Soccer Alums Battle at Annual
Reunion Game
In what is being called the "most thrilling" game in the six-year history of the annual Huntington men's soccer alumni match-up, Blue Devil head coach John Pagano's team topped assistant coach Jason Suarez's squad, 4-3 last Saturday.
More than 30 alumni players returned to their alma mater for this year's game. Once warm-ups had concluded, the two teams got down to it, engaging in a fierce battle for bragging rights. Suarez scored the game's first goal from about 15-yards out about 20 minutes into the contest.
Down 1-0, Pagano's team responded by rattling off the next four goals to take a 4-1 lead by halftime. Saul Baires tied the game at 1-1 with a diving header off a Sam Michaels shot that hit the crossbar. Goalkeeper Kyle Wasarhaley tipped the drive, but Baires headed in the rebound.
Sam Michael put his team ahead five minutes later with a blast from 10-yards out. Game MVP and Huntington junior varsity coach Jose Alfaro then scored the game's next two goals. The first was a neat combination assisted by Pagano and Andone Pleitez. The second came off a free kick assisted by Pagano and Jesse Michaels.
The second half saw Suarez make some tactical adjustments with his team, which paid immediate dividends. Tyler Balzer was moved to forward, where he promptly scored the game's next two goals to narrow his squad's deficit to a single goal at 4-3.
Despite a furious last minute rush, Team Suarez was not able to pull even as time expired. Team Pagano celebrated its victory at midfield. Goalkeepers Jon Tasman and Wasarhaley were brilliant in the nets.
Class of 1986 alum Mark Maldonado impressed all players with his mix of fitness and passing ability. Once the game had wrapped up, participants headed down to Huntington village for an after-match party at Rookies Sports Club.
"I'd like to thank everyone who turned out for the game this year," Pagano said. "We had a great time."