After Tight Loss to Center Moriches, Pierson/Bridgehampton Boys Soccer Defeats Greenport to Clinch Postseason Berth

It wasn’t too long ago that competing with perennial powerhouse Center Moriches was basically an afterthought for the smaller Pierson/Bridgehampton boys soccer team. But the Whalers have shown in recent years that they can hang with the Red Devils, and earlier this season, on September 12, they handed the Red Devils their first loss of the season in a hard-fought 2-1 overtime victory.

The two teams met again this past Thursday, October 6, this time on Sag Harbor soil at Mashashimuet Park, and while Pierson gave Center Moriches another run for its money, ultimately the Red Devils won, 1-0, extending their winning streak to eight games. That streak ended Saturday when Center Moriches lost, 2-0, at home to Mattituck — the Tuckers have now beat the Red Devils twice this season.

After losing to Center Moriches, Pierson rebounded with a 4-3 victory at Greenport this past Saturday to improve to 7-3-2 on the season and all but locked up a postseason berth with just four games left in the regular season. Dan White, in his first year as head coach for the Whalers, gave credit to the team’s core of players for making the boys soccer program what it has become, which is a perennial contender, not just against fellow Class C schools such as Southold, but against the rest of its league opponents, such as Babylon, Center Moriches, Mattituck and Southampton.

“All these guys, they bring it and they play all year round. This is what they love to do,” he said of his players. “So they can compete skill wise, hopefully physically they don’t get overmatched, but they’re playing soccer 10 months out of the year, and that’s why they can compete with the Centers and Mattitucks, which is an attribute to them.”

In the loss to Center Moriches last week, the game remained scoreless about three-quarters of the way through, until John Krauss came through for the Red Devils, intercepting a clearing opportunity for Pierson at the top of the box, taking a few steps toward the goal and booting the ball into the right side. While Center Moriches controlled much of the play in last week’s games, both teams were close in actual scoring opportunities. Pierson freshman Sebastian Beech rocketed a shot from about 30 yards out that sailed just high of the goal with four minutes remaining in the game. Senior goalie Gavin Gilbride was credited with six saves, though he was fairly busy for much of the game and, along with a strong defense, helped keep it a close game throughout.

White appreciated how hard his players worked all game, but eventually, he said, his team is going to have to get its offense going, particularly against the tougher teams in the league. Pierson junior David Moreno started the game, but quickly exited with an injury and never returned, and Bridgehampton junior Helio Paucar has been out with an injury and missed the game entirely. It was both Moreno and Paucar who scored against Center Moriches in the win earlier this season.

“So then we end up pulling from our back, which our defense is tremendous, but those guys are natural scorers, they’re our fastest guys up top,” White said of missing both players. “And we end up putting guys up top who can play the position but they’re not as fast and we don’t get as many chances.

“But in a lot of ways, we played better today than we did over there,” he added. “And they’re the best team in the league right now … so a lot to be happy with.”

Against the league’s top competition, White pointed out, his team hasn’t been able to score more than two goals, which came in the one win over Center Moriches. The Whalers were shut out twice by Babylon and played to 1-1 ties against both Mattituck and Southampton. The offense, he reiterated, is going to have to improve.

“I just think that, for us, is staying healthy, trying to make sure that we’re getting better every day in practice, not looking too far ahead because Southold will get better, they’re well coached,” he said.

All of that being said, Pierson does boast one of the top defenses in the league. Prior to Saturday’s game, when Randy Campos scored a hat trick for Greenport, the Whalers hadn’t allowed more than one goal in a game. Anchored by Gilbride, the goalie, the defense also includes seniors Halsey Burton and Brandon Guanga, junior Ryder Esposito and sophomore Wilmer Martinez.

“We go into every game, knock on wood, knowing we’re going to have a shot because they’re just lockdown, which is good,” White said. “They’re gritty, they’re tough and they know how to play, they’re not just bruisers back there, they have some skill. It’s fun watching them.”

Pierson is expected to host Mattituck this Thursday, October 13, behind the high school at 4 p.m. and will play at Southampton the very next night on Friday at 7 p.m. The Whalers will then host Smithtown Christian for their home finale this Monday, October 17, at 4:30 p.m. before playing at Southold in their regular season finale on October 19 at 4 p.m.