Chaminade Soccer Flies Over St. Mary's

In a game that started with sunshine but ended with an overcast drizzle, the only constant Tuesday was the Chaminade offense. Coming off a 0-0 tie against St. Anthony's, the Flyers defeated St. Mary's Gaels 3-0 at Ott Field in Mineola.

The last time these two teams played, Chaminade won a 9-0 blowout. This time the Gaels provided much closer competition.

"The defense did a good job," Flyers head coach Mike Gallagher said. "(Keeper) Michael (Dorritie) played well and kept a zero on the board, too."

For the 19 seniors on the team, the game was their final dance at home. Gallagher used the opportunity to play a majority of his veterans throughout the match. "We wanted to give every senior an opportunity to get a decent amount of game time," he said.

Though Chaminade was not at full strength, the all-senior cast had no difficulty with corner kicks, attempting five to the Gaels' two. Despite missing opportunities around the net, the Flyers still managed to score three thanks to Christophe Juul-Nielsen, John O'Hanlon and Charlie Stiene.

Juul-Nielsen got the Flyers the quick advantage with his goal in the eighth minute on a header. With 22 total shots on goal, the Flyer attack was relentless. O'Hanlon scored on a boot outside the box in the sixtieth minute.

"He always adds a bit of a spark to the team and it's great that he scored a goal," Gallagher said of Steine. "He was rewarded for his hard work by getting his name into the scoresheet."

Chaminade will play Kellenberg Thursday afternoon in Uniondale in the final regular season game before starting their annual CHSAA playoff run against St. John's at St. Paul's in Jericho on Monday at 12 p.m.