Girls soccer: O'Neill tops Briarcliff in 3-2 double-overtime Class B state regional semis
WALLKILL - Timing is everything, and there's no denying that Section 9 champ James I. O'Neill had some impeccable timing − and tremendous heart, too.
The Raiders had been on their heels for most of the match against Section 1 champion Briarcliff, who brought plenty of attacking pressure. Despite the ball being on their defensive side of the field, the Raiders remained calm and somehow, never panicked.
With 52 seconds remaining in regulation, they mustered the game-tying equalizer to force overtime. Then, the Raiders got the decisive game-winning goal on a well-played counter attack. William and Mary commit Daisy West netted the golden goal to lift the Raiders to a 3-2 win over Briarcliff, with 2:59 left in the second overtime period.
"Briarcliff's a great team, that was a great, competitive game that went into double overtime," West said. "I think that was a team effort. Coming out, when we scored in the last 50 seconds, we'd been in that position before against Wallkill, and then we came out and won that game. This was just a whole team effort, just a lot of heart, and that's all I gotta say about that."
O'Neill never led in regulation, and didn't snatch the lead until the game was on the line. Briarcliff dominated possession and brought the pressure, but even as costly mistakes were made, the Raiders never floundered.
Whenever Briarcliff seemed to steal momentum, the Raiders had a counter-punch just when things were looking dire.
"We have a good defense, and we make it count when we need to on offense," O'Neill goalkeeper C.J. Conkey said. "We did a really good job of that and staying patient. (Briarcliff) may have had the ball offensively for a majority of the game, and they did a really good job of that, but our defense outplayed them and I'm really proud of our defense there. I'm also proud of our offense for finishing when it mattered."
An own-goal spotted Briarcliff a free point early in the second half, but O'Neill managed to score the game-tying goal just a couple of minutes after.
With 12 minutes remaining in the second half, the Bears got another goal from freshman Lily Rowe to take the lead. The pressure mounted for O'Neill with each passing second and minute after that. Just when they seemed to be done, they didn't quit, and with less than a minute to go, a goal by Jael-Marie guy gave them a second wind and a chance to save the season.
There was a bit of a scare, as an early penalty kick opportunity for Briarcliff gave the Bears a chance to seal the game. However, Conkey was ready and came up with another momentum-boosting play and a big-time save for the Raiders.
"I was bracing myself for the game to go to PKs, and I'm obviously glad it didn't," Conkey said, smiling. "One PK in overtime is good enough for me, but again, our offense just did a good job of making sure it didn't happen, and I'm really proud of them."
O'Neill patiently waited for its opening and capitalized on the moment. The ball eventually made its way to West in the box, and the senior placed it into the back of the net for the dramatic finish.
"This is awesome, I'm a senior, I've never won a subregional before, we've won sectionals three times now, but never made it past the next round," West said. "This is just a dream come true for the seniors on this team, and we're ready to get back to work, ready to figure out what we need to for Saturday to win."
For Briarcliff, it's a heartbreaking finish after winning its first section title since 2009. The Bears had a barrage of shots, but couldn't pull away from the resilient Raiders.
"Shoutout to James I. O'Neill, they're a good side, and they hit us on the quick counter," Briarcliff coach David Villalobos said. "We created a lot of chances today, but I think we just weren't as clinical as we have been, so I think that was our only downfall today.
"I just said to the girls from the bottom of my heart, that I love them. They make this job the best job in the world. I told my six seniors that they're the core group that led this team to this moment right now and those are the seniors that led this team to a section title and that'll be forever in history. It definitely stinks losing in a moment like this, but it's not somewhere we can stop. Our future is bright and we're gonna be here again."
What it means
The journey continues for O'Neill, who advances to the Class B state regional final, which will be played in Long Island on Saturday. The location and game time will vary, depending on who emerges on top in the regional semifinal between Section 8 champ Wheatley and Section 11 winner Babylon.
Game balls
Daisy West, O'Neill: The first game ball goes to the William and Mary commit, who had a hand in all three of the Raiders' goals in the dramatic victory. She netted the game-winner in the second overtime period, but she finished with two goals and one assist for the day.
C.J. Conkey, O'Neill: The sophomore keeper was an absolute gamer on the field. A vocal presence for the defense, with the solid play to complement it, Conkey made many crucial saves in the winning effort. None was bigger than her block on a Briarcliff penalty kick early in the first overtime period, and she went on to finish with more than a dozen saves.
Jael-Marie Guy, O'Neill: She got the game-winning goal with 52 seconds left to keep the season alive and give the Raiders a chance in overtime.
By the numbers
James I. O'Neill (13-4): Daisy West scored two goals and had one assist. Jael-Marie Guy also scored a goal.
Briarcliff (13-5-1): Freshman Lily Rowe scored a goal off an assist by Nico Vargish. The Bears' first score came on an O'Neill own-goal, when Sora Marable played a ball into the box and it bounced off the leg of a defender and in.
They said it
"There's been so many moments that I've loved with this team, but this is definitely the top one," Conkey said. "Especially, this in playoffs, this is when it matters and we did such a great job executing. We've improved so much and that's on account of our coach and our coach helping us so much. We're so cohesive on the field because of how strong our bonds are. We're not done yet. We're just going to keep playing like this and keep winning when it matters."
"I just have a great time with them in practice and it sucks I can't come back with them tomorrow again," Villalobos said. "Thoughts for the season? We had a word at the beginning of the season and our word was 'grit,' and it showed throughout the entire season. We started 2-4, went on the undefeated run, and then today, creating chance after chance. We had that grit to try and win the game, but unfortunately, luck wasn't on our side today. I'm proud of these girls and I'm excited for next year."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Girls soccer: O'Neill tops Briarcliff in Class B state regional semis
