Youth movement for Long Beach

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Long Beach boys’ soccer coach Leo Palacio can count the number of returnees on one hand, yet the rebuilding Marines showed promise during the opening week of September with scrimmage wins over Malverne/East Rockaway and Freeport.

“We’ve got a lot of new faces,” Palacio said. “They’re getting tested. We’re starting the season with more than 20 kids on varsity, and only five have the experience. I’m pleasantly surprised with how we’ve played in scrimmages. We’ve looked alright.”

Palacio said last year’s senior-laden team reached its primary goal of qualifying for the Nassau Class AA playoffs. “We played really well in the second half to get into the playoffs,” he said. “It’s the main thing we wanted to accomplish. Our conference is tough. You have to fight for everything.”

MacArthur, which went undefeated during the regular season, is the defending Conference AA-III champion. Palacio said the Generals are the team to beat and noted Calhoun is a perennial playoff participant, Elmont looms dangerous, Herricks and Mepham are no pushovers, and Westbury, which replaced Great Neck South, topped the Marines on Sept. 9. We need the defense to keep us close in every game,” Palacio said. “We don’t have a proven goal scorer. We have to be scrappy and take advantage of set plays.”

Leading the charge for the Marines are seniors Billy Horgan and Tom Marcote, who have All-Conference seasons under their belt. Horgan is moving to center-midfield after spending the past two years at sweeper. “Billy’s the key player on our team,” Palacio said. “He’s a hard-nosed tackler and very hard to beat one-on-one. He strikes the ball lefty and righty, and he can sneak in an occasional goal.”

Marcote’s job is stopping goals. He’s entering his third year between the pipes and had a big 2012 campaign. “We need Tom to step up every game,” Palacio said. “He’s one of our best leaders. He’s verbal and quick, and he grew a bunch since last year so that improved height will help.”

Senior Corey Ochs assumes the sweeper position after spending the majority of last season at stopper. “Corey has tremendous field awareness,” Palacio said. “He reads the play well and we’re counting on him to continue to be a playmaker in the back.” Though Horgan may switch to defense at times, Palacio said Ochs will often be the only defender with varsity experience. Senior Angel Gutierrez, who led the JV defense last fall, brings speed, stamina and toughness to the unit, and senior Logan Weitz possesses quickness and grit. 

In the midfield with Horgan, the coach is looking at seniors Jeffrey Galeas and Jason Mendoza, as well as junior Brennan Yanowitch, as starters. Galeas scored in each scrimmage and has a solid skill set. Mendoza is strong with the ball at his feet, and Yanowitch has the ability to get past opponents and cover a lot of ground. At forward, last year’s top JV scorer, sophomore Ilan Beas, boasts a high skill level and an accurate left-footed shot.