Somers Dominates Play in 5-1 Victory Over Brewster

Please see photos at the end of the article, and if you're looking for a sports photographer, I can be reached at [email protected] or 914 318 0997.

On Monday October 6, the Tuskers welcomed the Brewster Bears to Somers High School and kept play in the visitors' end for most of the day. It was only a 2-1 game almost halfway through the second half, though. “We were having a hard time scoring,” said Lindsay Ulaj, and that included a couple of loud sounding crossbars. So a game breaker was needed, and Ulaj did the honors

Lily (Mazzella) played it to me and I just one-touch finished it,” she said. “I put it over the goalie’s head and that sparked us.”

Of course, the 5-1 victory started the way it ended. Somers on the attack, Isabella Wissa got the ball to Ulaj in the middle of the field, and she connected with a streaking Mazzella.

A pretty easy save for the Brewster goalie at 38:55, the Bear was far from done. Only a minute later, Wissa’s pass ahead from midfield had eyes through the morass, and Lara Schulze had to race out to cut off the furious advance.

Only an offsides on Mazzella saved the poor goalie moments later. But the timing was right at 33:11 and so was the vision. “All my strikers, I’ve played with them for so long that I don’t have to look to see if they are there,” said Ulaj, and Mazzella took her teammate’s little pooch into open space.

On the run, the senior had the step and gave Somers a 1-0 lead. Brewster did respond when Daniella Apap got ahead of the field, but the Tusker defense came to play too. Maeve Cleary ran down the play and got the clear.

So the Somers offense showed how it was done. Angie Giron caught Mazzella on the express train, and with the defense chasing, the wing punched in at 31:32.

Now 2-0, the girls did not let up. Alessia Matteo and Mazzella had breakaways, and Mazzella showed she could put her teammates in play too. Racing for the ball in the corner, she sent the ball through the crease, and Kate Hanford sent the perfect pass just wide of the goal at 27:35.

The chances passing, Brewster took advantage. After Apap fired on a corner kick, the ball came right back to her and the wing's hook hit the inside of the far post to cut the lead in half.

In at 13:55, Brewster rode the momentum for a minute. Three incursions, the defense was on the ball each time, and the offense got back on its game. Aurora Riley took a pass ahead, and set up on the left, her shot went off Lara Schulze’s outstretched hand and then the crossbar.

Denied again, Somers was forced to go into the second half with a slim one goal lead. Mazzella proceeded to hit the crossbar in the early going of the half, and then she put a perfect ball on the foot of Hanford.

A diving save resulting at 32:40, Schulze had more work to do. Ulaj sent the goalie diving seconds later, and Hanford’s one v one skirted wide when the Bear barely got a deflection on the advance with 29 minutes left in the game.

Enough was enough, Ulaj delivered at 21:59 and the Tuskers put the finishing touches when Mazzella completed the hat trick, and Ashley Kuchinsky scored off the corner kick.

Click for Video

Click image for photos

Please like Somers Sports on Facebook

And

Please follow Somers Sports on Instagram

Thank You