Hampton Bays Boys Soccer Drops Playoff Game at Hills West

More times than not this season, the Hampton Bays boys soccer team defied expectations. It’s what led them to clinching a Suffolk County Class A postseason berth, their first playoff appearance since 2019, thanks to a 7-5 record in League VIII.

But on Monday, the Baymen couldn’t harness the same magic that fueled them all season, leading to a 5-1 loss at Half Hollow Hills West and bringing an end to their season.

“I think we exceeded expectations,” head coach George Carney said after the game. “We fought every game. It’s an unfortunate outcome on their home field. Tough way for my seniors to go out, but all in all, they did great and I’m proud of them.”

Hills West got on the board early when a player lofted a ball into the box that inexplicably went through the hands of the Hampton Bays goalkeeper. About 25 minutes later, a Hills West player took the ball off a throw-in and found some room in the box before letting off a booming kick into the bottom left corner of the goal to make it 2-0 at halftime.

The Baymen, who have a potent offense themselves with senior Charlie Garcia being one of the leading goal scorers in the county, came out in the second half pressuring the Hills West defense, but they couldn’t capitalize on anything. Then, when Luke Bradley sent a ball into the upper right hand corner for a Colts’ goal, that pretty much took the wind out of the Baymen’s sails.

Garcia wouldn’t be denied his 18th goal of the season, but by that time the Colts already led, 4-1, and they added another score for good measure late.

One thing Carney was a little surprised about was the fact that they played the game on a grass field. Hills West has a turf field like the majority of schools have around the county, but opted to play on a grass field instead.

“I think a lot of it is, we had in our head about their field and how horrible this field is,” Carney said of the loss. “But it plays to their advantage and they’re used to it and they worked it in. Unfortunately, kids get in their head and it’s stuck there and they can’t get past it.

“As far as the team that we played, I think we were up to par with them. We just had a bad game,” he added. “It’s unfortunate.”

Garcia is one of 15 seniors on the team, many of whom came through the system with Carney, who was the junior varsity coach prior to being hired as the varsity coach last season.

“It’s bittersweet,” Carney said. “They’ll begin their journey, but I’m going to miss what we have and we’ll just move on to the next season with whatever comes up.”

Although the program is losing a bevy of seniors to graduation, Carney said not to count out his team on returning to the playoffs next season.

“I don’t really like to bank it on seniors to freshmen, because I’ve seen freshmen just as good as seniors. So I look forward to next season right where we left off,” he said. “That’s what we have to work for.”