By Skip Pearlman

Haldane Girls: Solid Wins after Slow Start

The Haldane girls were locked in a 1-1 tie at the half in their game Monday (Oct. 1) against visiting Westlake, but the Wildcats put it away in the second half, scoring four times on their way to a 5-2 victory.

“It was a fairly evenly matched game,” said Haldane Coach Ed Crowe. “But in the second half they got a penalty kick, a deflection off a corner, and we had a few defensive breakdowns.

“It was a tough game, but hopefully we took something away,” he added. “Maura Kane-Seitz played great on both sides of the ball, and [leading scorer] Jade Villella also played well. Abigail Platt keeps us in games with her play in goal.”

The Blue Devils were coming off a three-game winning streak, with victories over Irvington (5-2), Putnam Valley (2-1 in overtime) and Pawling (3-0), who will visit Haldane for a rematch today (Oct. 5) at 4:30 p.m.

The Blue Devils “played fantastic” in the three wins, Crowe said. At rival Putnam Valley, Haldane tied it with 11 minutes to go and won it four minutes into overtime. Irvington advanced last year to the Class B state championship game.

After taking on Pawling, the Blue Devils will host Beacon on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 4:15 p.m.

Beacon Girls: Three Wins That Got Away

The Beacon girls battled to a pair of ties last week before falling 1-0 to Lourdes on Monday (Oct. 1). Coach Hugo Alzate expressed disappointment at three potential wins that got away.

In Monday’s game at Beacon, Kayleigh Goebelbecker scored the game winner for the Warriors on a free kick in the 66th minute. Meagan Meeuwisse had five saves for Beacon, which fell to 3-4-2.

“That was a disappointing loss,” Alzate said. “We didn’t execute in the final third to create shots.” It was Lourdes’ first win of the season, and Beacon had not lost to the Warriors in four years.

On Saturday (Sept. 29), the Bulldogs tied North Salem, 2-2, behind goals by senior captain Eliza Ericson. Analiese Compagnone, who usually is center midfielder, filled in as goalie for Meeuwisse, who was ill, and made eight saves. Alzate said he felt his team outplayed North Salem in the second half.

On Sept. 26, the Bulldogs played to a scoreless tie against Lourdes. “We resorted to playing kickball, and that fit into Lourdes’ strategy,” Alzate said. “We did have the better of the opportunities; we just didn’t score.”

Meeuwisse had five saves for Beacon, which is scheduled to travel to Hendrick Hudson on Saturday, Oct. 6, with a 2 p.m. start, and to Haldane on Tuesday, Oct. 9, for a 4:15 p.m. game.

Beacon Boys: Strong Win on Unfamiliar Field

The Beacon boys scored twice in the second half Wednesday (Oct. 3) to secure a 4-2 league victory over Peekskill in a game played at Rombout Middle School.

John Mesnick scored on a penalty kick midway through the second half to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 advantage, and senior Devin Lambe scored his third goal of the game in the 76th minute. Alec Druckenmiller had two assists for the Bulldogs, who improved to 8-4 overall and 4-0 in League 2E.

Lambe, who has 16 goals this season, has scored three hat tricks in the last five games, noted Coach Craig Seaman. “We go as he goes.” He said he was pleased with the 8-4 record, considering that the Bulldogs have so far only played once on their home field, which has been under water for much of the season.

Seaman said he felt his team was sloppy during the first half against Peekskill but recovered in the second on an unfamiliar, narrow field. “In the second half we settled in, passed and possessed better,” he said. “We attacked the wide areas, and that created space in the middle.”

On Thursday (Sept. 27), the Bulldogs dominated Lourdes, 5-0, and on Saturday (Sept. 29), fell at Arlington, 1-0. The team was scheduled to host Hendrick Hudson today (Oct. 5) at 3:45 p.m. for homecoming.

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Pearlman, a native of Carmel, was the sports editor of the Putnam County Courier in Carmel for 14 years and for the North County News in Yorktown Heights for 13 years. Location: Cold Spring. Languages: English. Area of expertise: Sports