Settlers upset Tuckers 2-0 in Homecoming game

Whether it’s a professional, college or high school soccer Homecoming match, scoring the first goal is so vital for success.

It can boost the spirits of one team and be a downer for the other.

Take, for example, what transpired in Southold’s Homecoming game against Mattituck on Saturday, Oct. 4.

Junior midfielder Jostin Cajas converted a penalty kick less than seven minutes into the Suffolk County League IV contest to jump-start the 2-0 win.

Southold head coach Chris Ruggi said that goal helped his team “immeasurably.”

“We’ve just started to do that a little bit, starting with last game on Wednesday [2-0 win over Riverhead Charter],” Ruggi said. “We scored a couple goals early, something we weren’t doing earlier in the season. To do that again is just a credit to the boys.”

The early deficit made life difficult for Mattituck (8-3-1, 7-2-0), the tenth-ranked Class B team in the state.

“Our heads went down early,” head coach Dan O’Sullivan said. “The efforts there in the second half. We need that effort, the full 80. I feel like there would have been a much different result.”

It was a huge Homecoming victory for the unranked Settlers (6-2-1, 6-2-0). They had beaten the Tuckers just once in their last nine meetings (1-7-1) — being outscored 15-4.

The win was a big step toward qualifying for Class C playoffs. Mattituck has its eyes on the Class B tournament.

Though the Settlers defeated a team from a higher classification, they downplayed the significance of the win.

“No matter what game, what team, every game we should be trying to win,” said senior co-captain and goalkeeper Travis Sepenoski, who extended his shutout streak to 304 minutes with his fourth clean sheet. “Class doesn’t matter. We’re in the same league. We all know each other, playing together forever. I love playing against a rival.

“I just got to love it. Homecoming, all the fans coming to support us,” he continued. “I don’t think we’ve won in a couple of years.”

After defender Jackson Case fouled Cajas in the box, he stepped up to the spot and drilled a shot into the lower left corner past goalkeeper Cris Cuellar.

“That penalty was very intense, very pressured,” Cajas said through a translator, defender-midfielder Alan Huertas. “It was a blessing to just score the goal.”

At 31:42, Cajas started the play that gave the Settlers some breathing room. He fed Brandon Moran, who gave it right back and Cajas buried the ball from the right side for a team-high fourth goal.

“It was amazing to finish the play that I started,” said Cajas.

“He’s just he’s a motor out there,” Ruggi added. “He’s constantly a threat. He’s got speed. He’s quick. He knows how to turn with the ball. He’s just a pivotal player for us.”

The Settlers then held off a Mattituck late push that Sepenoski turned aside.

“Mattituck wanted to try to put a lot of traffic in front of him, try to distract them, or just make it difficult for him,” Ruggi said. “He’s completely unfazed. Just goes to work and gets the job done.”

Added Cajas: “It’s an honor to be playing with a captain like Travis. He’s very talented.”

Sepenoski was far from a one-man show. His backline and Southold’s team defense clamped down on Mattituck’s top attackers: Andy Mancia, Anthony Soto and Connor Searl.

“The corners, their throw-ins, we had guys coming in, blocking shots, getting in front of them,” Sepenoski said. “I’ll tip my cap to them. That’s what I’m more proud about. Everyone did their job.”

Southold knew that Mattituck was formidable on set pieces, from Cueller’s long free kicks (two goals, two assists) to Charlie Carter’s accurate long throw-ins, which that have resulted in scoring opportunities, and Soto’s corner kicks.

“We were very prepared for that,” Ruggi said. “Credit to the boys. They executed the plan perfectly.”

After starting the season with at 7-0-2 record, the Tuckers have lost three consecutive matches. That included a 3-1 loss at Center Moriches on Sept. 30.

With a key game against Babylon (Class B) on Wednesday, O’Sullivan said he was “going back to the drawing board in practice.”

“We’ve tried a couple of different things the last couple of games,” he said. “We know things that have been working. We’re trying different things to just get ready for the playoffs. We’ve just got to come out and give 110 percent.”