Defense sparks Mepham's success

For the first time since 1999, Mepham’s boys’ soccer team captured a conference crown — and now the real fun begins. The Pirates, who were likely to be seeded No. 4 in the upcoming Nassau Class AA playoffs with a first-round bye, also appeared to earn a home postseason game for the second round set for Oct. 28.

In running up a Conference AA-IV-high 22 points, Mepham (6-5-4 overall, 6-3-4 in Conference AA-IV) had six wins (by shutout) and four ties, including three by 0-0 scores. The last of the ties came in the regular-season finale and helped clinch first place when the Pirates battled MacArthur in a scoreless duel last Friday. Senior goalkeeper Matt Campagna stopped six shots for his sixth shutout of the season, and the defense continued its season long run of strong performances.

“We‘ve defended well,” coach James Koester said. “We’ve been switching off from a four-flat to a stopper-sweeper depending on the opponent and sometimes during games.”

The unit did suffer a big loss in the tie with MacArthur, as senior Colin Vandewater was lost for the season due to injury. Although Vandewater played primarily center-midfield, he lined up next to senior Mike Meyers on the backline when the Pirates went with their flat-four scheme. Meyers, a three-time Al-Conference sweeper and team captain, is in his fourth varsity season. “He’s one of the fastest on the field and has good anticipation,” Koester said. “He’s smart and leads by example.”

Campagna, in his first season as the starting goalie after previously serving as the backup, has stopped nearly 100 shots (92) thanks in large part to a good set of secure hands and good positioning. Among his highlights are a nine-save outing in a 1-1 tie against Hicksville, ranked No. 3 in New York State, on Sept. 30, and six more stops in a 2-1 win over district-rival Calhoun on Oct 8. “We did a nice job of having a plan and carrying it out,” Koester said of the two games he considers springboards for the team’s success so far this season.

Senior Evan Spector, like Vandewater and Meyers a four-year member of the varsity team, leads the team with eight goals, including four on penalty kicks. Senior Jose Pineda and freshman Andrew Weiner (already in his second varsity season) have rotated in alongside Spector. “[Evan’s] got good skills when he’s on the ball and we’ve moved him around where he’s best suited [in a game],” Koester said. “We try to defend and look for the counter opportunities and that’s worked for us. We’ve been able to take advantage of our opportunities.”

In Vandewater’s absence, the Pirates are turning to the duo of senior Aden Khan and junior Jon Lainez, with juniors Andy Davila, Mike Vasquez and Jesse Wunderman all working as outside midfielders. “Aden and Jon played well in the middle, played back and controlled the ball,” Koester said, after Vanderwater went down.”