Oceanside squeaks by MacArthur

Oceanside girls’ soccer team senior captain Julia Duffy admitted she and the rest of her team were playing a bit nervous early on in their Nassau Class AA quarterfinals playoff matchup against No. 7 ranked MacArthur on Oct. 29. But after halftime, Duffy helped put those nerves to rest, delivering a pair of quick goals to help power the No. 2 ranked Lady Sailors to a 3-2 victory. 

“In the second half we were really able to relax,” Duffy said. “We seemed to have more of a passion to score and finish, and were able to get the job done.”

With 34:45 remaining in the second half, Duffy provided the game’s first score, firing the ball into the Lady Generals’ net, after coming away with a steal just to the left of the goal. 

Just 17 seconds later, Duffy gave Oceanside a 2-0 lead, scoring on a shot about 30 yards away from the net. 

Senior Arianna Montefusco would provide a quick response for MacArthur, scoring with 33:22 left in regulation. But just under ten minutes later, the Lady Sailors would regain their two-goal advantage, on a score from senior Paige McMahon. 

The Lady Generals put plenty of pressure on the Oceanside defense late in the game, even scoring a goal in the game’s final minute. But the Lady Sailors, led by a five-save performance by senior goalkeeper Melanie Bert, hung on for the victory.

“I think we just tried to play our game. Our girls knew that MacArthur was gonna comeback, because they are such a good team,” Oceanside coach Marianna Winchester said. “But getting the lead that we had was good, and as they say a win is a win.”

Winchester was also pleased to see McMahon, who usually serves as more of a role player for the team, be the one to come away with the game-winning goal.

“Paige is one of the ones I’m glad made it count tonight, because she works so hard at it, and is usually my first girl off the bench,” Winchester said. “I’m glad she got the goal tonight. She really deserved that.”

Even though MacArthur ultimately came up short in their comeback attempt and was unable to extend its season, Lady Generals coach Kerry Schaefer was still left feeling proud of her team. “We had some defensive breakdowns,” Schaefer said. “I don’t think there was one any big thing we did wrong. We played hard the entire game, and I can’t complain about the effort that we put in. They are a great bunch of girls, and it’s been a great season. But, sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way.”

The Lady Sailors advanced to face Port Washington in last Saturday’s semifinals and came up short. “We’ve played Port Washington twice. We know their gameplan, and they know our gameplan,” Wincheter said after the win over MacArthur.