Injuries bring Uniondale early adversity

The road to another trip to the Nassau Class AAA playoffs is not smoothly paved for the Uniondale boys’ soccer team.

There are lane closures with “Under Construction” signs early in the season for the Knights.

That’s because of a bevy of injuries to key players, some serious, most nagging.

Co-captain Carlos Godoy has been dealing with a back injury and saw limited minutes in a season-opening 4-2 defeat at Freeport.

In that loss, goalkeeper Pedro Asturis suffered a concussion, starting right fullback/midfielder Angel Velasquez, who has a goal and an assist on the young campaign, has suffered a possible season-ending knee injury.

Then there’s key midfielder Michelle Perez, who’s vision and distribution from the center of midfield is invaluable. He’s been dealing with a knee injury since the summer, while Yessert Martinez has been out with an ankle injury and starting fullback David Portillo has been dealing with a groin issue.

That has forced Nelson to give added minutes to some of the younger players on his squad. Sophomores like Anthony Alvarenga and Alberto Pineda, as well as Kevin Martinez have been asked to step up into an elevated role.

“I say this to them all the time, listen, there’s a reason you’re on the squad,” said Cohen Nelson, in his 20th season as coach. “Yeah, you could be a 10th grader, you might be promoted from JV, but here’s your chance. Maybe not how you wanted it, but now prove why you shouldn't come off the field.”

Those neophytes have been learning the Uniondale way via a crash course, the possession-based system where the Knights like to shrink the field and press high.

It’s something co-captain Junior Valle has mastered at this point. He’s the last remaining starter from a core that was together for three years and won the conference title a year ago.

He knows, better than most, the even more consequential lesson.

“The most important shape and the most important aspect of how we play is the mental part of it,” Nelson said. “You have to have that mental shape, you have to have the psychological wherewithal to withstand the challenges that you're faced with.”

And that’s the task for Uniondale, which bounced back to beat Westbury, 2-1, before a loss to Oceanside by the same scoreline.

Nelson preaches to his team the season is split into thirds — the first four games, the middle four games and the final four games.

Considering the injuries and inexperience, Nelson said a 1-2-1 start or even being .500 after the first third of the season would be a positive.

“Right now we're building an aura of resiliency. I like that,” Nelson said. “The future is bright, but at the same time, the future is now. So we gather this experience, use it to our advantage and hopefully down the line, we get into the playoffs and at least we have been battle tested.”