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All Somers Spring Slideshows
Pearl River Slideshow
On Friday May 30 Somers hosted Pearl River in the semifinals of the sectionals and the Tuskers came out on fire. Four answered goals in the first period, it wasn’t necessarily the offense that ignited the early explosion.
Like angry bees with teeth and muscle, Somers swarmed each Pearl River possession into turnovers, and the disruptions allowed the offense to set a tone that led to an easy 20-8 victory.
So the first draw going to Pearl River, the harried buzz didn’t wait to get started. Gavin McGrath the first victim, the middie was quickly surrounded on the initial pickup. Still, he somehow managed to escape but the pass ahead had the Pearl River rush run headlong into Tristen Wachtel.
The defender got the pickup and cued up the offense in the form of Miguel Iglesias. Coming from behind after a missed shot, the senior cut right, curled back the other way and unleashed for a 1-0 lead.
In at 10:48, Matt Mayfield’s draw win turned into a Somers turnover. The ball to McGrath again, the Pirate soon got a taste of his team’s own medicine. Iglesias played Buccaneer for the Tuskers and dislodged the ball with a big overhand swing. Cam Violante picked up the treasure, the ball eventually came loose in front of the goal, and Iglesias cleaned up the mess at 10:07.
2-0, the defense rested for the moment. Mayfield sent the draw to Mason Kelly, and he passed back to Mayfield, who found Tristen Iglesias in the end zone. On the run, he swung around, and sidearmed the goal at 9:56.
Another draw to Mayfield, Somers proved human this time. Possession going back and forth still had Pearl River unable to really set up among the Tusker harass.
Of course, Somers finally put the Pirate offense out of its misery. With Miguel Iglesias facing his own double team on the right of the goal, he refused to give in until getting a shot. Off the post, his brother Tristen had the scoop and bounced the rebound in for a 4-0 lead.
2:10 left in the first, the Pirates employed some defense of their own, and on the whistle at midfield, they took possession after Mayfield had won the draw. Setting up, TJ Lanese swung from behind the goal and working one on one versus Dean Palazzolo, the attacker went sidearm past Hudson Ruby at 1:17.
A little momentum was next, and it went in favor of the visitors. Following another draw win for Mayfield, Somers was whistled for offsides, and Pearl River took over. Then Lanese would get in deep on the goal line, passed across the crease to Tommy Ayers, and the leadin cut the deficit in half with 25 seconds remaining.
The first period soon a thing of the past, so was any notion that the Pirates would continue to ride the current, and wiping out Mayfield was no help either. Winning the draw, the senior went straight for the goal, and on his high shot, he was met head on by the Pearl River defense.
Down and out, his teammates made the third seed pay. Around the dial, Cam Violante shot hard from the right goal line, hit the post and Miguel Iglesias reached up for the ricochet. Securing the ball, he dumped right to Kelly, and the lead was 5-2.
In came JJ Penzo for the draw at 11:42, and Pear River jumped the gun for another Somers possession. Firing away, the ball eventually came to Ryan Brush 35 yards away, and the middies’ GPS identified a route to the goal. He took it, came point blank, and Somers had a four goal lead again.
Penzo took the next draw but Breden Reilly slowed the Tusker stampede with his catcher. Not for long with Somers giving chase upfield, Ayers threw the ball away, and the Somers offense was ready to do their thing again.
A similar set up, this time Kelly saw the lane from the top. His shot wide, Cam Violante snared the miss in the end zone, swung forward and uncorked on the right for a 7-2 lead at 9:58.
Pearl River did answer back, though. Penzo jumped the draw, and on the rush, Mikey Sullivan made it 7-3.
35 seconds elapsing, Penzo got the better this round, and Miguel Iglesias seemed the beneficiary. His underhand whip on the left looked unstoppable, but Reilly’s catcher got in the way.
9:06 left in the half, things then got heated when McGrath was sandwiched and dropped by Dylan Jimenez and Bret Kennedy. The Pirate refused to let go of Jimenez’s leg on the way up, and the teams converged.
Even so, play resumed after the refs regained control, and it wasn’t long before Pearl River turned over the ball. Possession change had Kelly working hard for a shot on the right until Reilly came up big again.
A long pass ahead did leave the Somers net empty. But the transition defense regathered, and the ball skirted to the corner of the end zone. There, Wachtel won the battle, and the offense stepped into the batter's box again.
On the run, Somers called timeout nonetheless and final separation began. In the family way, Miguel Iglesias re-kicked off play, and passed to his brother coming from behind. On receipt, he swung forward, and the lead grew to 8-3 at 6:37.
Pearl River getting the next draw, the defense played the waiting game. Playing one on one, Somers still didn’t allow a good chance and took over after one last shot left the defense closer to the ball.
Back the other way, Kelly made it 9-3 and four straight goals yielded a commanding 13-3 lead. Pearl River would close the half with two goals but the blip didn’t prevent Somers from scoring six straight in the third to essentially put the game away.
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