Freeport heads into the home stretch of a roller-coaster boys’ soccer season still positioned for some late fall magic.
After sprinting out to a 3-0 start, the Red Devils went the next four matches without a win and faced adversity in the process after seven players were cut in late September for violating team rules. A smaller Freeport roster has responded to the challenge by posting a 4-0 win against Hempstead on Oct. 4 followed by a 0-0 tie with Oceanside two days later that puts the Red Devils in a three-way tie for second place in Conference AA1 with just two remaining games on the regular-season schedule.
“It’s been a challenging season,” fourth-year Freeport coach Anthony May said. “It’s been an interesting ride.”
The 2018 season began with a statement 2-0 win at defending Class AA champion Uniondale on Sept. 7 that featured goals from Brian Vasquez and Tyree Baskin. Freeport continued the momentum in its second game with a 4-1 home victory over Farmingdale in a rematch of last year’s 4-0 first round playoff loss to the Dalers. The Red Devils were then recognized the fourth-ranked Class AA boys soccer program in New York State after a 2-0 win at Hempstead on Sept. 14.
The hot start was followed by back-to-back one goal losses to Oceanside and Syosset. The team lost some of its key returning players after a 1-1 tie with Massapequa on Sept. 27, but battled hard the next two matches losing 2-1 to Uniondale and 2-0 to Farmingdale.