1… 2… draw

Call it a tone-setter.

The Red Hook boys varsity soccer team took the Washingtonville Wizards into double overtime at the Raiders’ home opener on Sept. 14, drawing 2-2 despite being outshot 18-9, moving to a 1-2-1 record on the young season and giving a preview of Red’s primary scoring combo this year: Hare to Iwamoto.

Red had a hard time getting the ball past the middle of the field early on, struggling with a heavy Washingtonville offense and a smothering midfield defense. The Raiders ceded goal early in the game on a low corner kick that skittered by Red Hook defenders and was tipped in for an easy point, but Raiders goalie Zack Decker made up for the goal with a breakaway stop two minutes later. The game really rested on Decker’s shoulders — he made 13 saves — to help Red Hook to the draw.

Kosei Iwamoto scored Red Hook’s first goal in the 21st minute on a diving stab, putting a Dennis Hare assist in the back of the net while under coverage.

Washingtonville scored once more to go up 2-1 after a big block from Decker was rebounded for a goal toward the end of the half. Red Hook’s Zack Sivulich, in the final minutes of the period, took a shot from midfield that missed the goal by a foot – but he would make up for it.

The Washingtonville offensive kept up in the second half, but they couldn’t sneak anything past Decker. Sivulich, in the 22nd minute of the second half, fired a straight-on worm burner that found the back of the net to tie things up for Red Hook, and a fired-up Raiders defense held down the trigger-happy Wizards in the last minutes of the period.

It was all Wizards offense in overtime, but Washingtonville couldn’t lay down a proper shot until Decker made a springing stop in 2OT on a high kick that gave Red’s visitors the game.

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