By Dale Miller
dale.miller@theindependent.com

The Rockets did everything they could to break the hearts of the Islanders in their home opener.

There was scoring twice in a span of under a minute midway through the second half to erase a 2-0 deficit.

There was scoring 16 seconds after Grand Island retook the lead in the first overtime period.

And the final blow was Sabah Ibrahim's goal with two minutes left in the second overtime which secured Northeast's 4-3 victory.

"I've been playing and coaching the last 30 years, and I've never been as disappointed after a game as right now," G.I. coach Jeremy Jensen said. "It's not just the outcome it was everything that went into it."

Things looked promising for the Islanders (0-3) after Alfredo Guerrero scored on a penalty kick to give his team a 3-2 lead in the first overtime. Esvin Vargas was injured on the penalty and Guerrero took the shot in his place.

But Northeast (1-3) needed just 16 seconds after the restart to tie it back up. Corey Lachance won a battle for the ball in front of the goal and put it in.

"I walked right back to our defense (after Guerrero's goal) and told them not to let up and to play smart," Jensen said.

"I said to not give them an opportunity for a penalty kick or on a restart. We've had a habit of making dumb mistakes."

Ibrahim's high shot eluded the fingertips of Islander goalkeeper Stephen Knudsen to clinch the win.

Grand Island took a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute when Johnny Venegas and Vargas teamed up. Venegas' pass set Vargas free down the right side. Vargas returned the favor with a cross that Venegas put into the goal.

Paul Clement made it 2-0 on a breakaway goal that deflected off Northeast goaltender Seth Borer five minutes into the second half.

The Rockets struck quickly on goals by Michael Drake and Elijah Craig to tie it up in the 60th minute.

"We've talked the last two weeks about being really sharp and doing the little things," Jensen said. "It's not the physical things where we're getting beaten.

"Their psyche is not there. I don't know what's going on between their ears. We can only coach them so much. At the end of the day, they need to execute."

The Islanders must bounce back strongly from the defeat, Jensen said.

"This is really a turning point to our season," he said. "Either we figure things out or be mental midgets who get a few wins here and there. We'll find out.

"The schedule gets tough here, as if Lincoln East and Southeast were not tough enough."

GIRLS

Lincoln Northeast 1, Grand Island 0

Lincoln Northeast scored the lone goal by Megan Leach in the 75th minute to down Grand Island Senior High Thursday at Fonner Park.

The goal was highly disputed by the Islanders, who felt a call should have been made to disallow the goal because of illegal contact.

"The girls played their hearts out," Grand Island coach Chuck DeWitt said. "You get things happen you don't want to happen. Their goal came with (four) minutes left, and I think there should have been a call. The girl falls backwards something is wrong."

The Islanders (0-3) had their chances to take the lead earlier, but the Rockets (3-1) avoided falling behind.

One of the best Islander opportunities came early in the second half. Audie Aguilar brought the ball up the left side on a breakaway. The Northeast goalkeeper dove to make a play on the ball but missed.

Aguilar had an open net, but maneuvering around the goalie pushed her to the left of the goal, and a bad-angle shot missed the mark.

"We still have to open up the net," said DeWitt, whose team has been outscored 13-0 this season. "We rang the post twice. We did have a lot of opportunities."