By:Steve Siniski
"We could have been 9-2-1 and not made the playoffs," Bruins coach Mike Palumbo said. "The guys stayed focused, and had no other choice [but to finish strong]."
The Syosset Braves jumped out a 2-0 lead in the first half, although the first goal was disputed. A second-chance was awarded on a corner kick outside the Baldwin goal, and Syosset broke the scoreless tie. The lead was extended on a perfectly set-up backdoor play, but to their credit, the Bruins kept the pressure on.
Baldwin's Kyle Anderson converted a direct kick in the penalty box after a handball call in the first five minutes of the second half, and the race against the clock was on. Over the next 15 minutes it was a back-and-forth battle between the teams before the Braves tallied for the third time on a blast from Matt Davies.
"It was a great shot [by Syosset] to go up 3-1," Palumbo said. "But our guys never stopped. Roland White put in a loose ball to make it 3-2, with two minutes left and we just ran out of time. It was a good effort by everyone."
Goaltender Matt Hoffman, who had four shutouts during the regular season, turned back nine shots, getting help from the sweeper tandem of Kevin Reilly and Perry Robinson. Reilly moved up to center forward for the second half as the Bruins looked to jumpstart their offense.
"He gives the offensive line the momentum it needs," Palumbo said of the shuffle, which the team used much of the year.
Faced with a 'win-to-get-in situation' in the season-finale on October 27, Baldwin didn't take long to get things moving against Uniondale.
Sophomore midfielder Zach Rodgers scored just 1:34 into the game. "We had a three-and-a-half hour practice [on October 26] and it was a great practice," Palumbo said. "The guys were focused and they knew what we needed to do. For that game, which started at 4 p.m., all our guys were out on the field by three."
The Bruins bought into the 'team approach' concept preached by Palumbo and assistant coach Darius Burton.
"This year we had 22 guys, and I don't think there was one fight or argument all year," Palumbo said. "Even the guys that weren't playing were learning the routine, and never said a bad word."
