Garn’s eleventh-hour goal seals overtime win over Liberty

Division IV victory ends a hard-fought battle between familiar foes

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LIBERTY, NY - As a sportswriter who has become infatuated with soccer, I have to confess that there are times when I secretly pray for a tie. It’s generally when two teams go at it hard that I feel that it’s a shame that one team has to lose.

Liberty and Sullivan West players and coaches deserve that kind of tie-game kudos for a hard-fought match played on September 21. It was a classic,although it did not start out that way.

Sullivan West players arrived late, through no fault of their own. Coming off a nine-day layoff, they missed the chance to warm up properly due to their tardy arrival. Consequently, they played the first 40 minutes in a state of flurried disarray. Yes, they got off 23 shots to Liberty’s nine, but when the dust cleared, it was the Indians who led 1-0 at the half, behind a goal from Nick Vasquez fueled from an assist by Michael Dunnigan. The goal was clocked in at 29:44, and Liberty players were brimming with excitement and intensity at the prospect of beating Sullivan West, their closest rivals.

“We’ve got to keep this up and continue to get the first step. Let’s take this right at them,” urged Liberty’s Justin Garritt in the halftime huddle. Earlier in the day at SCIL, Garritt was thinking ahead to the game. “We’ve had trouble scoring, but we really have to win this game,” he said.

Coming into the game, Liberty was 0-5, but one of those losses was an overtime defeat to Monticello, which scored a goal in the waning moments of the second overtime period to win the match 1-0. “We played 100 minutes and didn’t score,” bemoaned Garritt.

Over on the Sullivan West side at halftime, the tone was quiet and resolute as coaches Debbie Owen and Ron Bernhardt discussed what was needed to reverse the narrow Liberty lead. “We’re getting plenty of shots on Hamlin, but you’re sending the ball right at him,” Bernhardt said.

This Division IV match up mattered mightily to both squads and the second half was going to be won by the team that would surpass the other in intensity, winning balls and executing the basics.

That team would prove to be Sullivan West.

As the second half got underway, Sullivan West out-hustled Liberty in the midfield and continued to work the ball ahead to its forwards. Liberty’s rushes were turned aside, often by the energetic play of Garrett Owen, Logan Grishaber and Justin Armstrong. Ross Bernhardt did yeoman’s work in the midfield. Liberty’s players were going at it too, but couldn’t get the offensive flow going.

Upfront, Sullivan West’s Kienan Garn and Kevin Cappiello fired shots at Liberty keeper Scott Hamlin, who was having a terrific game in goal, as was Sullivan West’s Kevin Pinkel.

Garn had an opportunity with a direct kick after a push was called on Liberty just outside the box, but he misfired. Another Garn shot sailed wide left. With 13:52 gone in the second half, he connected on a feed by Armstrong to tie the score at 1-1.

A short while later, he nearly had another goal as he fired a shot from the front left to the opposite back end of the net, but Hamlin dove and caught it.

Sullivan West dodged a bullet when Pinkel came out of the goal on a Liberty rush and Owen headed the ball out of harm’s way.

Regulation ended in a 1-1 tie and furious play in the first 10-minute overtime period produced the same result.

Liberty kicked it in to start the second overtime period. Sullivan West marshaled a shot by Armstrong, one by Garn and direct kick by Cappiello, all for naught.

Owen picked up a ball deep in Sullivan West’s end and drove it up the field, but a hand ball sent it back the other way.

In a complex sequence that led to the winning goal—an angle shot past Hamlin, who had come out to defend another attempt—Bernhardt held the ball in against Vasquez. Garn poked it ahead, but Justin Green got a hold of it and tried to clear. Liberty’s Matt Baxter fronted it and started it going the other way. Owen moved in to turn the ball back, winning the ball from John Snyder. Bernhardt and Armstrong each had touches to hold the ball in the Liberty end.

Cappiello got going with it and Garritt moved in to defend. As Hamlin came out to defend, Cappiello chipped it across to Garn, who poked it through for the game-winner with 38 seconds remaining.

Liberty coach Debbie Simpson was proud of her team, and understandably frustrated by the second overtime loss of the young season, and the team’s missed attempt at garnering its first win or tie of the year.

Sullivan West coaches were delighted with the win. “This was a big one,” Bernhardt said.

Liberty fell to 0-6 (0-2 OCIAA). Sullivan West improved to 3-2 (1-0 OCIAA).

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