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Boys Soccer: Mattituck game suspended after late start, player injury

Campos Mattituck boys soccer

If Mattituck High School wants to make some noise during the Suffolk County Class B tournament, the Tuckers will have to beat some quality sides.

They hoped they took a major step against Babylon in a League VII game at the high school Friday.

The Tuckers grabbed a 2-0 lead with goals by Pandelli Pando and Chris Waggoner before the match was called because of darkness with 2:36 remaining in the second half. Game officials said the final minutes will have to be played, although no date has been set yet.

A series of circumstances set that into motion.

The game was originally scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m., but the Panthers’ arrival was delayed due to heavy traffic on the North Fork because of the Columbus Day holiday weekend. So the encounter kicked off 10 minutes late.

It was then delayed 27 minutes late in the second half after Mattituck junior midfielder Carlos Campos was kicked in the groin. He needed the assistance of the Mattituck Fire Department as he was taken off the field in a stretcher and taken to a local hospital.

Campos’ condition was not immediately known as Tuckers head coach Will Hayes went to the hospital with his player.

The Tuckers entered the match with a 7-5 overall mark and a 5-3 league record, while the Panthers were 9-2 and 8-1.

Sophomore goalkeeper James Jacobs was solid in the net as he vied for the team’s sixth shutout of the season.

Pando, a senior striker, scored his second goal of the season with 22:58 left in the second half. Dylan Wilsberg lofted in a long free kick from the right side that Waggoner headed toward the far post. Pando then pushed the ball into the net past senior goalkeeper Ian Howard.

After Campos’ injury, Waggoner, a center midfielder, gave the Tuckers some breathing room with 4:26 left as he latched onto a free kick and scored to the near post for a two-goal advantage.

Babylon senior defender Peter Puleo was awarded a red card for accruing his second yellow card of the match with 3:03 remaining, forcing Babylon to play a man down.

That lasted for 27 seconds before the referees called the match.

The Tuckers host Bayport-Blue Point in a non-league match Saturday at 10 a.m.

Caption: Mattituck junior midfielder Carlos Campos is treated for an injury Friday. (Credit: Michael Lewis)