its portion of rivalry week with East Islip.
"It's always a great rivalry between us,'' Whitney said. "Football is doing their thing, we're doing our thing. To beat East Islip in the quarterfinals, it's an unbelievable feeling.''
