Sports

Girls Soccer: Murphy’s toe poke brings Tuckers ‘W’

Bishop McGann-Mercy's Dayna Young (10) and Mattituck's Alex Beebe running neck and neck for a ball. (Credit: Garret Meade)
Bishop McGann-Mercy’s Dayna Young (10) and Mattituck’s Alex Beebe running neck and neck for a ball. (Credit: Garret Meade)

TUCKERS 2, MONARCHS 1 (OT)

Courtney Murphy seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time when she is on the soccer field. That was surely the case on Monday when the Mattituck left midfielder toe poked in the game-winning goal for a 2-1 overtime triumph over Bishop McGann-Mercy.

A long throw-in by Madison Kent trickled across the penalty area where Murphy managed to get the tip of her cleat to the ball before onrushing goalkeeper Juliana Cintron-Leonardo could get to it 3 minutes 31 seconds into overtime at Harold T. Murray Memorial Field in Riverhead.

“Oh, it was an awesome feeling,” Murphy said of her second goal of the season. “I was just happy to see it in the back of the net.”

The senior was also involved in Mattituck’s first goal, the second of the season by freshman Jane DiGregorio. It was a centering ball from Murphy that Cintron-Leonardo had trouble controlling. DiGregorio swooped in and put the ball in for a 1-0 Tuckers lead at 20:16.

McGann-Mercy was unfortunate to find itself trailing in a first half in which it controlled the majority of the possession, keeping the ball in Mattituck’s half of the field for much of the time.

But the Monarchs (3-3-1, 2-3-1 in Suffolk County League VII) received their reward 5:20 into the second half. After Meghan Bossone was fouled in the penalty area, she blasted a penalty kick to the right of goalkeeper Emma Fasolino.

Both teams had chances to win the game in the 80 minutes of regulation time. Kent ran onto a ball that had popped outside the penalty area and sent a long-range, threatening shot that veered off target with less than 23 minutes to go in the second half.

An even better opportunity presented itself for the Tuckers (4-1-1, 4-1) three minutes later. The Tuckers were awarded a penalty kick, but Nikki Zurawski pulled her low shot to the left.

That meant 20 minutes of overtime needed to be played.

Fasolino had a good game, collecting loose balls and making 7 saves. Her best stop came with 17 seconds left in the second half when she did well to save a dangerous shot by Bossone.

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