The Mineola Mustangs varsity football team fell to the Malverne Mules 30-18 on Friday, Oct. 17 at Hampton Street Stadium.
Malverne had a 12-6 lead at halftime. Mineola senior quarterback Matt Kosowski ran a 22-yard touchdown and connected a 10-yard pass with sophomore receiver Nick Natale for another score.
With less than five minutes to go in the third, junior running back/linebacker Abraham Valdizon intercepted the ball at Malverne’s 35-yard-line and minutes later, Kosowski ran for a six-yard touchdown, bringing their lead up to 18-12.
The Mustangs were overpowered by Malverne’s defense, as they pulled off three more touchdowns. However, they were stopped twice at two-point conversion attempts.
“They just played better than us tonight,” Mustangs head coach Dan Gudio said. “We played good, but they were a little bigger and a little faster, and they played an offense we never saw before.”
Guido added that Mineola had to set up a defense to counteract Malverne’s offensive lineup, which had no players in the backfield, and it became a task for the Mustangs that ran the course of the game.
“We moved the ball a little bit, but not enough,” Guido said.
With a chance of still making into the playoffs, the Mustangs will face Valley Stream South (2-4) on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
