Blue Devils Fall to Commack, 2-1
Huntington's Ricky Velasquez scored off an assist from Christian Caballero about six minutes into the game, but the Blue Devil boys' soccer team fell to an aggressive Commack squad in the opening round of the Suffolk Class AA playoffs, 2-1.
Huntington's players took the loss hard, with several openly weeping as they walked off the field and others barely containing their tears. The Blue Devils struggled mightily to get their offense uncorked but couldn't capitalize on the handful of opportunities they had in the second half.
On a cold, clear afternoon, Huntington (9-8) turned in a strong effort against Commack, which entered the game ranked 10th in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters' Assn. The Cougars are a fast and strong team with extremely talented players at every position.
After falling behind 1-0, Commack (15-1-1) regrouped and came back to score a pair of goals over a three-minute span to take a 2-1 lead. Neither team could put the ball in the net in the second half despite several close calls. Goalie E.J. Connell helped keep the Blue Devils in the game as the senior stopped 18 shots.
The powerful Cougars set the tempo of play in the game and proved to be too much for Huntington to handle. A crowd of about 300 fans turned out to see the two proud teams battle it out on the turf field at Commack's multi-purpose stadium.
"It's tough to lose," Huntington head coach John Pagano said. "We gave a very good effort."