Somers and North Salem battle to 2-2 tie

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Somers hosted rival North Salem, and the energy was high with the defending state champions coming across town. The match was physical on both sides, and Coach Rob Carreira admitted, “I think a little bit of emotion from the game got to us at points.” Still, he was pleased with the effort.

“I’m really impressed with the guys, we came back and tied it twice,” Carreira said after the 2-2 deadlock.

The action started quickly. Just over a minute in, Harper Ritson worked down the sideline and sent a cross through the North Salem crease, but no one was there to finish. Moments later, the ball bounced dangerously inside the Somers box until Jameson Juan cleared it at the last second.

Off the ensuing corner, Isaac Rouse rose highest, but North Salem countered quickly. Angel Romero Meijo found space in the corner, though his shot was easily handled by Somers keeper Ben Baran.

Soon after, the Tigers struck. In a foot race off a long ball, Sean Randall got there first and buried a roundhouse kick to open the scoring. With 31:15 left in the half, Liam Keegan and Rouse combined on a dazzling sequence before Keegan curled a shot past Baran for a 1-0 lead.

North Salem nearly doubled the margin at 25 minutes, but an offside call negated Keegan’s breakaway finish. Somers responded with pressure of its own. Ritson broke free on a long pass toward an open net, but the Tigers defense bailed out their keeper. Two minutes later, Trevor Keimig created another chance from the sideline.

“I usually just kick it down the line and use my speed as an advantage,” said the junior wing.

This time his cross went wide, but Keimig soon forced a corner. Aiming for one of his taller teammates, the ball instead curled straight into the net. “I was trying to hit one of my taller boys, and it ended up in the net,” Keimig said. “So that’s all that matters.”

Somers kept the pressure on. Randy Contreras connected with Shane Carroll for a shot on goal, and Ritson forced keeper Kyle Li into a leaping save. The half closed with Keimig just missing on another cross.

The momentum carried into the second half, especially through Ritson, who dazzled the crowd with a behind-the-foot dribble, forced a sideline penalty, and created several near chances. But North Salem’s defense held firm, highlighted by a big slide tackle from Rouse.

Tensions rose midway through the half when Keegan broke free through the middle. As he tangled with Baran, the teams converged in a brief scuffle that produced yellow cards. Carreira praised the officials: “They made sure everyone was safe, and in the heat of the moment, I think they wanted us to keep playing.”

Somers survived one penalty kick but conceded another minutes later when Randall served a ball into the box for Max Cotrone, who headed it home at 13:16.

North Salem nearly sealed the match when a long clearance bounced toward an open net. Baran deflected the ball, but a Tusker defender cleared it off the line to keep hope alive.

That lifeline paid off. Ritson earned a penalty and then a corner, which Keimig delivered into a scramble. “It was just chaos,” said Contreras.

The midfielder then restored order. “The ball got to my side, and I tipped it in,” he said, tying the game at two.

Somers almost stole the win when Ritson set up Milan Sath for a breakaway finish, but the play was ruled offside.

Carreira was content with the outcome. “He was offsides. The call was spot on,” he admitted. “We just got to keep sharp and be happy that we are undefeated in the last six games.”