Bayside Downs Forest Hills Boys Soccer, 4-1

After a tough lost against league leader Francis Lewis 6-0 on Oct. 2, the Rangers (4-4) were looking to bounce back against a talented Bayside team (5-2), but the weather conspired to hang another one in the loss column. In at times torrential rain, Forest Hills tested their mettle but ultimately came up short.

Despite an early lead on a goal by senior Menashe Tokov, the Forest Hills High School boys soccer team was done in by their Bayside rivals, 4-1.

The Hero: Bayside sophomore Santiago Moore looked dominant when his team had the ball, earning a hat trick for the game. Two of his goals slipped past Forest Hills keeper on the wet turf, while another was a perfectly placed shot in the upper-corner of the goal.

The three scores raised his total to 12 on the season, with 11 assists. It also brought his goal-per-shot average above 50 percent on the season.

The Turning Point: When the rains came, the Rangers seemed to wilt. Forest Hills looked dangerous early in the game, jumping out to a 1-0 lead and seeming ready to play, despite an equalizing goal in the game's first 15 minutes. Once the rain started coming down hard, however, Forest Hills looked lost on the field, surrendering two goals before the end of the first half.

Bayside was able to press their attack despite the weather, and Forest Hills was caught completely off guard.

The Quote: "It was a game of mistakes," Forest Hills head coach Vasilis Antoniou said. "They made a mistake, we capitalized, we made a few mistakes, and they capitalized on them. The weather had a definite impact on the game."

Antoniou said he's going to try his best to help his team prepare for Flushing later in the week, all in the interest of meeting the goal of guiding his team to the playoffs.

The Bottom Line: The elements were too much to overcome for the Rangers. Both sides played sloppily, and in the end, the winner was going to be the team that ended up making fewer mistakes. Bayside High was that team. Penalties and slip-ups were common, and players frequently hit the turf once it had become thoroughly soaked. The game even ended on a three-player collision just outside the Bayside penalty box.

Key Stat: Bayside keeper Constantin Pougiouklidis had 9 saves on a day when the ball was almost impossibly wet. Considering the weather, those 9 saves were the biggest non-environmental factor in the Bayside win.

Who's next? Forest Hills vs. Flushing, Wednesday, 4 p.m.

TEAMS……………......…1………..2 -- F

Bayside…………………..3….…….1 -- 4

Forest Hills………..…..1……..…0 -- 1

Goals -- FH:  Tokov (1); BHS: Daviotis (1), Moore (3).