Sports

O.L.L. Soccer Stars Celebrate Successful Season

Three CYO soccer squads from Our Lady of Lourdes in Malverne made it to the playoffs this year.

"It was a transformational season," said Anna Sullivan, head coach of the fourth grade boys CYO soccer team from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. Sullivan, who has coached the boys for the past five years, since they were in Kindergarten, said "the team has come a very long way."

For the past two seasons, the group of about 20 boys, including Sullivan's son, Jack, were only able to win two games, but this year they finished second overall in the regular season. Their 4-3-2 record earned them one of the four coveted playoff spots.

"I'm really proud of the boys," Sullivan said. Although the team's run for the championship was brought to an end over the weekend when they lost to St. Aidan's at Long Beach Middle School on Nov. 20 in the semifinals, she urged her boys to keep their heads up high. "It was a winning season, no matter what."

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Bob Schiller felt the same way about his sixth grade O.L.L. boys team, who also qualified for the playoffs this season. The squad defeated St. Aidan's Saturday night to move onto the finals in Long Beach the next day.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't our day today," Schuller said after the final match. "We fell behind 5-0, but my guys never quit and in fact, staged a furious comeback to get back to 5-3."

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Schuller said they were pressing to put up more points, but ran out of time.  

"I am very proud of them," Schiller said. "They very easily could have quit on the game, but fought back until the final whistle."

The squad took  home second place, receiving a team trophy and T-shirts to commemorate their successful season. As did the eighth grade ladies team from Lourdes, who played under the lights in Merrick last night, Nov. 21, in the final against St. William. They had defeated Long Beach in the first round of the playoffs to make it to the championship game.

The girls fought a close battle against a very challenging opponent, losing by only one goal.

"We had an excellent year," said their coach, Russell Palmer, before leading the young ladies across the field to collect their second place trophy and shirts. "They were just a better team."

The girls finished the season with an overall record of 9-2-1.

"We have a great team," Palmer said, noting that this was the girl's very last game together in the CYO soccer league. "I'm sad it's over."


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