Lopez the Hero as H-ton Advances to Suffolk Final Four
It was Anfernee Lopez’s turn to step into the role of hero for the Huntington High School boys’ soccer team, which upset host Hauppauge last Friday afternoon, 1-0 to advance to the Suffolk Class AA Final Four.
Lopez scored the only goal of the game off a first half cross from Jeremy Gelb. The Blue Devil’s defense and goalie Lee Reiver took it from there, frustrating the Eagles’ at every turn and holding firm as Huntington (10-4-5) won its third consecutive post-season game.
The Blue Devils will play at third seeded Central Islip today (Monday, November 4) at 2 p.m. in a county semi-final game. Admission is free. Huntington has not won the Suffolk boys’ soccer championship since 1964. The Blue Devils were county co-champs with Center Moriches in 1963 and 1964.
Despite last Friday’s early afternoon start, Huntington fans quickly filled the stands and loudly cheered their favorite team. The Blue Devils are on their most magical ride in more than two decades and the team doesn’t want it to end just yet.
“We played Hauppauge twice during the regular season and we knew they were strong, fast and good in the air,” Gelb said. “We knew the only way to shut this team out was for our defense to limit their chances off throw-ins and set pieces. Lee Reiver and the defense did a great job of getting to every ball before the Hauppauge offense could get a decent shot at the net.”
The teams met twice during the regular season. Hauppauge topped the Blue Devils in the first game, 2-1. The second contest resulted in a 2-2 tie. Huntington is clearly peaking at the best time of year for any team.
“Today was another amazing win for us,” said Reiver who notched his 10th shutout of the season. “The main difference I can think of between today and our last two games against Hauppauge was getting the first goal. In both previous games we were playing from behind pretty much the entire game. Going up 1-0 early allowed us to really control the game. With our defense, a 1-0 lead is actually pretty safe so we were confident that we would be able to hold the lead for the remainder of the game. We took a more defensive approach after we took the lead and I couldn’t be more proud of the way our guys handled the pressure. This is a crazy run we’re on and we’ll do anything to keep it going.”
Reiver stopped five shots in goal. Hauppauge’s sensational goalie Joe Scudero also recorded five saves. Huntington head coach John Pagano and assistant coach Jason Suarez developed and laid-out Friday’s game plan and their team executed it to perfection.
“The key to the victory was to get the ball up the field to our forwards,” Reiver said. “We have plenty of speed and talent up top. With offensive-minded players like Ricky Velasquez and Anfernee Lopez we knew there was no way their defense could contain us for 80 minutes.”
Central Islip (15-2) advanced to the Suffolk semi-finals by besting Sachem North in sudden victory overtime, 2-1. Fourth seeded Brentwood will square off against No. 1 Smithtown West in the other county semi-final game on Monday. The Suffolk finals are set for Thursday (November 7) at Dowling Sports Complex at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $6.