East Hampton Shuts Out Longwood To Claim 5th Annual Supervisor's Cup

By Brett Mauser | 1 Comment

Jonathan Pineda (left) of East Hampton wards off Pierson's Jake Federico and boots the ball upfield. Photos by Brett Mauser

Southampton - Somewhere along the line, possibly as a result of a check into the boards or battle in the corner, an off-season soccer tune-up became a win-or-else situation. At the fifth annual Supervisor's Cup held at the Southampton Town Recreation Center, that moment came about in the semifinals for East Hampton, which fought its way through the semifinals into the championship game, where it defeated Longwood by a 2-0 score.

Oscar Reinoso of Pierson directs the ball up the left boards while Ben
McCarron gives chase.

East Hampton, which was knocked out in pool play last winter, became the latest team to hoist the championship trophy. Last February, the Friars, a team of players from St. Anthony's in Huntington, defeated William Floyd to win the title. They had been slated to defend their throne but were no-shows on game day. Floyd and Hampton Bays did not return for 2008, yet the runners-up as well as Center Moriches joined in.

The championship returned to the Hamptons two years after Westhampton emerged victorious in 2007. Councilman Chris Nuzzi presented East Hampton with the trophy.

"You come here to have fun but then something clicks and you want to win," East Hampton's Seth Barrows said. "I don't know when it happens, but it does."

In the title match, East Hampton peppered the Longwood goalie with shots until freshman Angel Garces finally converted, gathering in a long pass from the back and burying it with just over three minutes remaining in the first half. Longwood upped the intensity yet couldn't solve East Hampton goalie Adriano Barnes. Steven Quintero all but put the game away by rifling a free kick home for a 2-0 lead with 3:46 remaining. Longwood made one last charge but couldn't cut into the lead.

"It's great to see the camaraderie," Coach Jim Stewart said. "It's fun to see the kids have fun together and win. They worked hard all day so it was rewarding."

Seth Barrows gathers in a loose ball and pushes it back upfield on the attack.

Longwood hadn't given up a goal in its first three games, including two wins over Center Moriches and another over Southampton. In the other semifinal, East Hampton avenged an earlier loss to Pierson by beating its neighbors 3-2. Danny Bedoya score twice in a span of barely a minute, first collecting a loose ball in front with 3:10 left in the first half, and then firing a missile from 10 yards out with 2:06 left. Oscar Reyes, a transplant from Bridgehampton, tallied for Pierson just before the half closed out, yet Ben McCarron put the game away for East Hampton by punching in a ricochet off the end boards.

Although indoor soccer only somewhat resembles the outdoor game, Stewart hopes the success is a prelude to what's to come this fall.

"We know what they're capable of; and it's better now that they know what they're capable of," Stewart said. "Now that they have this experience, hopefully when we get to the regular season, when the going gets tough, they remember that 'hey we've done this before, we've been in this situation.' "

East Hampton reached the final four by toppling Southampton 1-0 in the play-in round. Dave Riley, who led the high school team to the Class B championship game this past fall, had to play without star Mathias Ruiz. It had lost 3-1 to Westhampton and 1-0 to Longwood before gutting out a nil-nil tie with East Hampton. Westhampton defeated Southampton, earned a 0-0 draw with Pierson and Center Moriches before losing a rematch with Center Moriches 2-1.

East Hampton won the 5th Annual Supervisor's Cup by knocking off Pierson in the semifinals and Longwood in the title match.

Joy Pariz, the program director at the Rec Center, said that interest from other schools mean that the field could very well expand to 12 teams next winter, with 16 being a long-shot. Aside from 2005 when snow cancelled the event, the Supervisor's Cup has taken place every year since 2004 when Pierson originally hoisted the championship trophy.

"These kids see each other but they don't all really get to come together in indoor soccer," Pariz said. "With this we can bring a bunch of kids together to play soccer for a day and have a great time."

For more information, click here.