Garden City Boys Fall to Amityville in LI Finals

The Long Island Championship game shaped up as a true battle of the top teams on the Island, with the teams coming into the match with identical 16-1-1 records on the strength of dominating defenses and potent scoring attacks. The two teams played in a non-conference game in mid-October and battled to a 2-2 tie, setting the expectations for this match to be a close one.

The Trojans came into the game well prepared by coaches Paul Cutter and Reid Sclafani, not only well trained but also physically fit and ready for a battle. Likewise, Amityville coach Mike Abbondondolo had his team ready to roll with a quick strike offense highlighted by their speed and skill.

It didn’t take long for the game to get interesting. In the second minute Garden City’s Robert Patrissi headed a long ball into the box that Stephen Zuniga beat Amityville keeper Manny Salazar to and chipped a ball just wide of the goal.

The next good chance came just minutes later as GC’s Nick Bernieri took a ball from Spencer Caporicci and headed toward goal. Bernieri was spun around by the Amityville defender and the whistle was blown for a free kick from 20 yards out for the first set piece attempt for Garden City. Travis Thompson took the shot that was headed towards the corner of the goal, but Amityville keeper Salazar made a diving save to punch the ball out.

Amityville had their first chance, a long shot that Trojan keeper James Castoro handled easily and released a quick outlet for the counterattack. The ball found senior captain Finn Connolly who beat a sliding defender down the sideline. As Connolly got deep into the corner, he saw an onrushing Bernieri alone ten yards out and he buried a shot just inside the post that Salazar didn’t have a chance to save. Garden City had an early 1-0 lead after just a little over eight minutes were played.

The play moved up and down the field quickly, and in the thirteenth minute Amityville had their first dead ball foul in a dangerous spot. As the ball curved over the two-man GC wall it looked like it was going to sail into the goal. But the shot deflected off the far post just out of the reach of dangerous Amityville striker Bryce Cherry and Garden City averted the tying goal.

The action was picking up and each team was able to move the ball quickly through the midfield to open up scoring chances. In the sixteenth minute, GC’s Christian Pica got behind the defense and headed a ball just over the goal.

Then in the nineteenth minute Amityville was able to break through the solid Trojan defense as forward Stanley Louis used his speed to beat the Trojan defense to a long ball over the top and beat Castoro for the tying goal.

Garden City had a couple of good chances in the next five minutes, the best being a free kick that Connolly drew just outside the box, but the kick sailed over the bar. Caporicci also gave the Trojans a couple of chances as he joined the offense from his right back position. First, he took a good shot from 25 yards out that Salazar grabbed. And then it was a cross he put into the box that was headed out to safety by the Amityville defense.

In the last twelve minutes of the half, it was Amityville getting the best chances to take the lead. Cherry had two chances in the box to put Amityville ahead but both times defender Connor Brock was able to clear the ball. Louis also had a chance for his second of the game but with Castoro closing down the angle his shot went wide. And the game went into halftime tied at 1-1

An entertaining first half for the crowd of almost 500 promised to give the fans a lot more to cheer about as the boys were just getting started. The second half started much like the first ended, with up and down chances for both teams but neither team being able to produce their second goal.

For Garden City, it was Connolly, Bernieri and Thompson continually trying to break down the Amityville defense but couldn’t get off a clean shot. The best chances came on long throw-ins from Patrissi and a couple of corner kicks off the foot of Bernieri.

On the other side of the ball, Amityville was looking to spring Cherry or Louis over the top but the defense of Brock, Patrissi, Caporicci, Ryan Buccellato and Jack Perrini were quick to the ball, keeping the attack at a distance from Castoro. In the twenty-third minute Castoro was forced to come up with a tough save on a low shot to the corner from Juan Ponce.

Just a minute later, Amityville pressured the Trojan defense and forced a corner kick from the left sideline. The ensuing kick lofted high over the defense to the back post where it found the head of Norvin Martinez Hernandez who timed it perfectly and sent the ball across the goal and into the net. Amityville had the crucial third goal of the game and a 2-1 lead with just 15:56 remaining in the title match.

With Garden City pressing for a tying goal, Amityville was able to strike quickly for an insurance goal just less than three minutes later. It was another long ball over the top of the defense that found Bryce Cherry battling in the box with Connor Brock. As Cherry was about to shoot, he and Brock got their feet tangled and both went down in front of a sliding Castoro. The referee was right on the play and a penalty kick was awarded to Amityville, much to the disdain of the GC faithful. Amityville’s senior captain Ponce stepped up to the spot and buried a shot for a 3-1 lead.

But this Garden City team, as coach Paul Cutter has said numerous times, has no quit in them. The Trojans, true to their coaches’ words, fought back and quickly cut unto the Amityville lead. This time it was Garden City with a long ball off the foot of Bernieri finding an attacking Stephen Zuniga in the middle of three defenders. Zuniga was able to turn on the ball and drive a shot over the outstretched hands of keeper Salazar for the goal. Amityville’s lead was cut to one with a fired up Garden City team coming at them.

With the game wide open for the last 11:27, there were chances for both teams but neither could connect. Castoro stopped Cherry from in close, then it was Salazar coming up big at the Amityville end of the field. The best chances for Garden City in the closing minutes were a couple of long throws from Patrissi that were flicked on but could not connect with a GC foot ffor a good shot.

The excellent seasons for these two teams will continue for Amityville in their run for a State Championship in Middletown next weekend. The Garden City Trojans should be proud of an outstanding season that ended on a day that they gave it their all.