Sewanhaka in playoff contention

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If Sewanhaka falls short of qualifying for the Nassau Class A boys’ soccer playoffs, coach Peter Burgess will point back to its 1-1 tie with Manhasset on Oct. 1 as the biggest reason why.

The Indians allowed the tying goal with 28 seconds left in regulation after holding the lead for more than 50 minutes after senior Erick Cifuentes scored in the first half. “They scored a nice goal, but we should’ve defended better,” Burgess said. “A win there would’ve given us some wiggle room to make the playoffs. Now we made it a little tougher on ourselves.”

The draw was Sewanhaka’s fourth in 10 Conference A-1 games and put it at 3-3-4 overall with two remaining. A .500 record or better is needed to get into the postseason tournament. “We have our work cut out, but we’re capable,” Burgess said. “We have the pieces, but we’ve had a hard time getting them in motion. We’ve struggled to find consistency and chemistry because we’ve only played about four or five games at full strength.”

One of the games the Indians fielded a full lineup came Sept. 29 against unbeaten Carey. The teams battled to a scoreless tie, with Sewanhaka’s Elijah Kerr’s shadowing of Carey’s best all-around talent, Nicholas Acquafredda, a key, Burgess said. “Our game plan was to neutralize their biggest threat so we marked him all game,” Burgess said. “Elijah did a great job. Unfortunately we missed a few scoring chances of our own.”

Kerr, a junior, and Orlando Leiva, a senior, are tied for the team lead in scoring with three goals apiece. Both play in the midifield. “”Elijah has the best overall skills and as much knowledge of the game as anyone on the team,” Burgess said of Kerr. “He’s fast and he’s a complete player.”

Leiva is strong on set pieces and is one of the team’s hardest workers, the coach noted. “He works hard and likes to make offensive runs,” Burgess said.

Cifuentes sees time as an attacking or holding midfielder. “He has really nice touch on the ball and distributes well,” Burgess said. “He sees the field as well as anyone.”

Up front, brothers Chris Gruver (senior) and Erick Gruver (eighth grade) are the starters. Erick scored with 11 minutes remaining to give the Indians a 1-0 win over Elmont on Sept. 27.

Sewanhaka’s defense is anchored by senior Brian Cano, who plays a leadership role. “He’s solid and consistent, and tough to get around,” Burgess said. In goal, junior Nicholas Gaviria is a three-year starter and someone Burgess believes is among the most talented in the county.

Of the Indians’ three conference wins, Burgess said a 2-1 decision over Roslyn in the early going was the most satisfying. Sewanhaka trailed 45 seconds into the game but Kerr scored late in the first half and freshman Elton Argueta notched the winner with 10 minutes to go.