Featured Story

Boys Soccer: Renewed rivalry between Mattituck, Southold

Grathwohl

The last time Mattituck and Southold High Schools tussled in a Suffolk County boys soccer league game, most of their present-day players weren’t born yet.

For the first time since 1999, the two North Fork powers played in a league match with the Tuckers recording a 1-0 overtime victory at Southold Friday. (The teams played in non-league last year with Southold winning 2-1).

Alp Kilinic scored with 7:50 remaining in the second OT to lift the Tuckers to their third consecutive League VII victory.

Axel Rodriguez-Canal found Pawel Kibliscz near the right corner and fed Kilinc, who beat goalkeeper Dylan Clausen from six yards for Mattituck (3-3, 3-1).

Until the game-winning goal, Clausen grabbed just about everything sent his way as he made eight saves. Mattituck keeper James Jacobs wasn’t tested as much as he finished with three saves en route to the shutout.

From 2000 to 2014 the teams performed in separate leagues, the Tuckers in League VII, the First Settlers (1-5- 1-3) in League VIII. But with Southampton and Wyandanch becoming Class A school and leaving League VII and Mercy and Ross not fielding boys soccer teams this fall, that league and League VIII was merged into one circuit, at least for the year.

The Tuckers dropped their opening three matches of the season as they were outscored, 7-0. They bounced back this week with three wins in a row — a 5-0 home triumph over Smithtown Christian Monday, a 4-0 away victory over Greenport Thursday, a game that was postponed a day due to lightning, and now Southold.

After recording a 7-3 win over Port Jefferson last Saturday, the defending county Class C champions have lost two consecutive games, including 3-1 defeat at Center Moriches Wednesday.

Mattituck hosts The Stony Brook School Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. while Southold welcomes Babylon the same day at 4:30 p.m.

Photo caption: Zach Grathwohl of Southold vies for the ball with Mattituck’s Bryce Grathwol. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)