Soccer Notebook
Ossining Falls 1-0 to Brentwood in Overtime at NYS Final 4
Ossining High had never seen its boys’ soccer team in this position before, so the NYSPHSAA Class AA Final was icing on the cake no matter the outcome of Saturday’s Final 4. And, while the result didn’t pan out in the state-ranked (No.3) Pride’s favor, the 2019 club will go down in history as Ossining’s finest.
Ossining senior G Carlos Zabarburu did all he could to keep the Pride (19-3-1) in the game, but Section 11 champion Brentwood, the top-ranked team in the state, prevailed, 1-0 at 11:33 of the second overtime off a scramble in front of Zabarburu, who made 14 saves in the first half, 18 for the game, despite leaving for a spell after a nasty collision. The former academy star returned home to finish out a career that had many calling him the finest keeper in Ossining history, having notched 19 shutouts while posting a 34-5-2 record the last two seasons.
Chances were few and far between for Ossining at Twin Towers Middle School in Middletown, including right-wing forward Kevon Evans, who had a post-season to remember but was under the weather in the semifinals, and Ossining senior Nolan Lenaghan, who will go down as one of the program’s purest scorers. Brentwood’s defense was stifling and would eventually lead it to the state title with a 4-0 win over Section 5’s Fairport.
But the well ran dry for the Pride, who played without the services of suspended M Juan Pablo Estupinan, who hit the golden goal in the Pride’s Region 1 championship win over defending NYS champion Monroe-Woodbury, and Eric Monges.
From 2016 to 2019, the Ossining Pride have enjoyed the most rewarding four-year stretch in school history, capping off 2019 with a league title, the first Section title since 1978 and the lone regional title in school history. And what this particular program has done for the Ossining sporting community – on and off the field — cannot go unrecognized. This four-year stretch has changed the culture of Ossining soccer under Coach Joe Scamarone.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
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