LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — As the mackerel sky faded into a waxing gibbous phase of the moon over the Sullivan West soccer field on October 6, the home team Lady Bulldogs of Sullivan West (6-2-2 overall, 2-2 league) edged the S.S. Seward Lady Spartans (3-4-1, 0-4).

The game was a lot closer than the final score and stats might have you believe.

In the first frame, Sullivan West’s Sophie Flynn scored at 19:14 off an assist by Brooke Nunnari,  followed by a solo shot from Viola Shami at 36:00, to put the home team up 2-0 at the half.

The Lady Bulldogs scored again at 18:48 in the final frame, as Kaylee DiBiase beat the Seward goalie off an assist from Nunnari.

At 22:46, Seward’s Taylor Vogt put the Lady Spartans on the scoreboard, a shot that ended the match’s scoring, giving Sullivan West a 3-1 victory.

Stats, the short version: Shots (SW 38, Seward 3), shots on goal (SW 20, Seward 3), corner kicks (SW 1, Seward 1), keeper saves (SW’s Elaine Herbert 2, Seward’s Stephanie Reicherter 17).

Seward, coached by Joe DiMattina, took to the field with eight seniors: Alana McLeod, Leslie Mann, Sophia Brady, Shannon Sgombick (captain), Camila Fuentes, Fatima Dillon, Maddie Rosado (captain) and Cameron Gafa-Byrne.

Noting that the Lady Spartans “lost a lot of kids” and have a “lot of new girls playing soccer for the first time,” Coach DiMattina said, “We’re going to struggle to get a .500 record and make the playoffs.”

The team has “a combination of a few experienced players with a lot of inexperienced players… we’re struggling to play full [80-minute] games, versus 30-minute scrimmages,” he added.

Sullivan West’s head varsity girls’ soccer coach Megan Brockner and assistant coach Samantha Cummings both agreed that that final score didn’t reflect the intensity of play by both squads,

And then there’s the “Dawg Pound,” a cautionary tale of that fine line that separates the exuberant spirit of students rooting for their fellow classmates on the fields of athletic competition, from what was deemed by some as “rude and taunting.”

During the match, the “Pound” was in full cry in support of the Lady Bulldogs, but at one point the ruckus in the stands caused the head ref to pause the game. He talked to the Sullivan West coaching staff about what he perceived as negative comments directed to the opposing booters.

A case could be made that there is a difference between comments from the “fans in the stands” during a football game, and a girls’ soccer contest.

But in the grander scheme of good sportsmanship and respect—probably not.

In the spirit of fair play, sometimes these “comments” cross the line, causing one individual to later describe them as “borderline obnoxious.”

In the opinion of this sports scribbler, the issue was addressed directly, when at the close of the match, a couple of Sullivan West’s senior players walked over to Seward’s coach and apologized for the antics up in the hometown bleachers.

For the rest of this story and more photos, visit www.riverreporter.com/sports.