Girls Soccer: Wildcats fall 2-1 against Bayport-Blue Point

CLASS A SEMIFINALS  |  PHANTOMS 2, WILDCATS 1

Bayport-Blue Point senior Danielle Heyder converted a free kick 2 1/2 minutes into the second half for the deciding goal in a 2-1 Phantoms victory over Shoreham-Wading River Friday afternoon in the Class A semifinals.

Heyder, who assisted Bayport’s first goal, lofted the ball into the box amid a crowd of players where it deflected off a Shoreham player. Shoreham goalkeeper Kelly Wynkoop took a few steps forward and reached up to try to catch it, but she couldn’t get her hands fully on the ball to stop it and it deflected back into the goal.

The Wildcats lost for the second time in three tries against Bayport this season. All three games were decided by one goal.

Bayport advances to play Islip Wednesday in the county finals. No. 5 Islip upset top-seeded Sayville Friday afternoon.

Had the Wildcats won, it would have been a rematch of the 2006 county finals, which was the last time Shoreham advanced beyond the semifinals. The Wildcats’ last county title came in 1987.

Shoreham senior Kari Quinn tied the game at 1 in the 39th minute, giving the Wildcats an emotional lift before halftime. She lined up for a free kick from about 40 yards away on the left side and booted a high arching shot that deflected off the right post and in the goal. Quinn, who normally kicks lefty, kicked it with her right foot.

Bayport (13-4) scored the game’s first goal off the first corner kick of the game. Senior Abigail Grappusso headed the ball into the goal off the pass from Heyder.

The Wildcats (10-5-1) reached the semifinals after a 3-0 win in the first round over Harborfields.

Shoreham’s loss to Bayport marked the final high school game for seven seniors. Quinn, who burst onto the scene as an eighth-grader with 16 goals, ended her five-year career as one of the top soccer players to come through the school.