Playoff-Bound Mariner Boys Soccer Remains Undefeated In League Play

A come-from-behind win on a blustery night under the lights at home helped the Southampton boys soccer team stay undefeated in League V play last week.

The Mariners notched a 2-1 win over a scrappy Babylon team on Friday night, a victory that was sandwiched between two other wins — a 1-0 road win over Mattituck on March 23, and a 5-0 shutout of Smithtown Christian on Monday.

Southampton moved to 5-0, 5-1-1 overall, putting the team in second place in League V behind fellow undefeated team Center Moriches (5-0, 6-1).

Against Babylon (5-2, 7-3), the Mariners fell behind 20 minutes into the first half when eighth-grader Owen Morris put his team on the board off a free kick. But Southampton grabbed momentum going into halftime when Griffin Schwartz sneaked the ball in near post to tie the game with less than two minutes before the break, off an assist from Endrit Bedrolli.

Bedrolli scored the game-winner midway through the second half, and sophomore goalie Andy Panza preserved the win with several key saves, and a total of five for the game.

Southampton head coach Mike Valentine said he was happy with the way his team stayed the course against a strong opponent.

“[Babylon] plays a very specific game, and they play it well,” Valentine said. “They use free kicks and set pieces to their advantage, and they defend well as a unit. We knew that going into the game, and knew we wanted to keep possession and play our game. Even after that early goal we knew we just had to keep our heads.”

On Monday, Schwartz had a hat trick in the win over Smithtown Christian, while Ashton Triffitt scored twice. Patrick Matthews had two assists, and Erick Campohermoso had three assists. Panza kept a clean sheet with a handful of key saves, including one of a penalty kick.

In the 1-0 win at Mattituck, Schwartz provided the only goal, midway through the second half, off an assist from Matthews. Panza had six saves in the shutout win.

Southampton has three games left in the regular season, with the finale having the potential to decide the league champion.

The Mariners will host Pierson on April 3 at 10 a.m. and will visit Port Jefferson on April 6 for a 4:30 p.m. game, before hosting Center Moriches on April 8 at 6 p.m. under the lights.

Aside from the likelihood of determining the league regular season title, the game with Center Moriches could also determine who gets the top seed in the Class B playoff bracket. It’s likely that four teams will make the ‘B’ playoffs, meaning the top two seeds would host county semifinal games. But if only three teams advance to the ‘B’ playoffs, the top seed would have a bye into the county final.

So far, only Southampton, Babylon and Center Moriches have officially qualified for the postseason.