Flores' Two Goals Gives Hampton Bays Boys Soccer The Win Over Southampton

Dylan Flores has a knack for scoring goals when it matters most. The Hampton Bays senior scored multiple game-winning tallies last season, which led to the first ever Class A postseason berth for the Baymen, and it appears he’ll continue that role again this season. Flores scored both goals in his team’s 2-1 victory at home over cross-town rival Southampton on Friday. His first strike came with just over 17 minutes remaining in the first half, when Oscar Vasquez played a ball into Southampton’s box. Flores found himself onside and behind the Mariner defense and flicked the ball passed Southampton senior goalie David Nichols to give Hampton Bays the 1-0 lead. Southampton (0-2-1 League VII, 0-3-1 overall) pressured Hampton Bays (1-2 League VII, 1-3 overall) late in the first half and it led to sa trike from sophomore Ben Luss to tie the game at 1-1 with 27.6 seconds remaining. The game remained tied for much of the second half until Yesui Jimenez played a through ball to Flores, who found himself one on one with Nichols. Flores went to the left-hand corner for the game-winning goal with about 5:30 remaining.“He will shoulder a big amount of the scoring load, similar to what he did last year,” Hampton Bays head coach Scott Garofola said of Flores. “At the same time, he is willing to do what’s best for the team. If a situation or matchup presents itself where we need him to do something else for us, he’s willing to do it.”The victory was a welcome change from the 7-0 loss Hampton Bays suffered in its previous game at Center Moriches on September 6. Garofola said he did make a few minor moves to his overall game plan after that game, namely moving Vasquez from an offensive central position to a more defensive mid position. That created a little more stability in the midfield, Garofola said, and shifted everyone back a spot. Garofola has been impressed in the early going by senior defender Bryan Ramirez. “He’s been our best player,” he said. “He’s been buzzing around in the back and has been a really big force for us.” Southampton head coach Dave Riley, meanwhile, was disappointed with how his team played at Hampton Bays. He did mention that his team was missing a few players, notably Oscar Avendano. The junior made his season debut on Monday at Wyandanch and scored two goals in what wound up being a 4-3 overtime loss for the Mariners. Josue Portillo scored the game winner for Wyandanch—his fourth goal of the game—three minutes into overtime off a through ball from Armanda Vega. Portillo scored off a header on Brandon Benitez’s corner kick with 12 minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime.