Quality finish for Freeport

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The Freeport girls’ soccer team fought back from disappointment of missing the playoffs to end the season on a positive note.

The Red Devils’ postseason goals were dashed following a heartbreaking 3-3 tie with Westbury on Oct. 10 that featured the tying goal scored with 10 seconds remaining leaving only pride to play for in the final three matches. Freeport responded with a 1-1 tie against Hicksville on Oct. 15 before a blowout 10-0 win against Hempstead on senior day two days later. The season concluded on Oct. 22 with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to previously unbeaten Oceanside, who had defeated Freeport 7-0 just a month earlier.

“The goal of finishing the season strong really came through for us,” said second-year Freeport head coach Chris Doherty. “We finished up extremely well.”

In the Oceanside match, Freeport went toe-to-toe with the Conference II champions before the Sailors found the back of the net with three minutes remaining. The next week Oceanside nearly upset second-seeded Massapequa in the Class AA quarterfinals during a dramatic 5-4 overtime loss.

“We went into that game like it was our playoff game,” said Doherty of the Oceanside match. “The girls really went after it.”

The Hempstead match created an opportunity for Freeport’s nine seniors to gain a winning feeling in their final home game. The Red Devils had seven different goal scorers led by a hat trick from Ancksu Dixon and two tallies by Tatianna Austin. Aaliyah Solano, Jewel Myrie, Melissa Moreno, Kelcey Woodward and Ashley Peralta all had one goal each.

“It was a big evening for us,” said Doherty of the convincing Hempstead victory. “It was terrific.”

Senior goalie Tyler Hawkins capped her heralded Freeport career with 24 saves against Oceanside and earned All-County honors for the second straight season. Hawkins was also named Conference AAII goalkeeper of the year and garnered scholar athlete accolades by the league.

Dixon joined Hawkins on the All-County team with 20 goals during her standout sophomore season. Peralta and defender Darelyn Lewis were also recognized for their stellar play with All-Conference honors. Moreno and Austin were named to the All Class team.

Freeport finished third in Conference AA-II to just miss out on grabbing one of the league’s two available playoff spots at 5-4-3.  The Lady Red Devils were also one spot away from reaching the postseason in 2017 and 2018 when only the conference winner extended their season.

Despite falling short of the program’s postseason aspirations, Doherty said the fight shown until the final whistle shows that the commitment is there to reach that next step. He credits the nine graduating seniors of Peralta, Woodward, Solano, Moreno, Hawkins, Gabriela Rios, Cheyenna Bardsley, Yehannys Rosales and Omayris Quintanilla with paving the way for future success with winning attitudes.

“I’m happy that the girls had a big finish,” said Doherty, who coached some of the seniors as JV coach prior to taking over the varsity program last year. “The girls played hard until the end.”