Sports

Lady Eagles Soccer Knocked Out by Sachem North, 1-0

Hauppauge's offense kept firing away at Sachem's net in the second half, but couldn't tie the game.

Hauppauge Lady Eagles soccer team was eliminated by Sachem North, 1-0, Monday afternoon in the first round of the Suffolk County Class AA playoffs.

"The girls played well, as hard as it is  I told them to walk off your field with your head held high. They played hard, they played well and that's soccer. Unfortunately the best team on the field doesn't always win," Hauppauge coach Jesseca Kulesa said.

Sachem North sophomore Leanna Curcio scored the only and winning goal of the game with 4:49 left in the first half. The ball had deflected off her teammate Emily Jones inside Hauppauge's 18-yard box, she followed up and beat Hauppauge goalkeeper Diana Poulin in the air to score.

Find out what's happening in Hauppaugewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We know they are very good in the air. In set plays, if you leave someone for one second, they'll finish. We knew that was a challenge we faced coming in,"  Kulesa said. " They had one opportunity and they finished it."

It was Curcio's second game-winning goal of the the season.

Find out what's happening in Hauppaugewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Eagles bounced back to dominate control of the game in the second half, firing away at Sachem North's goal but were unable to find net.

"They had a lot of presses in the second half," Sachem Coach Claude Amallobieta said. "Our defense played smart, simple and focused. That was the difference. We didn't get caught up in emotions."

Sachem North, ranked No. 11, will advance to play against No. 14 Connetquot in the second round after Connetquot upset No. 3 ranked East Islip.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here