Long Beach posts third straight shutout

Long Beach boys’ soccer coach Leo Palacio was concerned a scoreless first half at last-place Division Oct. 5 would come back to haunt the Marines, who needed a win and two points to keep up with the frontrunners in Nassau Conference AA1 East.
“We had about five or six good chances to score,” Palacio said. “These are the types of games your opponent gets once chance and scores. I told the guys at halftime they were playing not to win. Even though Division is much better than the record shows, a tie against them would’ve felt like a loss.”
But it didn’t take long for the Marines to take the lead and take control. Sophomore Ryder Heitefuss, who’s had a hot foot all season, converted a pass from senior Ryan O’Campo just 16 seconds in the second half and added an insurance goal 25 minutes later to lead Long Beach’s 2-0 victory. Freshman Dominic Mendoza assisted on Heiefuss’ second tally, his team-leading fifth of 2023.
“We moved the ball out to the wings and started attacking with four guys,” Palacio said of the second-half surge that upped the Marines’ conference record to 4-2-2. “We also kept sending the ball into the box. You never know what can happen. Ninety percent of the time good things happen when you get the ball in the box.”
The shutout was the third straight for junior goalkeeper Jayden Zarco, who made 9 saves. Zarco was a midfielder last fall but volunteered to play goalie during summer league and quickly made an impression after shutting out Baldwin, 1-0. “He’s been phenomenal,” Palacio said. “If you want to advance deep in the playoffs, you need a strong goalkeeper and defense. Being a former field player, Jayden’s goal kicks and punts are a weapon. He’s getting better every day working on his angles and positioning.”

Anchoring the defense in front of Zarco is senior All-County sweeper Alejandro Castro, a captain who “cleans up everything back there,” Palacio noted. A pair of freshmen, marking back Oliver Unver and fullback Gavin O’Grady, have solidified a starting unit that also includes junior Braedon Konop, who is difficult to beat and key in transition.
After Heitefuss, O’Campo and senior midfielder Thomas Gosden have three goals apiece. Palacio is monitoring O’Campo’s minutes after he suffered a knee injury last season. “I want him to be 100 percent for the last regular-season game and in the playoffs,” Palacio said. Gosden is a nifty playmaker who controls the middle, the coach noted, and senior Hunter Stadtman is a rugged defensive-minded middie.
In addition to his scoring prowess, Heitefuss has 6 assists to lead the team in that category as well. “We switched him to forward to get more scoring punch and he’s responded,” Palacio said. “He’s a take-on artist and always on the move.”
Each of Long Beach’s last four conference games are at home, including the regular-season finale against first-place Kennedy Oct. 18. “If everything goes right we’ll have a shot to win the conference that night,” Palacio said. “But our conference is very tough. We have to take care of business every game to get to that point.”