9-18-08 ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST 2-1 W

The pregame handshake was friendly.

BY JASON MOLINET

What should have been a singular victory against a top Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA rival was marred by a violent end. St. Anthony’s topped St. John the Baptist, 2-1, in a boys soccer showdown that was high on emotion and physical play Thursday night at Cy Donnelly Field in South Huntington.

In the end, tempers flared and the game was stopped with 1:39 remaining in the second half when a brawl erupted just beyond the St. Anthony’s goal. The melee lasted 30 seconds and both benches left the sideline. According to St. Anthony’s athletic director Don Buckley, who conferred with the officials on the field in the aftermath, three players from each team was given a red card and ejected (their names were not released).

Buckley said he would speak with St. John the Baptist athletic director Ralph Dalton in the coming days on an appropriate course of action. St. John the Baptist also saw Stephen Richardson ejected with 7:19 left, forcing the Cougars to play a man down. Each player given a red card must sit out the next league game.

The emotion built with each goal. St. Anthony’s junior forward Nick Masotto struck first with 90 seconds left in the opening half. St. John’s scored the equalizer with five seconds left in the half when Kyle Grell hammered home a direct kick by Adriano Gabriele.

But the Cougars could not beat St. Anthony’s senior goalkeeper Alex Naples twice. He blocked a blast by Gabriele with 16 minutes left. Another potential goal hit the goal post with 11 minutes to go.

Once SJB was forced to play a man down, the momentum swung the Friars’ way. It stayed there until the end when things got ugly. The full extent of the fallout will be known in the coming days. Any way you look at it, this was one costly game.