Once a Tornado, now a Bulldog

Eleven months after scoring the game-winning goal for Lawrence in its Nassau Class AA boys’ soccer first-round playoff victory over Division, Kelvin Larios was celebrating a Golden Tornadoes’ loss.

How’s that?

Well, Larios moved with his family late this summer to neighboring Hewlett and is a starting forward for the Bulldogs, who got a late goal from junior Luis Campos to beat visiting Lawrence in a Conference A-V game Sept. 22, 2-1. Larios got the assist.

“It felt a little strange,” Larios said of playing against his former team. “I still have a lot of friends at Lawrence. They gave me some love today. And my new teammates are great. They welcomed me with open arms.”

Larios spent the majority of last season on the JV squad before Golden Tornadoes coach Patrick Leary elevated him to varsity at a crucial time. “He gave us energy up front,” Leary said. “Kelvin’s great. He scored a big goal in the playoffs and we had big plans for him over the next three years. But he’s in a good situation at Hewlett. When I found out he was moving, I called Nick [Hewlett coach Lacetera] and told him what a tremendous soccer player and kid he was

If five games with the Bulldogs, Larios has two goals and two assists. He said Hewlett’s system is unlike Lawrence’s. 

“At Hewlett, we focus more on physical play,” Larios said. “Lawrence is more of a skill-oriented, wide-open team.”

Lacetera said Larios has been a consistent contributor up front and keeps pressure on defenders. “He’s a solid all-around player,” Lacetera said.

When the Bulldogs travel to Lawrence for a rematch Oct. 15, it’ll bring back some memories for Larios, he said. After all, it’s the field he scored his first-ever high school goal.

“I had hopes of scoring the winning goal today,” he said after the first meeting. “But there’s always next time.”