Late goal gives Oceanside tie

A minor lineup maneuver by coach Marianna Winchester led to a big goal with less than four minutes remaining, allowing Oceanside to earn a 1-1 tie at Mepham in a Conference AA-I girls’ soccer matchup last Friday.

Sophomore Julia Duffy took a through ball from sophomore Paige McMahon and netted the equalizer for the Lady Sailors with 3:43 left in regulation time. McMahon shifted from outside to center-midfield to replace sophomore Jules Sicker, who moved alongside Duffy at forward.

“Julia and Jules are the two fastest girls we’ve got,” Winchester said. “So I thought I’d try them together to see if we can put a little more pressure on their defense. It worked out well, so I’ll probably stick with it and see where it goes.”

Getting ball to Duffy, who enjoyed a solid varsity debut season as a freshman, scoring three goals, is one of the keys to Oceanside’s success. “Last year she showed a lot of ability and I expect her to continue to blossom,” Winchester said. “I want her to shoot as much as she can. She has a very strong lefty shot.”

Sicker played primarily at outside midfield a year ago, where she was one of the team’s main distributors, but Winchester is looking to put her shooting touch to better use either at forward or center-midfield. Sophomore Gabriella Mihale, who emerged as a starter midway through 2012, is a crisp passer and someone who plays an important role in transition. “Gabriella’s unselfish and she likes to pass the ball, and she’s good at it,” Winchester said. “She works well with anyone I pair with her in the middle.” Junior Jaclyn Walsh is a gritty outside midfielder who can also contribute in the back row.

Defensively, the Lady Sailors are off to a promising start, Winchester said. They held defending Nassau County Class AA champion Massapequa off the board until two minutes remained in the first half of a 2-0 loss in the conference opener on Sept. 16. “If you make a mistake against Massapequa, they’re usually going to take advantage,” Winchester said. “We had one little breakdown and they pounced.”