It might have been a disappointing finish to the Town of Brookhaven Summer Soccer League season for the Mattituck boys soccer team, but it wasn’t necessarily a discouraging one.

After the Tuckers dropped a 2-1 decision to Rocky Point in the playoff semifinals on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at Center Moriches High School, players agreed that the team’s glass was half full entering the season.

“It’s the first year that we’ve made this far,” senior forward Charlie Carter said. “This is my fourth year, and it’s the first time we’ve made it this far. It’s promising for this season ahead. It shows how much heart we have and how we’ll continue to keep that throughout the season.”

Carter wasn’t the only one who was encouraged by the results.

“We know that we’re a strong team,” senior midfielder Andy Mancia said. “We’re confident that this season we’re going to go far. We’re going to be much better than where we are today.”

Mattituck (4-3-0) finished fourth in Division III, the small-schools league. But that tells only part of the story. The Tuckers lost to long-time Class B archrival Center Moriches, 2-0, in their opener, Riverhead Charter (Class C), 2-1, and Rocky Point (Class A), 3-2.

But they bolstered their confidence, defeating three Class A schools: Sayville, 2-0, and Mount Sinai, 2-1, in the regular season, and Miller Place, 3-0, in the quarterfinals.

“It means we’re in a pretty good spot for the upcoming season,” senior goalkeeper Cris Cuellar said.

Added senior defender Frankie Secaida: “We’ve come back against A teams. That will apply to the B teams. We could do that or even better.”

The summer league lets veterans get into shape, and allows newcomers who are ready to make the jump from JV to the varsity an opportunity to learn to play at a faster and more physical level.

Players need to furnish their own transportation to games and are not obligated to play. Some might have summer jobs. Others might go on vacation with their family or could have commitments with their club soccer teams.

Every team faced these challenges.

Against Rocky Point, the Tuckers were without the Palencia brothers, defenders Alex, a senior, and Dylan, a sophomore, who were on vacation.

Landon Bonamo shot from the left side lifted the Eagles into the lead 13 minutes and 21 minutes after the opening kickoff.

Mattituck thought it had equalized after Carter’s throw-in sailed directly into the net. Goalkeeper Benjamin Mall caught the ball while standing inside the goal. Game officials claimed no goal because throw-ins must be touched at least once on the field of play before it can be counted as a score.

The Tuckers tied it on Mancia’s screaming drive from just outside the penalty area in the first minute of the second half.

“I’ve been just working my butt off shooting the ball, controlling the ball,” he said. “I just saw the opportunity.”

Dean Hardi scored the game-winning goal when his shot went through Cuellar at 48:37 of the 60-minute match.

“I didn’t see the ball,” Cuellar said. “It just skipped right under me.”

Cuellar’s booming kicks into the Tuckers’ attacking end kept Rocky Point on its toes. Mattituck, however, could not cash in.

Head coach Dan O’Sullivan said the Tuckers will enter the season with an established identity.

“We’re deep,” he said. “We had a roster of 30. You never know who’s away, who’s got work, who’s got different things. That we were able to come with a different team, and just give everything we had, I’m just very proud and excited for the season ahead.”

He was encouraged by junior forward Connor Searl and Mancia, who tied Sayville’s Kenny Cabanas for the league lead (seven goals apiece).

“The fact that we were able to link them together was incredible,” O’Sullivan said. “We know we’re always going to be defensively sound. We need those guys up top that are going to put the ball in the net. Those two showed us that they can do it.”

Instead of facing each team twice in the realigned Suffolk County League VI (composed of Class B, C and D teams), teams will play each other only once.

The Tuckers will begin the season against three Class B rivals, starting at Southampton on Sept. 4 at 4:30 p.m.

“Right off the bat, it’s Southampton, Babylon, Center. Boom, boom, boom. Pretty intense. Pretty quickly,” Sullivan said.

Southold (0-7-0) was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Rocky Point, losing in penalty kicks, 5-4, after playing to a scoreless draw. The Settlers host Mount Sinai in their season opener, a non-league contest, on Sept. 1 at 5 p.m.

Greenport, which did not participate in the league, will begin its campaign with a non-league match at Miller Place on Sept. 3 at 4:15 p.m. The Porters will host the Settlers on Oct. 7 at 4:30 p.m.

The post Tuckers have optimism heading into soccer season appeared first on The Suffolk Times.

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