Shorthanded Settlers suffer shutout loss to Port Jefferson

Even before the opening kickoff, the top-seeded Southold Settlers were playing with one hand tied behind their backs on Saturday.

Senior standout goalkeeper Travis Sepenoski, who has been sidelined for about a month with an illness, could not play. That forced the Settlers to use two relatively inexperienced players in the net in the Suffolk County Class C boys soccer final at Southampton High School.

It made their challenge even greater against a very good Port Jefferson team.

The second-seeded Royals recorded a 3-0 victory over the Settlers (10-5-1), ranked 11th in its classification in the New York State sportswriters’ poll.

“That was a rough opponent and a rough game. At the end of the day, they played better than us,” said junior forward Jostin Cajas, who made his debut as goalkeeper. “They’re a really good team.”

“Our guys came out strong,” junior midfielder Brandon Moran said. “It just turned out in Port Jeff’s favor.”

Unranked Port Jefferson (9-5-1), which won its first Class C crown since 2012, will meet the winner of the Section I champion North Salem in a Southeast Regional match at Hendrick Hudson High in Montrose on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 5 p.m. The Royals forged a 5-0-1 record against Class C teams while outscoring its foes, 20-1. Southold was the only Class C side that solved their backline on a goal by senior forward Alan Huertas, in a 4-1 loss on Oct. 20.

The Settlers tried again on Saturday but just could not find the net.

“We didn’t really connect on offense,” Huertas said. “But I think the effort was there and the heart was there.”

All things considered, Cajas played well, recording seven saves in the opening half. Head coach Chris Ruggi did not specify Sepenoski’s ailment.

“He’s a great player, a great teammate,” Huertas said. “Not everyone can step in goal in a county championship, without playing a game before. I think it was really amazing.”

The Settlers’ best chance came at 12 minutes and 35 seconds, when Huertas drilled a blistering 35-yard free kick that Royals keeper Samuel Matvya dove to his left to save.

“It was really good, on target,” Moran said.

Southold’s goal was to reach halftime with a scoreless tie, which would have been a huge boost for the team.

But Port Jefferson had other ideas. Sviat Zalizniak sent a right-wing cross to the back post for Chase Davis, who headed it toward the net. Cajas almost got a hand on the ball to keep it out before Tomas Qepuri slotted home the loose ball at 33:45.

“I was going to go get it,” Cajas said. “The wind was a big factor today. When I tried to grab the ball, the wind took it and went into the back of the goal.”

“The defense was good, but after they scored, it entirely changed,” Huertas said.

Realizing he needed goals, Ruggi replaced Cajas, who scored six goals as a forward, at the start of the second half. Junior Elmer Velasquez (six saves), who has played goal before, went into the net.

“He did a great job for us. He played really well in the first half,” Ruggi said about Cajas. “But once we’re down 1-0, he’s our most dangerous striker, so we put him in the field to try to get us back in the game. He did a good job in the second half, but we couldn’t score.”

Southold pushed up in the early in the second half trying to equalize. But Port Jefferson doubled the lead as sophomore Max Gordon bundled the ball home at the right post 4:33 into the second half. Zalizniak added the third goal, floating home a high shot, with 12:26 remaining in the match.

The bottom line for any team is how much they improved during the season. The Settlers did just that, making themselves a handful and a half playing against some Class B schools. They played Class B champion Babylon to scoreless draw and surprised Mattituck, 2-0.

“We got better throughout the season,” Ruggi said. “We worked hard in practice and got experience with games. You saw the result. We definitely got better. We didn’t finish the way we wanted to. I saw the improvement, which is the most important thing.”

Added Huertas: “I think there’s a lot of good things that are going to come in the future.”