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Boys Soccer: Wyandanch blanks Tuckers in playoff opener

Wyandanch goalkeeper Jose Reyes gets a piece of a corner kick in the vicinity of Mattituck's Tim Schmidt. (Credit: Garret Meade)

The ball just didn’t want to go in.

The second-seeded Mattituck High School boys’ soccer team did everything but score in its 1-0 loss to No. 3 Wyandanch in a Suffolk County Class B semifinal on Thursday.

The Tuckers (12-5) fired shots that hit the woodwork, sailed over the goal, wide left and right of the target and at goalkeeper Jose Reyes as well, but could not find the back of the net.

The defending New York State Class B champions and five-time defending Suffolk Class B champions paid for it dearly as they were eliminated from the postseason by a greatly improved Wyandanch side (8-8-1). Wyandanch coach Tom Williams said he believed his Warriors had registered their first ever playoff win.

Jose Benitez converted his own rebound inside the six-yard box with 22 minutes 2 seconds remaining for the lone goal of the match.

Mattituck virtually laid siege to the Wyandanch goal over the final 20 minutes of the second half, desperately trying to score the equalizer. The Tuckers’ best opportunity came when reserve defender Jeff Hauser could not put in a loose ball at the left near post with 16:25 left.

Senior forward Joe Tardif hit the crossbar four minutes into the second half.

The last time the Tuckers failed to reach the county final was in 2009.

Wyandanch will play either No. 1 Southampton or No. 4 Center Moriches at Diamond in the Pines in Coram on Saturday afternoon.

Photo Caption: Wyandanch goalkeeper Jose Reyes gets a piece of a corner kick in the vicinity of Mattituck’s Tim Schmidt. (Credit: Garret Meade)