Leigha Mackin's goal off through ball from Mia Montalto lifts Connetquot in OT in Suffolk Class AAA girls soccer semifinal
Connetquot High School’s Leigha Mackin, left, celebrates with teammate Mia Montalto after scoring the winning goal in overtime in a Suffolk Class AAA girls soccer semifinal against Commack on Monday at Connetquot. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
“This is our house, defend it,” Connetquot girls soccer coach Ryan Cavanagh shouted in the overtime huddle.
Leigha Mackin heard the message and delivered.
Mackin scored the game-winning goal off a through ball from Mia Montalto 1:18 into overtime to lead the second-seeded Connetquot to a 1-0 win over No. 3 Commack in the Suffolk Class AAA semifinals at Connetquot Monday evening.
“I knew we couldn’t lose on our home turf,” Mackin said. “I knew I had to put it away. I knew I had to strike it in.”
“We all knew Leigha was going to be there,” Cavanagh said. “We just had to get her the opportunity. We kept telling her you’re going to get one and boy did she get one.”
Connetquot (14-2-1) will face top-seeded Sachem East in the Suffolk County championship Thursday at 7 p.m. at West Islip. It is the first time in program history that it made it past the semifinals according to Cavanagh.
“This was a huge step,” Cavanagh said. “This is maybe the biggest win in our school’s history. But we got another one to go.”
It was a defensive battle out of the gate, both teams making key defensive plays. Commack’s defense, anchored by Valentina Castelli and Sydney Rafft, disrupted the T-Birds attack and caught them offside.
In the second half, the Cougars put pressure on the box, putting up seven shots after recording three in the first half. But standing strong in the box was Addisyn Gentile, who recorded 11 saves and her tenth shutout of the season.
“This is my livelihood,” Gentile said. “I was 5’8 when I was six years old. The box is where I’ve been my whole life.”
Connetquot eventually broke through.
In overtime, Melanie Bub won possession and found Montalto, who slipped a through ball to Mackin for the ensuing goal. After being called offside several times, Mackin timed her run perfectly to set up the game-winner.
“I knew I had to keep making that run,” Mackin said. “No matter how long it takes, I knew it was going to get to my feet.”
Breanna Mender had four shots for the Cougars (13-3-1).
“They really came together as a group this year,” Commack coach Joseph Brandofino said. “Coming off a state championship win last season, every game has been a battle, but I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The win brought things full circle for Connetquot. They defeated the defending state champions Commack in the beginning of the season, and to do it again in the playoffs made the victory extra sweet.
“This is what we’ve been building for so long,” Cavanagh said. “A moment like this.”
Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.
