Babylon Panthers Claim 7th Straight Suffolk Title Over Southampton

The Babylon Panthers secured their seventh consecutive Suffolk County Class B soccer championship with a 2-1 victory over the Southampton Mariners on Friday afternoon at Harborfields High School in Greenlawn. Despite holding the top seed, Southampton fell to the third-seeded Panthers in a match that saw the Mariners control possession for the majority of the first 25 minutes.

The loss did not end Southampton's postseason run. By defeating Center Moriches in the county semifinal earlier in the week, the Mariners earned a Class B at-large bid into the state tournament. This qualification came under a new rotation system introduced by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association last year, which allocates at-large berths among different classes. The Panthers, as county champions, chose to play for the Long Island Championship against Carle Place on Tuesday. This decision sent Southampton on a four and a half hour trip to Windsor High School to face Chenango Forks, the Section IV Southern Tier champion.

Babylon took an early lead with 14 minutes and eight seconds remaining in the first half. Off a throw-in, senior Carter Palmieri delivered the ball into the box. Southampton junior Brian Ortiz initially defended the play, but Babylon senior co-captain Danny Murphy won the possession. Murphy took a step and shot the ball into the right half of the goal to give the Panthers a 1-0 advantage.

The score remained unchanged until the final minutes of regulation. With 13 minutes and 22 seconds left, Southampton senior goalkeeper Oscar Strickland attempted a long ball into the box. The play resulted in a miscue that left the ball exposed for Babylon junior Brenden McCarthy. McCarthy stole the possession, dribbled past Strickland, and scored on the open net to extend the lead to 2-0.

Southampton responded in the final seconds to narrow the margin. Senior co-captain James Garvin found junior Ulisses Lopez Silva, who scored with 6.3 seconds remaining on the clock. Lopez Silva had also scored the double-overtime winner against Center Moriches in the county semifinals. The final score of 2-1 reflected the Panthers' ability to convert limited opportunities into goals.

Head coach Dave Riley described the loss as a setup for future success. "We've got to turn this upset into a set-up," Riley said. "Use it to motivate us." He noted that the game exposed areas for improvement and emphasized the need for greater clinical precision in future matches.

Garvin acknowledged the difficulty of breaking down Babylon's defensive structure. "It was just hard getting past them," Garvin said. He credited a specific Babylon center back for consistently stepping in to block shots and making defensive impacts throughout the match.

The two teams are now positioned on opposite sides of the state bracket. They could potentially meet again in an All-Suffolk state final. Riley viewed that potential matchup positively, stating, "I think that could be a great state final match. Hopefully it's not over."