Lynbrook rolling into playoffs

Lynbrook boys’ soccer settled for a split of key Conference A-Central games last week and remains mathematically in contention for a first-place finish and home playoff game.
The Owls (9-2-1 overall) are 6-2-1 against conference opponents with a pair of regular-season matches remaining, and sit in third place (out of 12) behind Long Beach and South Side. Lynbrook’s losses are to both teams it trails.
“We’re still playing very good soccer,” coach Josh Berlin said after the Owls’ 2-1 home defeat to South Side on Oct. 6. “We played better in the second half, but we couldn’t generate enough scoring opportunities. In the end, their top kids played a little better than our top kids.”
Senior Sebastian Cuenca scored his team-leading 12th goal of the year for Lynbrook, which got 8 saves from senior goalkeeper Joseph Patitucci. “Joseph gave us a great effort—probably the best game he’s played for us,” Berlin said of Patitucci. “He really stepped up with some huge saves and kept us in the game.”
The Owls were coming off an emotional 2-1 win at Hewlett three days earlier in a driving rainstorm. The decisive goal came with just 2:35 remaining when senior Nathan Santoli knocked home a loose ball rebound of a Cuenca shot. Junior Patrick O’Doherty made a nifty move to get the ball to Cuenca to put the wheels in motion for the clutch tally.

“It was a big one,” Berlin said. “It was one of two games we had circled on the calendar for a while. It was a playoff atmosphere and both teams knew what was at stake.”
Hewlett played shorthanded for the last 30 minutes following an ejection. “We controlled the ball but it took us a while to break through and get the goal we needed,” Berlin said.
The assist on the winner was Cuenca’s fifth of the year. He ranks third in the conference in scoring and among the top dozen in Nassau Class A. “Sebastian is a third-year starter with a non-stop motor,” Berlin explained. “He’s a constant threat.”
The Moscheni brothers — senior Gabe (6 goals) and sophomore Sam (4 goals, 4 assists) — have provided offensive sparks along with junior Ethan Velasquez (4 goals), while Berlin describes senior center-midfielder Riley Fowler (3 goals, 5 assists) as the catalyst.
“Riley’s a gamer,” Berlin said. “He’s a cerebral and technical soccer player and pretty much everything goes through him.”
In the defensive zone, O’Doherty and sophomore Marco Pantano are leading the way. “They’ve been outstanding back there,” said Berlin, who is hopeful defensive midfielder Carlo Pantano, a senior, will miss minimal time after suffering an injury against Hewlett.
The victory over the Bulldogs extended Lynbrook’s unbeaten streak to eight (7-0-1 with wins over Great Neck South, Mineola, Malverne/East Rockaway, Valley Stream South, Calhoun, Lawrence, Clarke and Carle Place) dating back three weeks to a loss to Long Beach.
“The Long Beach game could come back to haunt us,” Berlin said. “But we’re not looking back. We’re looking ahead.”