Blue Devil Boys’ Soccer Aims for Playoffs
The Huntington boys’ soccer team is gearing up for what head coach John Pagano hopes will be a successful season. The opening weeks of practice have led to optimism and players are working hard to get into tip-top condition and bring their skills to a new level
“The pre-season went well,” said Pagano, who is assisted by Jason Suarez. “We’re hoping to make the play-offs.” Pagano is all-soccer all-the-time. His strong personality and relentless approach is entirely focused on bringing the Blue Devils into the circle of elite teams in Suffolk.
Huntington opens league play next Monday (Sept. 21) when it hosts defending state champion Comsewogue. The schedule is a challenging one but the coaching staff is confident the team will play hard, regardless of its opponent. Scoring early and often is the dream of every coach, including Pagano. But, this squad has an efficient defense, too.
The Blue Devils will be led by seniors Chris Sandoval, Greg Myers, Sal Russo, Jesse Michaels and Petros Kalodukas. Pagano is also expecting scoring from first year varsity players Christian Caballero, Christian Campos and Carlos Marquez-Guevara. E.J. Connell and Matt Curley will share duties in goal.
The Blue Devils are coming off a 4-10-3 mark last season. Pagano said 63 percent of the team’s games were decided by a single goal. The squad was led by four seniors, including forward Stevens Merilan, midfielder Nick DiPaola and defensive standouts Tom Curley and Lucas Santise. Sandoval also starred on defense and is the only one returning from that nucleus. Connell stepped into the starting goalkeeper’s role during the season and responded with three shutouts.
A mix of returning varsity and promoted players from last year’s junior varsity team are expected to make Huntington competitive this fall. In recent years larger crowds have been turning out for Blue Devil home games and both players and coaches hope that trend continues.
In the opening game of the season last Saturday night, a non-league contest at Rocky Point, the Blue Devils easily topped the Eagles, 4-1 behind two goals from Anthony Catarino and single scores from Jessie Michaels and Carlos Marquez-Guevara.
Is this the start of a special season? Only time will tell.
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