YORKTOWN, N.Y.—No. 4 Yorktown took on visiting No. 13 Clarkstown North on Oct. 25 in the opening round of the Section 1 Class AA Tournament and was able to create plenty of chances, registering 19 shots.
“We got the number of chances we wanted but the quality chances weren’t as much as we would like,” said Yorktown coach Ryan Langkafel. “We were getting the shots on goal but we would’ve liked to create more dangerous opportunities, to get more in the back of the net.”
Yorktown did get one in the back of the net. Unfortunately, the visitors got two goals, leading to a 2-1 Clarkstown North victory.
Despite the loss, the season was still a great one for the Huskers, who finished 12-2-3.
“The season was excellent,” Langkafel said. “We set some records for the program, especially since I’ve been here. They are a committed group, they are a very athletic group. They are playing soccer as much as possible year-round, in the offseason through the summer. They are very determined. On another day, maybe we would’ve had a couple of other opportunities to win this one and make a run we expected ourselves to, but that’s the game of soccer sometimes.”
Yorktown battled Clarkstown North to a 0-0 tie in the first period.
“The first half was good,” Langkafel said. “We were executing how we wanted to. We were just missing that lack of sharpness and just that final pass to give us an opportunity to get a goal. The effort was definitely there. They gave everything they had; they left everything on the field—especially the seniors in their last game.”
Those seniors were Caitlin Mulvihill (captain), Peyton Case (captain), Emily Tian, Breanna Dicioccio, Kendall Kardon, Siobhan Mulvihill, Caoimhe Vallely, and Ava Chibbaro
After Clarkstown North scored the first two goals of the second half, Kardon sliced the Rams lead in half with a goal of her own. Her shot was placed perfectly over the goalie, cutting the Huskers’ deficit to 2-1 with 18:29 left in the game.
“I mean, it was definitely a pick-up for the team,” Kardon said. “It lighted a fire underneath everybody. This team had worked so hard to get to this point. It was definitely unexpected that we were going to lose. I thought we were going to go far. The goal itself definitely set the tone for the rest of the game.”
Husker midfielders, Case, Caitlin Mulvihill, and Sydney Soliz, helped create scoring chances after that for Kardon and the rest of the team.
“Our midfield worked really hard to distribute the ball and get it to my feet when I asked for it,” Kardon said. “The rest of my teammates just found me when I was open.”
While those scoring chances didn’t translate into the game-tying goal, it showed that the Huskers weren’t going to do down without a fight. That type of tenacity comes from the bond the teammates feel for one another.
“Yorktown is a really special family that we have here,” said Kardon, a three-year varsity player. “It won’t be the same anymore, not being together with the people I consider family, my teammates and coaches.”
In goal, Autumn Richards recorded 6 saves against Clarkstown North.
Yorktown won 1-0 at Mahopac in its regular-season finale on Oct. 21, paced by Lea Bryant (1G), Kardon (1A), and Richards (8 saves).
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