Upset wins for Lady Sailors

Three down, one to go.

Tenth-seeded Oceanside’s surprising run through the Nassau Class AA girls’ soccer playoffs continued last Friday night at Tully Park when senior midfielder Amanda Margolis scored in the 28th minute of overtime to beat No. 3 MacArthur, 2-1.

Margolis boomed a direct free kick from 20 yards out that eluded the grasp of MacArthur goalkeeper Tracy Mitzelman and sent the Lady Sailors into Wednesday’s title game against top-seed and defending champion Massapequa, which knocked off No. 5 Farmingdale 2-0 in the other semifinal.

“It didn’t feel real until everyone starting piling on me,” said Margolis, who also scored in regulation. “We like being the underdog.”

Senior goalie Jessica Kambic (17 saves) was tremendous between the posts for Oceanside, which eliminated a previously undefeated conference champion for the second time in four days and pulled off a third straight playoff upset. It topped second-seeded Mepham, 2-1, in the quarterfinals Nov. 2 on goals by senior Tina Pumo and junior Kathryn Ryan.

“About 12 weeks ago we set a goal to make the playoffs,” Lady Sailors coach Marianna Winchester said. “The girls were driven and determined not to let the journey end with a simple playoff appearance. They have harmony on and off the field and wanted to go far.”

Margolis said thoughts of a penalty kick shootout crossed her mind more than once Friday night as both teams failed to convert numerous scoring opportunities after she and MacArthur’s Jill Mulholland traded goals in a nine-minute span early in the second half. “We’ve been practicing penalty kicks since the playoffs started,” said Margolis, who had the only goal, assisted by senior Rebecca Rothman, in Oceanside’s first-round playoff win over seventh-seeded Syosset on Oct. 29.

Winchester, who scouted MacArthur’s quarterfinal win over Baldwin, knew Kambic was going to be kept busy. “I knew they were a strong-shooting team,” Winchester said. “They rarely miss the net.”

The Lady Generals scored at least four goals in five consecutive games heading into the semis. They out-shot Oceanside by a 20-11 margin, but Kambic limited them to a five percent success rate. “Jessica was terrific,” Winchester said. “I would’ve liked our chances in penalty kicks because of her, but I’m glad it didn’t get that far.”

The coach credited senior sweeper Samantha Raimondo with leading the defense in front of Kambic, who has 39 saves in three playoff games. “Everyone played well, but Sam was our defensive MVP,” Winchester explained.

The last time the Lady Sailors played for a county title was 2007. You have to go back five years prior to that to find the last time Massapequa failed to win one.

“We know Massapequa as well as anyone,” Winchester said. “We can’t afford to have any breakdowns. It takes a flawless game to beat them.”

The Lady Chiefs are unbeaten, so it seems Oceanside has them right where they want them.