Lynbrook girls soccer rallies late to secure hard-fought draw against Island Trees

There wasn’t much the Lynbrook girls soccer team could do against Island Trees goalkeeper Olivia Carbonaro early on. The Owls generated chance after chance, starting as quickly as a quality shot less than 30 seconds into the contest, but Carbonaro kept denying a goal.

“Their goalie is amazing but we had each other’s backs,” Lynbrook senior forward Anthonia Edobor said. “We didn’t put our heads down. We kept going and the more shots we take, one is going to fall.”

Eventually one did and then Edobor followed up with one more as Lynbrook rallied with two goals over the final 10 minutes to force a 2-2 tie with Island Trees in Nassau Conference A/B-II girls soccer play at Lynbrook North Middle School on Wednesday. Edobor struck from 20 yards out to the top of the net off an assist from Gabby Meszaros with 2:04 left in the second half to tie the score at 2.

Leah Casolaro finished a cross near the goal from Isabella Tjaden with 8:25 left in the second half to cut Island Trees’ lead to 2-1.

“We have a positive mindset and we were all really there for each other,” Edobor said. “We lifted each other up and tried not to get frustrated. We knew we’d get it.”

Kayla Portes scored two goals in the first half for Island Trees (5-2-4, 3-2-4). Carbonaro finished with 18 saves, including multiple one-on-one stops to frustrate Lynbrook scorers and keep Island Trees ahead until two strong late goals for Lynbrook (7-1-3, 5-0-3).

Lynbrook coach Jenna Crimmins said the Owls have fallen behind early at other points during the season before rallying for a tie or victory. Although she doesn’t love it, it does teach her something about her team.

“It just shows a lot about our grit as a team,” Crimmins said. “We don’t give up. We know that if we’re down, there’s a chance we can come back because we’ve done it a couple of times. Do I like it, no, but it shows a lot of character.”

Lynbrook remains undefeated in the conference with a chance to win the Nassau Conference A/B-II title. The Owls will also play postseason soccer and games like Wednesday are a reminder that even if they trail early, they are capable of coming back.

“The way they compete really shows a lot about them and they’re not going to give up,” Crimmins said. “If we happen to be trailing from behind, we’re not going to give up and be counted out because we’ve proven time and time again that we can come from behind and tie or win and get the job done.”