Long Beach continues rebuilding mode

Coming off a difficult campaign that saw it finish as one of two teams in Nassau County without a victory, Long Beach’s boys’ soccer program remains in rebuilding mode with a young lineup.

“We’re very young,” Marines coach Leo Palacio said. “We’ve got a bunch of sophomores and freshmen starting, and on top of that we’re probably playing the toughest schedule we’ve ever had. They’ve got us playing crossover games with Conference 2, which is going to be extremely difficult.”

Long Beach dropped its first three games against Conference AA-IV foes, but Palacio said he was encouraged by the improvement following a loss at Great Neck South. The Marines trailed defending county champion MacArthur by a goal at halftime on Sept. 10 before falling 3-0, and battled Mepham to a scoreless tie for the majority of the first half of a 3-0 defeat last Saturday.

“As long as we show improvement from game to game, that’s all I can ask,” Palacio said. “I want the kids have to compete every game and keep their heads up. They’re working hard to get better every day. That’s No. 1, especially with such a young team. 

“The experience they gain will bode well for next year,” he added.

While a few projected starters are about a week away from getting the required amount of practices under their belt to step on the field, the Marines’ lineup will have a different look soon. Palacio said he’s looking to get senior Jeffrey Galeas more involved in the offense and push him from center-midfield to forward. “Jeffrey is a three-year varsity player and was the best player on the field in the MacArthur game,” Palacio said. “He’s got an offensive mentality, so as soon as we get a few guys back we’ll move him and hopefully get some goals.”

Senior Juan Franco, a returning starter, also operates in the center of the midfield and serves as the team’s main distributor. “He moves the ball very well and creates chances for us,” Palacio said.

Freshmen Joel Jarama and Moises Brand have been getting plenty of minutes in the midfield and also at forward. Eighth-grader Brian Mizhinubay has provided a spark off the bench as a middie, and freshman Lorenzo Arana is trying to make things happen up front. “We have a lot of young guys and they’re all showing a lot of energy,” Palacio said. “In a lot of cases, we have freshmen going up against seniors which isn’t easy.”

Long Beach’s situation in the back row could change as well. Senior Marc Paez, who has 25 saves, could move from goalkeeper to defense with senior Chris Johannesson taking over in the net. “Marc is one of the best athletes in the school,” Palacio said of Paez, an All-County wrestler. Junior sweeper Charly Everett and sophomores Sean Malone, Tristan Groh and Adam Levitt comprise the rest of the defense. Levitt is a candidate to slide into the midfield.