Francis Lewis’ Nataly Rojas scored the game-winning goal. (Denis Gostev)
D.J. Glazer broke free from the Francis Lewis defense with Bayside down a goal in the waning moments of Thursday’s match and immediately brought back visions of last season. It was then that Glazer broke the Patriots hearts with late equalizers in two regular season ties.
“I thought she was going to make it,” Lewis senior Nataly Rojas said.
Glazer got deep into the box along the left side and poked the ball to the far post only to see it sail just wide with less than a minute to play. It allowed young Francis Lewis to hold on for a 2-1 win over rival and visiting Bayside in PSAL Queens A-IV girls soccer. Both teams reached the PSAL Class A semifinals last season after Bayside won the division title.
“My heart stopped,” Patriots coach Jeovani Paredes said. “I know [my assistant’s] stopped and then we came back to life.
It was one of the few good chances for Glazer, the city’s leading goal scorer a year ago got as new sweeper Caroline DeBonis, Kristen Pully and the rest of the Patriots’ defense kept her in check. That was all part of an impressive performance from a Lewis team that lost five key seniors to graduation. The passes moved crisply throughout the field and the dominance of senior center midfielders and captains Libby Zelikowitz and Rojas allowed them to control play much of the afternoon.
“It gave us confidence that we could go through the season and do well,” DeBonis said.
Lewis led early as freshman Diana Lopez tapped in a cross from sophomore Panagiota Tsourapis in the 19th minute. Patriots freshman goalkeeper Celeste Trevellini had to come off her line to re-route Glazer on a breakaway and allow DeBonis to race back in time to stopped her from getting off a shot. Glazer would eventually tie the score at 1-1 off a pass from Kayla Triana in the 30th minute.
The Patriots took the lead for good on a hunch by Rojas, asking for DeBonis to take a corner kick. She placed the ball right on her foot with multiple defenders behind her. Rojas calmly kicked it in to give Bayside a 2-1 lead in the 33th minute.
“I actually followed through the ball and just placed it lightly,” Rojas said. “I didn’t want to send it over.”
Glazer has two chances to equalize. She stole a ball and kicked it off the far post early in the second half and believed she would again come up big late in the final minute.
“It was right there,” Glazer said. “I figured it was just a toe poke in. It’s all you needed.”
Bayside coach Maggie Kassimis left the game with plenty of reasons for optimism. She felt her young team could improve its passing and communications. Her club was right there with their rivals and Glazer believes with more time together, the Commodores’ play will get crisper.
“They are very good players individually, but you have to take all the talent and make it mesh,” Kassimis said.
Lewis has already taken noticeable steps forward in that area, finishing what they couldn’t a year ago.
“It’s part of their growing, their growing on the field,” Paredes said.