Southold boys soccer falls to Riverhead Charter in heartbreaking county final

And suddenly, just like that, it was all over. Riverhead Charter forward Bradley Bolaj volleyed home a shot from the top of the box into the net to crush Southold’s hopes of capturing the Suffolk County Class C boys soccer title.

The Explorers rushed to Bradley to celebrate the goal.

The Settlers fell to the ground stunned, with many in tears. The highly contested match was decided two minutes and 32 seconds into sudden-death overtime, in a 2-1 loss at Eastport-South Manor High School on Wednesday.

“Just disbelief and sadness,” said senior co-captain and midfielder Brenden Boyle, who, like 12 teammates, played his final soccer game in a Southold uniform. “It’s like the worst possible scenario to lose in a final in overtime.”

“It hurts. Mentally, physically, just hurts,” added junior goalkeeper Grady Brigham, whose superb play and saves kept Southold afloat.

Top-seeded Riverhead, however, had other plans. Aimar Galvez sent a corner kick from the right side into the middle of the penalty area. A defender cleared it. The ball went to Bolaj, who drilled a line drive into the right corner.

“It’s just unlucky,” Brigham said, adding that Bradley was trying for a bicycle kick. “I hit it. It went off the bar weird, and it just went in.”

The Explorers will face the Section I champion in the regional final at Harborfields H.S. on Nov. 7.

For the second time in five days, the Settlers played their hearts out. On Saturday, Oct. 24, third-seeded Southold upset nemesis and No. 2 Port Jefferson, which snapped a four-game losing streak against the Royals.

The Settlers (7-9-1) held their own against the top-seeded Explorers (10-7).

“This was our peak,” head coach Chris Ruggi said. “The whole season was a roller coaster up and down. The last week was a nice, steady climb to where we reached our peak. We’re playing at our best, and it wasn’t enough today, unfortunately.”

Riverhead Charter defeated Southold on Oct. 15, 3-0. The Settlers had something to settle.

“Going into this game, we had beaten Port Jeff,” Boyle said. “We had the edge going into this game with our mindset and everything; we were on a run. We had very high hopes. We had very high confidence. I thought we had a really good chance.”

The Settlers had their moments in the opening 20 minutes.

“I think we definitely surprised them,” Ruggi said. “They underestimated us a bit, just based on our previous matchup, our overall record, and some of our results. I think it’s natural to overlook us a little bit. But over the last couple of weeks, we’ve made some strides. We knew coming in that we were going to be a handful for them.”

Junior forward Jefferson Moreno scored his fifth goal of the season, converting a scramble in the penalty area to give Southold the lead at 8:50.

The Explorers had an opportunity to equalize after senior co-captain CJ Bailey committed a foul in the box at 17:49. On the ensuing penalty kick, Brigham dove to his right to deny Josualdo Zavala-Avelar.

Brigham explained his PK strategy.

“I saw him set the ball up,” he said. “I like to watch their hips before they take the kick. I saw he was turning this way. I was like, I’m just going to commit full right. And just whatever happens, happens. Hey, I got to it.”

Brigham was stellar in goal, making the routine saves and several spectacular ones to keep Southold in the game. He finished with 11 saves,

“Incredible, incredible,” Ruggi said, adding that Brigham made another vital save at the end of regulation. “The ball had to be across the goal line and then he. He tipped it over and kept us alive.”

Daniel Carrera knotted things up at 24:36, scoring from a tough angle on the left flank.

The Settlers held their own in the second half but could not find the winning goal.

Riverhead, however, did, and divergent emotions flowed for both teams.

The Explorers celebrated while the Settlers consoled and hugged each other. Some players cried.

Given what was at stake, it was understandable.

Ruggi, who saw many players grow up over the years, said that he was proud of his team.

“It’s a special group for me, because I taught in the elementary school in my first year teaching in Southold. I was in some of their classrooms when they were in second grade. To go through this battle with them was special. To not feel like we finished it is hard. So, it’s emotional.”