UPDATE: New Dorp has advanced to the postseason and will travel to Madison for a first-round game (3:30 p.m.) on Monday.

The New Dorp boys soccer team held a 3-0 lead over Petrides and was minutes away from a postseason berth Monday when a fight broke out, ending the game and putting the Centrals' playoff hopes in jeopardy.


The PSAL has launched an investigation, according to multiple sources, and is expected to make a ruling sometime before the leagues' playoff seeding meeting on Thursday.

If the league invokes the brawl rule and declares a double-forfeit, Petrides' record would fall to 3-11 and New Dorp's would drop to 5-6, one game below the .500 mark needed to earn a postseason berth.

"I don't know how it's going to play out," New Dorp coach Margeau Okner said. "The kids are very upset, because they've worked hard all season. Why would we start something when we have so much to lose?"

Petrides' Edwin Rosario and New Dorp's Ardian Musovic became entangled on a 50-50 ball late in the game and an altercation ensued behind the play and out of the lone referee's view, according to both coaches.

Musovic was red-carded for retaliating against Rosario, according to Okner, and Patrik Zima was also red-carded for leaving New Dorp's bench and entering the fray. Both players will miss the next two games, per league rules, if the Centrals advance to the postseason.

Rosario was not carded; it's unclear if any punches were thrown.

"There wasn't a brawl. There was an altercation between two people and that was it," Okner said. "Some of my kids went on the field to pull everyone aside, to make sure there wasn't a brawl."

It is unclear how the PSAL would rule on a possible forfeit, considering the confusion surrounding the game's ending.

Okner said New Dorp should not be penalized because order was restored and her players were ready to continue playing - but couldn't, because Petrides coach Kimberly Caccese had removed her team from the field.

"The refs did not call the game," Okner said. "(Caccese) chose to call the game and that was her decision."

Caccese, however, insisted it was the referee"s call.

"The ref said that he was ending the game," Caccese said. "He was going to go write a report up, and said the decision was up to the PSAL."