By TONY BELLISSIMO
Few teams would be able to move up two conferences and maintain a
consistent level of success, but that's exactly what the Kennedy boys
soccer squad managed to do this fall.
The Cougars, who won Conference IV a year ago, battled Manhasset to a 1-1
tie in the Conference II regular-season finale on October 23 to finish 5-5-2,
which was good enough to qualify for the Class B playoff tournament.
"It was one of the best games we played all season," Coach Rich Daoust said
of the crucial tie against Manhasset. "We knew we needed a tie to get into
the playoffs. We scored in the first half, let up a goal in the second half
and hung on. It was great to finish .500, considering we were two divisions
up from last year."
Jarrod Annapolen scored off a scramble in the front of the Manhasset cage
following a corner kick to give Kennedy a 1-0 lead in the first half. The
Indians got a second-half goal from Christos Zisimatos to pull even. Late
in regulation and in overtime, the Cougars' defense and goalkeeper Evan
DeGorter (nine saves) preserved the much-needed tie.
"It was the first goal we scored off a corner kick," Daoust said of
Annapolen's tally.
Kennedy was seeded ninth in the Class B tournament and traveled to Seaford
last Saturday. The teams had split games during the regular season. The
Cougars won the first meeting 2-1, but fell badly in the rematch, 4-0. In a
well-played third battle, Kennedy came away with a victory on penalty
kicks.
"It was pretty exciting," Daoust said. "We're off to Jericho."
Kennedy advanced to meet top-seed Jericho in the quarterfinal round on November
1. The Cougars and Seaford were tied 3-3 after regulation. Kennedy led 2-0
on goals by Chris LaBella and Nick Pagiazitis but fell behind midway
through the second half. Trailing 3-2, the Cougars got the equalizer off
the foot of Robbie Wachtler.
After scoreless overtime play, it took a save by goalkeeper David Molina
and a penalty kick goal by Wachtler to give Kennedy the victory. Billy
Monchik, David Schoenfeld and David Tener also scored on penalty kicks.
A year ago, the Cougars reached the semifinals thanks to a pair of upset
victories. Now they may be on their way again. "Last year we surprised a
few teams that knew nothing about us," Daoust said. "This year is different
because we're not going to be able to take anyone by surprise."
The Cougars are getting outstanding play from a number of players this
fall, particularly seniors Mike Abgarian and Matt Berman. But the team has
been plagued by inconsistency on offense.
"Offense was a problem all year long," Daoust said. "We just haven't been
able finish. We got three goals in the playoff game, but we're still trying
to win games 1-0."
The most goals the Cougars scored in a game was three. In addition to the
Seaford playoff game, they did it in wins over Carey and New Hyde Park.
Down the stretch, Kennedy went 2-1-2 to secure a playoff berth. It blanked
Glen Cove and Carey by identical 1-0 scores, with Berman and Abgarian
scoring the lone goals, respectively, and Adam Spivak recording the
shutouts. In a scoreless tie versus Wantagh, Annapolen made a game-saving
clear from the Cougars' goalmouth. The team's only conference loss late in
the season came at New Hyde Park on October 19.
"This tournament is wide-open," Daoust said. "There's no clear-cut favorite,
and we still have a shot."
