Fox Lane soccer settles for 1-1 tie against White Plains

Jim MacLean photos

Cloockwise from top left, Kenny Mejia Lopez rips a shot to score the only goal of the game for Fox Lane. Fredy Contreras controls on a fast break against White Plains. Fox Lane goalie Drew Bagley corrals a loose ball in front of the net.

By JIM MACLEAN

The Fox Lane boys varsity soccer team was hoping for a big win at home as the Foxes hosted White Plains on Monday night, Oct. 7, in a league showdown. The Foxes had already defeated White Plains on the road, but the Tigers made sure it would be a tough game to the end as the two teams settled for a 1-1 tie.

With the tie, Fox Lane now stands at 6-3-2 overall as the Foxes also suffered a 2-1 loss to rival Horace Greeley on the road Saturday, Oct. 5.

It was a tale of two halves as Fox Lane came out slow in the first half against a White Plains team the Foxes had defeated easily on the road by a score of 7-3 earlier in the fall, but the Tigers came out strong and held a 1-0 halftime lead. Fox Lane turned it on in the second half to even it up, but the Foxes were not able to score again and settled for the tie.

“We were a little flat in the first half, took some time to settle in,” admitted Fox Lane coach Mike Tomassi. “We’re a little beat up and were missing two starters on defense, took some guys a little time playing different roles to settle in and we definitely came out flat, but we settled in and played well. Just one of those games where soccer can be a cruel sport, you put pressure on and have a ton of shots but don’t score. I thought we did that today and we’re lucky to get out of here with a tie against a good team.”

Fox Lane was under pressure in the first half as White Plains started out strong and created a bunch of scoring opportunities. That pressure almost paid off as the Tigers were awarded a penalty shot midway through the half, but Fox Lane goalie Drew Bagley came up big with the save to keep it 0-0.

“We have two of the best goalies in the section in Drew and Eli (Daglio), and Drew has been fantastic on those set pieces,” Tomassi said of the penalty kick save.

That seemed to fire up his teammates as the Foxes started to gain control of possession and create some opportunities of their own, but White Plains regained momentum as Eric Garcia scored with two minutes left in the half to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

Fox Lane responded after the half as the Foxes came out strong and answered back. Gavin Morales created a breakaway taking the ball around midfield and getting it into the corner where he crossed it to the middle, and Kenny Mejia Lopez gained control and blasted a long shot into the goal to tie it up at 1-1 with 35 minutes left in the half.

The Foxes kept up the pressure and created a lot of scoring opportunities. Mejia-Lopez almost scored again as he banged another shot off of the post. The Foxes were awarded a penalty shot just seven minutes later, but this time it was the White Plains goalie coming up with the save to give the Tigers some momentum.

The action went back and forth from there with Fox Lane outshooting the Tigers 12-4, but neither team was able to score again and they settled for the 1-1 tie.

“I thought we did a lot of nice things, just one of those games where we hit the post, had a penalty kick stopped, and just couldn’t capitalize,” said Tomassi. “Overall, we played well. Connor Cox usually plays outside and he moved to the middle, and Ryan Joseph stepped in and played fantastic for us. I’m really proud of our defense. Soccer is one of those games you can control for 80 minutes and lose by one goal. We’ve played a tough schedule, we’re battle tested, and I’m happy where we are. Our league is one of the better leagues in the section with Greeley, Ossining and White Plains, and we’re doing well. We come to work every day and all we want to do is be a tough team ready for the playoffs."