Junior Malik White was assigned to Hicksville’s top offensive weapon, Kyle Poetzsch, for the first half and turned in a strong performance, keeping him off the scoreboard. Shadowing Poetzsch in the middle of the field, White, the stopper, had some double-team help from Baldwin’s outside backs. The three second half conversions — two off the head of Poetzsch — extended a lead that came from a strange bounce. A free kick by Hicksville’s T.J. Kilmetis from 50 yards out, bounced in the box and over the head of everyone in it, including Bruins goalie Dan Capone. “For the first 25 minutes it was even and back-and-forth,” Palumbo said noting the physical play of both teams. “And at halftime we were talking about being okay [despite trailing 1-0] and that we had to keep it going.”

Baldwin (8-8 overall) finished the regular season with two wins in its last three games and in fourth place in Conference AA-II with a number of Bruins earning individual honors. Hunter earned All-County honors after leading the team in goals and adding three assists, and gave opposing coaches something to think about when game-planning. “He caused a lot of problems for a lot of teams,” Palumbo said, noting that Hunter saw double teams for the final three games.

Senior Greg Abrahams, a center-midfielder, scored four goals and had four assists, but his production went far beyond anything on the stat sheet according to Palumbo. Named All-County Honorable Mention, Abrahams was a tireless worker that played all 80 minutes in all but one game. “Without Greg in the middle of the field we would have fallen apart,” Palumbo said.

Capone, a three-year varsity goalie and an All-Conference honoree last season, was named All County Honorable Mention after recording four shutouts. White earned All Conference honors along with junior Peter Rafferty and freshman Alessandro Garcia. Despite missing five of the last six games due to injury, Rafferty made his mark on opposing teams and versatility. “He could play anywhere on the field,” Palumbo said.