Whalers Take First Game Over Bees in New Boys Soccer Rivalry

For years they played together. Now they play against one another.

For several years, Pierson and Bridgehampton combined to make one boys soccer team, and it certainly saw success together out on the pitch. But with the Killer Bees starting their own program, they essentially created a new neighborhood rivalry. The first match between the two occurred this past Friday, with the Whalers traveling down the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike to play at the Bridgehampton School.

From the opening whistle, it was apparent that the game had some extra meaning to it, with players from both sides playing hard and pushing the action. Then, 15 minutes into the game, it was the host Bees who fired the opening salvo.

Bridgehampton sophomore Steven Lucero Morocho and Pierson senior Samuel Rosero both played a bouncing ball into the box that Pierson junior goal keeper Esteban Montanez came out to try and snuff out. But as the three players collided, the ball shot out of the fray. Bridgehampton senior co-captain Luis Penafiel was Johnny-on-the-spot, securing the ball and burying it into a wide open goal as Montanez lay on the ground hurt after the collision. Montanez was looked at by coaches and an EMT and was eventually replaced by freshman Harrison William Heller.

Penafiel was exuberant when he scored his goal.

“Well, to be honest, I played soccer with Pierson since I was in eighth grade, so for me to have scored against my old team gave me a bittersweet feeling,” he said. “But, this year, we have our own soccer team, and so to be able to play for and represent our own school, it feels amazing. It just gives you that extra motivation and passion to play.”

But there was still much of the game yet to be played. Less than 10 minutes later, Pierson evened things up when freshman Tyce Russo sent a nice cross into the middle that found the foot of junior Kai Green, who scored to make it 1-1. That was the score at halftime.

The Whalers (2-7 in League IV) controlled the temp at the onset of the second half leading to a pair of goals to take a commanding 3-1 lead. The first strike came from Russo, on an assist from senior co-captain Erick Bautista. Then junior Danny Loja scored.

The Bees (1-7-1 in League IV) pulled within one when junior Xavier Johnson sent a ball, from about midfield, into the box for freshman Nate Feierstein who continued his scoring streak by finding the back of the net to make it a 3-2 game, which is how the game finished.

Feierstein has now scored three goals in the past two games and head coach Davin Johnson said it’s been great to see his improvement over the course of the season.

“The midfield is starting to link passes to each other a lot more, but Nate has improved and become more consistent over the season,” he said. “Each game he seems to find his spots in the box. He’s gotten a lot better at finding his own space rather than being on top of him. His growth has helped lead to a major improvement to our team overall.”

Pierson head coach Haley Luzim said it was nice to get back into the win column after a tough 7-0 loss to Center Moriches two days prior. But after their first win of the season, 4-2, over Smithtown Christian on September 30, the Whalers had won two of their past three games.

“The team overall has improved greatly,” she said. “We have focused on winning 50/50 balls, being more aggressive, especially out of the air, having a better first touch and playing a more controlled, possession game.”

Luzim added that she anticipates her team playing both Southold and Greenport, which they closed out the season against, respectively.

It was tough for Penafiel to lose against his former team, but it’s not something he or his teammates are harping on.

“The outcome wasn’t what we hoped for, but the boys played great and now we’re focused on working hard to get ready for our next game,” he said.

Bridgehampton head coach Davin Johnson said it was an exciting game.

“It was something that a lot of our players were looking forward to after years of playing with those kids, and they finally got to compete against them,” he said. “It was an extremely even matchup. It could have gone either way at any point.”

But like his captain, Penafiel said, it’s time for the Bees to move on with just two games left on their schedule against fellow Class D opponents, first the home finale against Riverhead Charter on Thursday, October 16, at 4:30 p.m., and then the regular-season finale at Smithtown Christian on Monday, October 20, also at 4:30 p.m.