Huntington Falls to
Nationally Ranked Brentwood
The Blue Devil boys' soccer team knew its challenge was roughly the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest, when head coach John Pagano's squad squared off against nationally ranked Brentwood in the Section XI Class AA playoffs.
Huntington lost the game, but never surrendered its pride in dropping a 5-0 decision to the Indians. The Blue Devils hung tough, allowing just one first-half goal. Brentwood entered the game ranked second in the county and the Indians featured skilled players at every position, including a powerful offensive unit.
The Blue Devils advanced to the game after topping host East Islip in penalty kicks. Huntington sophomore Raul Alvarenga scored about 20 minutes into the game off an assist from sophomore Josh Canales to give the Blue Devils a lead they held until 1:20 remained in the contest when the Redmen tied the score.
The teams went through two scoreless overtimes before entering the penalty kick phase. Tied 3-3, sophomore defender Scott Gulizio scored to give Huntington an upset victory. Blue Devil goalie Ari Moskowitz stopped two East Islip penalty kicks in the thrilling showdown.
Against Brentwood, the Blue Devils had no such luck. The Indians' offense began firing on all cylinders in the second frame as the elite squad put four balls in the net. Moskowitz stopped six shots before Renato Aguilar came on to record three saves. Huntington managed only one shot on goal as Brentwood goalie Raul Bonilla notched his 14th shutout in 17 games.