Connetquot, Smithtown East girls soccer close regular season with draw

Nothing separated two of the top teams in Suffolk I girls soccer as night fell on the regular season.

Connetquot and Smithtown East played to a 2-2 draw at Smithtown East High School on Wednesday night.

The two teams called the game for darkness before overtime in each school's final test before the postseason.

“It definitely takes heart, every single one of us,” Connetquot’s Giavanna Meservy said. “From the first minute to the end, we worked incredibly hard.”

Smithtown East (10-3-2) led 2-0 at halftime before Connetquot (9-2-4) scored two unanswered goals and tied the game.

Mallory Anderson opened the scoring off an assist from Chiara Descovich with 10:05 left in the first half. Lauren Hickey’s header off a feed from Lily Zimmerman doubled Smithtown East's lead three minutes later.

“It was great, sometimes I don’t get those in, so it was really stressful,” Anderson said of her goal. “We wanted to get a win. Unfortunately, we didn't, but the tie is still better than nothing and could boost us to be a higher seed in the playoffs."

Meservy put Connetquot on the board with 28:08 left in the second half off a pass in from Kaylin Mallon. Late in the game, a Smithtown East handball in the box gave Kenice Wilson a chance to tie the score on a penalty kick.

Wilson’s shot bounced off Smithtown East goalie Madison Kelly, then rolled back to Wilson, who tied the score at 2-2 with 8:39 left.

“It’s tough having a game decided on a penalty shot,” Smithtown East coach Danielle Knecht said. “I don’t think it’s a reflection of how the game went, but they played awesome. I'm very proud of them."

Kelly made nine saves for Smithtown East, and Emily Anderson made six saves for Connetquot.

Connetquot rides a five-game unbeaten streak into the playoffs. Smithtown East won seven of its last 10 games to close the regular season.

“To go down against a team like this 2-0, honestly, was the best thing for us to get us playoff ready,” Connetquot coach Ryan Cavanagh said. “And to come out the way we did in the second half was unbelievable.”

Going into Wednesday night, Connetquot sat in the No. 4 spot, and Smithtown East sat at No. 6 in the Suffolk I standings. Both teams will compete in the Suffolk Class AAA playoffs, which begin Saturday.

"[We want] to show these other teams that we’re here to win, and we want to go all the way," Meservy said.