MacArthur rolling into playoffs

A stout defense has fueled the MacArthur boys’ soccer team with momentum heading into the Class A playoffs.

The Generals posted six straight shutouts to end the regular season including a 0-0 tie on Oct. 13 with Jericho, which was ranked fourth in the state, and head into the postseason at 6-3-4.

The 4-0-2 finish to the season helped MacArthur rebound from a 1-2-1 start in Conference A-1 and has positioned it to earn a high seed and at least one home game in the Class A playoffs.

“They have been clicking,” MacArthur head coach Andy Atkins said. “We’re excited for the playoffs.”

Senior goalie Sean Lyons has keyed much of MacArthur’s strong defensive play with six straight clean sheets. He posted eight saves in a 3-0 win against Great Neck North on Oct. 5. Atkins said the most impressive performance from Lyons came in a 1-1 tie with Garden City when he recorded two point blank saves and stopped a penalty kick.

“He has made some tough saves,” said Atkins of his netminder, who propelled MacArthur to its first county title in 2014. “He comes up big when we need him.”

The Generals strong backline features four defenders in seniors Nick Colardi and Troy Buckley along with juniors Brandon Buchan and Jack Kipnes. Junior sweeper Andrew Sweeney has also been a major anchor in front of the net.

“It’s a group effort,” said Atkins, who took over the MacArthur program in 2012 after it was coming off back-to-back winless seasons and has created a force in his five years on the sidelines.  “We have shut down some very strong offensive players.”

On offense, MacArthur has gotten contributions from multiple scorers led by three goals apiece from senior Joe Mutino and freshman Danny Conigliaro. Senior Trevor Canella and Joe Traenkle have both tallied two goals. Junior twin outside midfielders Joe Gino and Nick Gino have also sparked the offense.

“There isn’t that one player that teams can key on,” Atkins said. “We don’t have that one main guy.”

MacArthur moved down to Class A from Class AA this fall due to a drop enrollment. Atkins said the new league has been challenging with competition against higher-caliber teams like Jericho, Carey, Bellmore-JFK and Great Neck South.

“It has been a tough league,” Atkins said. “There are lots of good teams.”

First-round playoff games kick off this Friday with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals on Oct. 25. The semifinals are slated for Oct. 28 at Adelphi with the finals on Nov. 2 at Hofstra.  Atkins is hoping the Generals’ late regular-season push with a strong series of shutouts will carry over to the postseason similar to the 2014 team that captured a county championship while only giving up two goals.

“We’re looking to make some noise in the playoffs,” Atkins said. “Defense wins games in the playoffs.”