Soccer is a very finicky game. Not just from the playing sense, but from the scoring sense. As everyone knows, a team can win all their games by one goal and appear to be a strong, domineering team. On the other hand, that same team can lose all their games by that same one goal and appear to be in a tailspin. A missing player, a bad bounce, bad weather, a multitude of little things can put your team on the losing side of that 2-1 or 1-0 score. Such seems to be the story for the Breakers. Since their emotional overtime win over the East Meadow Power in Waldbaum Cup game, the Breakers have found themselves on the "wrong" side of that one goal game. While last year's Division 4 ranking afforded the Breakers some relatively "easy" games, Division 3 offers no such respite. Over the last six games of their season, the Breakers have won only one game, tied one and lost four. And while just one team remains undefeated (Oceanside), the rest of the division remains tightly bunched, giving the Breakers a chance to finish in the top half of their division. Here's how the Breakers fared.

With the Waldbaum Cup behind them for now, the Breakers looked to get back to their regular season schedule and set their sights on competing for first place. Their first opponent, Valley Stream Stingers proved to be a formidable opponent. With Alexa Vojvodic opening the scoring on a penalty shot goal, the Breakers took a 1-0 lead into half time. While the Breakers looked to build on their lead, the Stingers had other ideas as they opened the second half with an early goal to tie the game. The Stingers added two more goals and never looked back as they won going away in a 3-1 win. Mineola's offensive unit, looking to keep the game close, clearly struggled against the Stinger defense throughout the game and never really threatened to score.

Looking to put the Valley Stream game behind them, the Breakers next faced the Elmont Rockers. From the outset, you could feel and see the frustration in the forwards and midfielders as they looked to get their offense going. With many shots going high, wide, or straight at the goalie, the offensive unit clearly was in a slump. Combined with Elmont's defensive unit which employed a close "man to man" defense, they extended Mineola's offensive woes, as they made a first half goal stand up in a 1-0 win.

Now mired in a two game losing streak, the Breakers looked to get back on track against the Massapequa All Stars. Taking an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Maryann Sanderleaf, the Breakers finally looked ready to break out of their offensive slump. However, this was not to be as Massapequa answered Mineola's goal with two of their own in the second half, sending the Breakers to defeat for a third straight game, losing by a score of 2-1.

Needing a win to stop their slide down the standings, the Breakers next faced the Plainview Fighting Tigers. Once again, Mineola opened scoring in the first half. This time on a corner kick by Alexa Vojvodic which bounced in front of the net and caught the inside of the goal post. Realizing that this might be the only goal of the day, Mineola's defensive unit went to work with a shut out in mind. Putting aside a number of controversial calls against them in the second half, the defense unit allowed Plainview their only goal on a penalty shot, and settled for a disappointing 1-1 tie.

With their record standing at 2 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie, the Breakers moved on to face the Syossett Thunder. Finally, for the first time in a long time, the Breakers broke out of their offensive slump. With Callie Medlock opening the scoring for the Breakers, followed by Emily Glenn and Alexa Vojvodic, the Breakers enjoyed a comfortable 3 -1 lead at the half. The Breakers opened the second half on a goal by Megan McCune to extend their lead to 4-1. However, the Thunder was not ready to give up. Scoring two goals of their own in the later part of the second half, the Thunder closed the gap to 4-3. With the Thunder poised to salvage a tie out of apparent defeat, the Breakers defense stiffened to hold off the Thunder's offense and seal the 4-3 win, as time ran out.

Looking to get back to .500 level, the Breakers faced Oceanside's Lady Lightning. Playing in a steady rain, the Breakers saw their offense once again go silent as Oceanside tallied three goals to put the game away early and convincingly in a 3-0 shutout. The Breakers were clearly outplayed in this game and saw both their offensive and defensive weaknesses exposed by a team disciplined on both sides of the ball.

With the opportunity for first place gone, the Breakers set their sights on finishing the season strong and setting the stage for next season. Facing the Oyster Bay Blizzard, the Breakers fell behind early in the first half 2-0. Opening the second half strong, Mineola broke their three period scoring slump on a goal by Megan McCune. While Mineola kept the pressure on for the balance of the half, they could not find the back of the net just one more time, allowing Oyster Bay to walk away with a 2-1 win.

For the final game of the season, the Breakers once again faced the East Meadow Power. Once again, the Power brought their physical style of play to the game, however, this time, the Breakers were ready. Combining Mineola's brand of "physical" play and tight refereeing, the Power was forced to utilize their soccer skills, and not their questionable physical tactics. The teams played evenly in the first half, with Mineola opening the scoring on a goal by Dana Klein. Tied 1-1 at the half, the Power scored early in the second half to pull ahead 2-1. Mineola answered back with a goal by Maryann Sanderleaf to even the score at 2-2 as time ran out.

With their season record at 2 wins, 5 losses and 2 ties, the Breakers are no doubt disappointed with their record. However, there is much to be learned by the Breakers from this season. From realizing the intensity required to play at the Division 3 level, to juggling the line up to better match improving and growing players in different positions, the Breakers and their coaching staff are smart and talented enough to be better prepared for next season. From a fan's perspective, be prepared for changes as the team will now play on the full size field, new players will join the team and others leave for greener soccer fields. Whatever happens, September will be here before you know it.