Wheatley wins Nassau Class B girls soccer crown
Isa Rios, second from left, is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal in the first half of Wheatley's 5-0 victory over Carle Place in the Nassau Class B final at Cold Spring Harbor on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. Credit: James Escher
Déjà vu and tension seeped into the air as Wheatley and Carle Place stepped onto the field at Cold Spring Harbor on Tuesday for the Nassau Class B girls soccer final. This was familiar territory. The two teams met in this same spot for the same event last year, with Carle Place winning on penalty kicks.
This time, the outcome was completely different. No. 1 Wheatley took home the championship, shutting out No. 2 Carle Place, 5-0.
“It feels amazing to beat them in a shutout in regular time,” Tiffany Bernot said. “Last year, it came down to a little bit . . . I had a very good goal that tied it up but this year felt better getting the shutout and having two early goals.”
Last year, the game was tied, 2-2, before Carle Place (11-5) edged out Wheatley in penalty kicks, 4-3. This year, Bernot scored in both halves, her first one going in with four minutes left in the first half.
Isa Rios opened the scoring at 11 minutes of the first half on an unassisted shot from the left side. Nicole Hetzel scored twice in the second half, her goals sandwiched around a score by Bernot. Sydney Silverman, a sophomore, got the shutout.
“There was a lot of pressure. [Carle Place] is a big rival for us,” Hetzel said. “We were really confident but remained humble because if we had let go of our momentum and mental awareness we would have lost.”
Next up for Wheatley (11-1-4) is Suffolk Class B champion Babylon (12-2). They will meet for the Long Island championship 1:30 p,m. on Friday at St. Joseph’s College.
“We just have to keep focused. We can’t let them intimidate us. Just like they won Suffolk championship, we won the Nassau [championship],” Hetzel said. “It’s about keeping our strength and momentum.”
