The Mineola High School boys varsity soccer team's dream season came to an abrupt and heartbreaking end when the Mustangs lost their Nassau County Class-B playoff opener.

The Mustangs had won their conference easily, going 10-1. Strangely, that finish only earned Mineola a 15th seed in the playoffs. So, the team got matched against second seeded Cold Spring Harbor on the road.

Game day arrived. However, it was washed out by the heavy rains that hit Long Island on Oct. 26 and rescheduled for the next day. The delay didn't seem to dampen the Mustangs hopes, however. The game went into a second overtime before Cold Spring Harbor scored the winner on a George Spanos header.

Before it got to that point, Mineola had its chances to pull the upset. But, the home team found the net and the victory to move onto the second round of the playoffs. Mineola completed a memorable and remarkable season with an overall record of 13-2. It is likely to reap its share of postseason honors. Stay tuned to this column for that news.

The Mineola High School junior varsity football team has found winning so enjoyable that the team did it again. The Mustangs grabbed a strange 12-0 win at Carle Place on Oct. 19.

Robert Wong got Mineola on the board in the first quarter when he zigzagged 44 yards for a touchdown. The score remained 6-0 into the fourth quarter when Tiago Rodrigues got loose on a 63-yard run the final quarter that got the Mustangs to the Carle Place 6-yard line. Greg Gabriel took it the rest of the way for turned out to be the final score.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Frogs also broke through for what appeared to be a touchdown. However, Jason Vega came out of nowhere and leveled the ball carrier.

With 7:48 remaining in the came, the Carle Place coach said his team could not continue the contest and the game ended 12-0 in Mineola's favor.

Vega led the Mustangs defensively with five solo tackles and one assist. Mike Bencivenga contributed three solo tackles and three assists while Andrew Breen made four solo tackles and assisted on one other. Patrick Gaffney had one solo tackle and four assists while Nick Laurino had two solos and two assists. The win improved Mineola's record to 3-1-1.

While the Mineola varsity football team was taking a well deserved rest on its bye week in Conference IV, the Mustangs JV team suffered its second defeat in its next game. That Oct. 26 outing was played in steady rain at the Hampton Street Stadium.

An undefeated Seaford squad proved too much though, coming away 14-0 winner. "Without two mistakes, one mental and one physical, that resulted in touchdowns, the game might have been scoreless," said Mineola coach Mark Miller.

Seaford compiled more total yards on offense, but the Mineola defense played tough, holding the visitors scoreless in the second half. Pat Gaffney led the Mustangs defense with seven solo tackles while he assisted on three others. Robert Wong was right there with Gaffney, notching seven solo tackles himself to go with a pair of assists. Mike Bencivenga added six solos and two assists while Joe Ricciardi had four solo tackles. With two games remaining, the Mustangs record is 3-2-1.