Talent-rich Mepham eyes prize

It can hardly be missed that 2022 presents the ideal conditions for a Mepham moment.
Not only will the Pirates boys’ soccer team welcome the return of its All-County trio of forwards – chief co-creators, as juniors last season, of Nassau Conference A1 co-champion Mepham’s league-leading offense – as well as that of All-State senior midfielder Konstantinos Karousis, but the club will also enter its Conference A East season possessing a most valuable intangible: a very, very big chip.
Seeing instant dividends flow last autumn from its switch to a three-forward front, Mepham – which finished 8-0-4 in league, 12-1-4 overall – would suffer its first and only defeat in a triple overtime loss to Roosevelt, 7-6, in the Class A quarterfinals. Seventh-year coach Zach Gosse – whose club returned to form last fall after back-to-back .500 seasons on the heels of its 2018 county Class A championship – said Mepham will use last year’s heartbreak as a lesson and as fuel for its drive this season.
“The motto of this season is ‘Be relentless,’” said Gosse. “Our playoff loss was devastating. The guys recognize that this year we can’t take our foot off the gas. We found the formula with our three forwards, and we need to score and continue to attack.”
Pirates catalyst Deshaun Maitland, A1’s leader last season with nine goals and 14 points (five assists), is back along with fellow senior forwards Sean Scott (six goals, five assists) and Dominic Saraceni (five goals, two assists), a left-footer and key component of Mepham’s signature attack. “All three forwards are incredibly fast,” Gosse said. “And they all change directions well. Dominic’s left foot gives us an edge, from either side. On the left he can serve a great cross, and on the right he can cut in for shots.”

Team captain Karousis (two goals, eight assists) becomes a fourth-year starter, heading a Mepham midfield that includes All-Conference senior Kyle Persaud (three goals, three assists), first-year-starting junior Isayah Contreras and six-foot-three senior newcomer Gianmarco Priola. “Konstantinos is a great playmaker who not only gets us started but creates opportunities” Gosse said. “And our two new midfielders are great additions.”
Honorable Mention All-County senior wingback Dimitri Gogas leads Mepham’s defense, with starters Jeffrey Decina (senior) and Mark Diener (sophomore) also returning from the league’s second-stingiest unit. A three-way battle at goalkeeper has seen last year’s platoon tandem of Julian Murcia (35 saves) and Ncholas Parisi (42 saves) – both seniors – emerge as co-number ones, with junior Gavin Mehlhaff also increasingly making a case. “At goalie it would be nice to see one player emerge as the sure starter,” Gosse said. “But if we have to split time like last year, that would probably be okay too.”
Mepham kicks off its A East schedule Sept. 12 hosting Island Trees.
“This team definitely has a lot to prove,” Gosse said. “These kids realize that this is it. They had high expectations last year and weren’t happy with how it ended. Now with 12 seniors, they know this may be our last chance, for a while, to return to the county final.”