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Light Rain Rams ousted from playoffs
The Rams hung around for a half, but in the end Mineola was just too much on the soccer pitch.
Senior Christian Lird scored the go-ahead goal 9:01 into the second half, and Mustangs added three more tallies as No. 5 Mineola beat No. 12 West Hempstead, 5-1, in the first round of the Nassau Class A boys’ soccer playoffs last Friday. Senior Paul Sandoval added a pair of goals and an assist for Mineola. Junior Giancarlo Proietti scored West Hempstead’s lone goal.
Despite the tough loss, West Hempstead coach Chris Van Kovics was pleased progress his team made this season. “My biggest fear was that they would be bigger, stronger, faster, and deeper than us,” Van Kovics. “They wore us down, especially in the middle of the field. We stuck with them for a while, but their depth really hurt us. We played 65 minutes of good soccer, but you have to play 80 if you’re going to win. All in all, it was a very good season for us. We’re on the right track.”
The visiting Rams got on the board first just three minutes into the match when Proietti scored off a cross. Junior Kevin Macario picked up an assist on the goal. The lead didn’t last long as Daniel Pardo tied the score for Mineola. The match was tied at 1-1 at the half.
The second half was all Mineola. The Mustangs, who improved to 12-2-1, went ahead on Lird’s goal and never looked back. Mineola seemingly won the battle for every loose ball. Keeper Luis Palomo, who had four shutouts for the season, had 10 saves for the Rams. West Hempstead finished with a record of 6-7-2.
The Rams had four of their players earn postseason honors. Junior defenseman Marco Flores picked up Honorable Mention All-County recognition. Palomo, Macario, and senior defenseman Nick Branker all were named All-Conference honorees.
Coming into the season, Van Kovics figured West Hempstead would have difficulty putting the ball in the net. The defensive-minded Rams scored just 21 goals. Junior Kareem Harris and senior Rolando Martinez both found the back of the net four times on the season to lead the team. Junior Luis Escobar led the team in assists with four.
Van Kovics hopes the team’s success this fall, along with a promising campaign by the junior varsity squad, will be a sign of things to come.
“If you told me at the beginning of the season that we would be in every game, and make the playoffs, I would have signed up for that,” Van Kovics said. “I feel much better now than I did at this time last year when we struggled mightily. We have a lot of pieces returning next year, and the JV has a bunch of guys with speed and toughness. Overall, the program is looking pretty good. We have something to build on now.”
