Oceanside one step from county title

Despite capturing its first boys’ soccer conference championship since 2007, Oceanside isn’t satisfied and has one more hill to climb to earn its first county title in more than two decades.

The top-ranked Sailors, four days after a thrilling first-round double overtime victory over No. 8 Hicksville, advanced to the Nassau Class AA finals thanks to a 2-0 semifinal win over fifth-seeded Farmingdale on Sunday afternoon at Mitchel Athletic Complex.

Senior Giacomo Vacchio’s goal in the 14th minute of the first half held up as the game-winning tally, with senior Anthony Picillo providing an insurance marker late in the second half. Senior goalkeeper Jacob Raphan pitched the shutout with some serious help from defenders Nicholas Maloney and Dylan Wassenbergh.

“I’m super proud of the boys because they stuck to the game plan and played with composure,” Oceanside coach Patrick Turk said. “We had a wild 3-2 win over Farmingdale during the regular season and it’s always hard to beat a team twice. They played a phenomenal game today and all respect to them. We made a lot of big plays when we needed to.”

The Sailors, who last won a county championship in 2000, advanced to face No. 2 Plainview in Wednesday’s title game at Mitchel at 5:30 p.m. Oceanside beat the Hawks 2-0 on Sept. 24.

“Plainview and us have battled in the standings all season long,” Turk said. “It’s fitting that we are the last two teams remaining.”

Oceanside struck early in the semifinals and forced Farmingdale to chase the scoreboard throughout. Vacchio, who also opened the scoring in the playoff win over Hicksville barely a minute into the match, converted a feed from junior Luke Brosokas to make it 1-0.

“Scoring first takes a lot of pressure off,” said Vacchio, who leads the team in goals with 10. “It doesn’t change that we have to work very hard all game,” he added. “This was a great win but the semifinals isn’t enough for us.”

The goal proved to be all the Sailors would need, but they faced constant pressure from the Dalers. Farmingdale’s best scoring chance came in the 25th minute and Raphan (8 saves), after making an initial save, got more than a little help from his friends during a mad scramble. Maloney, a senior, was on all fours on the goal line when he elevated his left hip to stop a point-blank shot. Then Wassenberg, a sophomore, denied a rebound blast that also seemed ticketed for the back of the net.

“You have to put your body on the line because there’s no tomorrow,” Maloney said. “It’s win or go home and none of us want the season to end.”

The Sailors were able to breathe much easier after Picillo took a pass from junior Brennan Murphy to make it 2-0 with 8:22 remaining.

Senior Ethan Recchia’s goal in the second OT lifted Oceanside past Hicksville Oct. 26. Brosokas assisted. “Luke hit a nice cross and the ball bounced around a bit and I was lucky to be in a good spot and finished,” Recchia said. “It’s an indescribable feeling.”