Youthful Wantagh eyes playoffs

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A junior-heavy Wantagh boys’ soccer team is looking to return the Warriors to postseason play.

Wantagh missed out on the playoffs last year a season removed from a run to county semifinals. The Warriors’ 25-man roster features 17 juniors and only three seniors who put in extra work during the offseason in hopes of sparking a turnaround from last year’s 3-5-2 season in league play.

 “We’re going to try and put ourselves in position to raise that trophy, but first things first we need to make the playoffs,” said longtime Wantagh coach Tom Liguori. “It’s not going to be easy, but we have the guys who are going to put in the work and go to battle.”

Midfielder Michael Coney and defender Chris Merro provide veteran leadership in Wantagh’s quest for a rebound season as the Warrior’s two returning seniors.  Coney was voted a tri-captain along with junior defenders Scott Bindell and Joe DiMatteo.

The experienced Wantagh defense features Bindell, DiMatteo and junior Ryan  L’Eplattenier in the backline. The defensive unit plays in front of two capable goalkeepers in junior Christian Calabro and sophomore Matthew Henglein, who are splitting time early in the season.

The Wantagh offense suffered a blow when junior midfielder Austin Henglein, who earned All-Conference honors last year, suffered an early season injury that will keep him out six weeks. Liguori is tinkering with his lineup to find the best offensive combination with forwards Danny Brown, Cavit Ireland and Kaden Ireland playing upfront. The early season midfield unit features Coney along with sophomores Ryan Dunbar and Troy Donaghy, who was brought up from junior varsity.

“Our lineup is every-changing,” Ligouri said. “There is a lot of competition.”

Wantagh was shut out in the first two non-league matches before Coney and Dunbar netted a goal in the second half on Sept. 10 at Malverne-East Rockaway to give the Warriors a 2-2 tie in the Conference A-III opener. The Warriors were unable to continue the momentum however falling to Floral Park by a 2-0 score two days later. The black and gold returns to the pitch for two league home matches in the next week against Plainedge Wednesday and Mineola on Tuesday beginning at 4:30 p.m.

The Warriors, who opened the week at 0-1-1 in conference, will play 10 A-III games in total and can reach the playoffs by placing in the top half of the league or finishing with an at least .500 record. Liguori said Wantagh’s deep 2017 playoff run as a nine seed that included a quarterfinal upset against top-seeded Jericho shows that just reaching the postseason creates championship possibilities.

“If you get into the tournament and get hot anything can happen,” said Liguori, who played for Wantagh’s last state championship team in 1992.

Wantagh is aiming for its third playoff appearance in four years. Liguori credits much of Wantagh’s success to his longtime assistant coach Franco Zagari, who returned this season after a one-year absence.

“He has a great rapport with the players,” Liguori said of Zagari. “He goes above and beyond.”