Avani Brandt helps Syosset win Nassau Class AA girls soccer championship
Avani Brandt #18 of Syosset, left, moves the ball across the field during the Nassau County girls soccer Class AA final against Massapequa at Berner Middle School in Massapequa on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. She scored both of her team's goals to lead Syosset to a 2-0 victory. Credit: James Escher
There isn’t much Avani Brandt can’t do on a soccer pitch. In fact, it’s hard to even come up with one.
The four-varsity player for the Syosset girls soccer team has played nearly every position on the field over her tenure. She will play in the High School All-American Game in late May before playing at Stanford University, which won the 2019 National Championship.
But before doing any of that, Brandt wanted to cement her legacy at Syosset High School. And in her final varsity game, she left no doubt.
Brandt had two goals as No. 2 Syosset defeated top-seeded Massapequa, 2-0, in the girls soccer Nassau Class AA championship at Berner Middle School Tuesday evening.
"This genuinely means everything," said Brandt, with tears coming down her face. "I’ve played with a lot of these girls since I was 5 years old, and this is the last game we’ll be playing together and it’s honestly the best way we could end it."
Brandt finished a cross from Sofia Cummo to give Syosset a 1-0 lead exactly 10 minutes into the contest. She also capitalized on a Massapequa turnover and used her breakaway speed and powerful shot to give Syosset a 2-0 lead with 8:51 left in the first half.
"I have my team to thank for that," Brandt said. "We all perfectly executed the game plan we put in place and even though I’m the one who scored, I had a whole team behind me that led to it."
Syosset teammates celebrate after their 2-0 win over Massapequa in the Nassau County girls soccer Class AA final at Berner Middle School in Massapequa on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. Credit: James Escher
It was Syosset’s second Nassau Class AA title in the last three seasons and also in program history. Syosset finished 11-3-1 and Massapequa finished 13-1.
"To beat a team like Massapequa with such a winning tradition, you need to get certain things right in order to get the result," coach Joseph Marchette said. "And one of those things has to be a focus on stopping their play because they are so good."
The Syosset backline, including Kelly Batkiewicz, Izzy Lee, Hannah Krinsky and Paige Fragoso, and Riley Miller and Krystina Reiner at midfield did a stellar job of limiting Massapequa’s clean looks. Eve Waldhauser had seven saves while often charging out of the net to control the 18-yard box.
Massapequa defeated Syosset twice during the season by a combined score of 7-1. But Syosset put together a game plan to take the final and biggest matchup of the season.
"We just wanted revenge," Batkiewicz said. "We wanted it. It was our last game forever to represent Syosset and we all wanted it. We all did it together."
