Long Beach win a family affair

After serving as Long Beach’s Middle School and junior varsity head coach, as well as a varsity assistant coach, Leo Palacio took over the varsity program from retired Bill DeFilippis this fall and enjoyed a memorable debut Sept. 13.

Leo’s son, senior center-midfielder Dylan Palacio, converted a pair of penalty kicks — one in each half — to lead the Marines to a 2-1 victory over visiting Elmont in the Conference III-AA opener. Senior Nicholas Alfonso and freshman Owen Suares each made six saves between the pipes for Long Beach, which fell behind early.

“My speech to the boys before the game was simple,” Leo Palacio said. “I told them they were making history regardless of the result and to just go out and play their game. I’m real happy they pulled it out.”

Chad Barker got the Spartans on the board early, and their physicality was the story of the first 15 minutes of the game. “They’re big and fast and gifted and were pushing us around,” Palacio explained. “They dominated early, but you can’t go at the pace they were going for 80 minutes. Once we got that first goal, our confidence was up and we hung right with them.”

Both of Dylan’s goals came after a trip occurred in the box. “As a father and a guy coaching his first varsity game, I’ll remember it a long time,” Leo said.

Dylan Palacio, a two-time All-County recipient who has ranked among Nassau’s assist leader in back-to-back seasons, will play anywhere from forward to defense and is being counted on to put the ball in the net more frequently. “Our forwards are young, so I’m looking for Dylan to score a little more,” Leo said. “He gets up and down the field as well as anyone and can play a finesse or physical game.”

Senior Nick Suares returns to the midfield as well and could slide up front on set plays to put his big target to use. He’s a defensive-minded player who fit right into the physicality of the Elmont game. New to Long Beach’s midfield is freshman Billy Horgan, who’s no stranger to topnotch soccer and showed he belonged in his first varsity game. “He’s got a bright future,” the coach said of Horgan.