Amityville hits bump in road

It’s crunch time for the Amityville boys’ soccer team.

Following a 4-1-1 start to the season, coach Mike Abbondondolo’s squad has lost two straight games, both by a score of 1-0. “The main thing for us is learning lessons as the season goes on,” he said. “Losses are teachable moments so we have to use that to our advantage.”

On Sept. 16, Amityville picked up its third consecutive victory, an 8-0 win over Eastport-South Manor. Javier Newman scored a school single-game record seven goals. Since then, however, the Warriors have gone 180 minutes without being able to find the back of the net, losing 1-0 to both Harborfields on Sept. 23 and Half Hollow Hills West last Friday.

When a team struggles, it can be easy for the players to begin to lose confidence but Abbondondolo has done all he can to avoid that. “The vibe here is still good,” he said. “It’s just a small rough patch that we’re going through.”

Despite not being able to score lately, the Warriors have had tons of opportunities and getting strong defensive play from mainstays Saul Ferandez, Anthony Salvador, Briam Rivera and Josue Campos. Capitalizing on those chances is going to be the key moving forward. “The chances are there,” said Abbondondolo. “We are not playing bad, we’re doing everything right other than actually scoring.”

Now past the halfway point, the Warriors can only look ahead with all of their goals still in front of them. “”Our whole mission is to be in a playoff spot at the end of the season,” said Abbondondolo. “The only way we can do that is if we tie up any loose ends that we have.”

While it is never fun to be shutout in consecutive games, Abbondondolo continues to find a positive twist on the outlook. “We want to peak at the right time,” he said. “If we are playing our best soccer heading into the postseason, we will be in a good spot.”

Nothing is predictable when it comes to sports. Even Abbondondolo did not think this 2024 campaign would play out the way it has so far. “We got off to a faster start than I had imagined,” he said.

With Amityville playing every team in its league twice this season, it will be interesting to see what adjustments are made during the second time around.

In terms of team leaders in scoring, Newman, thanks to his seven-goal explosion, leads the team in both goals, with 12, and points, with 14. This does not come as a surprise to Abbondondolo, who said before the season that he expected big things out of Newman. Fresh off his All-Conference 2023 season, senior John Arango has been another key contributor for the Warriors with 10 points, while leading the way in assists with six.