Travis Sepenoski said that he was only doing what he was supposed to do.
“The ball bounced in the box,” he said. “They got on it first. Did my job.”
Spectacularly.
The junior goalkeeper’s clutch save on Jostin Cajas’ header with 2:18 remaining in the first half helped Southold finish with a scoreless draw against rival Greenport at the Settlers’ Homecoming on a windy, rainy Saturday afternoon.
Porters sophomore Julian Restrepo sent in a corner kick that Cajas headed toward the lower left corner. Sepenoski dove quickly to his left to make a scoop save to deny the midfielder.
“That’s what I have come to know he can do,” Settlers head coach Andrew Sadowski said. “He works super hard. He does not want to make a mistake.”
Sepenoski did not as he secured eight saves en route to his third clean sheet of the Suffolk County League IX season.
It was an evenly played game as both sides had opportunities in a back-and-forth affair.
Of course neither was playing for a draw, but it was better than a loss. The Settlers moved to 3-5-1, the Porters to 3-4-2.
“This is the best kind of game,” Sadowski said. “It’s exciting. One of the seniors spoke up, just thanking the team for working so hard on his last Homecoming.”
“It’s always a battle when we play each other,” said Greenport head coach Greg Dlhopolsky. “I expected it was going to be a close game and very competitive. Both of us have been having trouble scoring, and that’s what you saw today. Both teams had a lot of chances. Neither one could put it in the back of the net.”
Porters senior keeper Kal-El Marine wasn’t called on to make anything close to a fabulous save, but he did well coming out of the net to gather long balls and shots from the top of the box. He made six saves, recording his second shut out of the season.
“Kal did great. He’s just a steady guy back there,” Dlhopolsky said. “He knows exactly when to come up. He takes away those long balls that are over the top from the other team. It’s nice having somebody back there that you can trust is going to make the right decision. Somebody with less experience might have gotten scored on today because they might not have made as heady plays as he did.”
Although they were separated some 100 yards apart on opposite ends of the field, the keepers complemented each other.
“I know Travis personally,” Marine said. “He’s a great keeper. That save in the first half when Jostin had a header, it was great. His punts are good, kicks are good. We practice together sometimes. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
Sepenoski likewise had praise for Marine.
“He obviously didn’t give up any goals. He played pretty well,” he said. “Made some good saves.”
It turned into a frustrating afternoon for both attacks, which isn’t anything new, as the Settlers have scored six goals in nine games, while the Porters have accumulated five in as many matches. Each side has been shut out six times.
On Sept. 20, Southold spoiled Greenport’s Homecoming game with a 1-0 victory.
“I thought we were the better team, and we should have beat them,” Marine said of Saturday’s effort. “I’ll take the draw because we’ll probably see each one in the playoffs. But it would be a lot better to win, confidence wise. We just kind of needed it. But we’re good.”
The teams are not scheduled to meet again in the regular season but it’s likely they will clash again in the county Class C final at Diamond in the Pines in Coram on Nov. 4.
After the game, Sadwowski told Dlhopolsky, “I imagine we’ll be doing this again soon.”
Dlhopolsky agreed, but the playoffs are still a month away.
“We need to pick up some wins down the stretch in the last five games,” he said.
Southold, Greenport and Port Jefferson (2-6-0) are the only Class C teams competing in League IX. Since league traditionally likes to hold finals, the top two teams are likely to play for the title.
“I think 100% we’re going to see them,” Marine said.
His counterpart in goal was equally confident.
“If we keep playing the way we’re playing,” Sepenoski said, “I have a good feeling about this season.”