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Girls Soccer: Clippers hope their future includes the playoffs

Babylon's Olivia Maldonado, who scored twice, and Southold/Greenport's Sabrina Basel in action during Thursday's game at Southold High School. (Credit: Garret Meade)

With its youth, the Southold/Greenport high school girls soccer team is clearly a squad built for the future. The Clippers, however, hope that their near future will include the playoffs.

The Clippers, whose roster is predominantly composed of freshmen and sophomores, are striving to make it into the postseason. It could be close as they sit on the proverbial playoff bubble with four regular-season games remaining.

Although the Clippers’ coach, Vaughn Locascio, said his team played its best all-around game of the season on Thursday, the result — a 4-1 loss to Babylon — didn’t do his side any favors.

Olivia Maldonado scored two goals for Babylon (9-3, 9-2 Suffolk County League VII), which snapped the Clippers’ three-game winning streak with the victory at Southold High School.

Maldonado had a goal in each half, opening the scoring after only 4 minutes 41 seconds. Sarah Stark retrieved a ball near the endline and laid off a pass for Maldonado to direct into the goal. Maldonado’s second goal was the final tally of the day. Following a turnover by the Clippers, Sophie Ryan set up Maldonado, who curled a well-placed shot inside the far right goalpost at 49:50.

In between Maldonado’s brace were Babylon goals by Sarah Quigley and Amanda Guerra. Quigley, assisted by Molly Cummings, found the net with a left-footed blast at 21:59. Guerra nailed a long, high free kick at 46:41.

Babylon came close to scoring on other opportunities, but Clippers goalkeeper Hayley Brigham made a couple of nice diving saves among her nine stops and Babylon’s Shayne Antolini was unfortunate to hit the left post in the second half.

The Clippers (4-6-1, 4-5-1) had cut Babylon’s lead to 2-1 when Rosemary Volinski connected on a long-range shot with 4:02 left in the first half. Annie Lincoln assisted.

Babylon outshot the Clippers, 20-6, and took all six of the game’s corner kicks.

The Clippers lost the services of one of their starting defenders, Lucie Showalter, who went down with an injury to her troublesome right ankle at 21:26. She was helped off the field without putting any pressure on the ankle and did not return to the game.

The Clippers were already without two regular starters. Hannah Sutton is out with a knee injury and Emily Perry was away on a college visit.

Showalter will have time to rest her ankle. The Clippers will not play their next game until next Thursday, when they will host Center Moriches.

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Photo caption: Babylon’s Olivia Maldonado, who scored twice, and Southold/Greenport’s Sabrina Basel in action during Thursday’s game at Southold High School. (Credit: Garret Meade)