Kennedy building on early teamwork

In his first year as Kennedy’s boys’ varsity soccer coach, Ari Bisk leads a team with a veteran defense and a diverse offense looking to build off last season’s playoff run. The Cougars (2-3 overall, 1-2 in Conference A-I) have already proven they work well as a unit, both on the field and in the box scores. 

“We’ve got great chemistry and great camaraderie,” Bisk said. “They’ve got great heart and desire and want to improve and they play hard for each other. Teams don’t know who to really zero in on, and when everyone’s chipping in and in a team sport, that’s what you need.”

Through the first five games, five different players have combined to score Kennedy’s 10 goals, led by sophomore Skyler Gershon’s (four), and three players have racked up a total of six assists, with senior Jared White (three) at the top of the list. Gershon, a strong striker and finisher, has already piled up several scores from outside the 18-yard line and is normally teamed up with senior Josh Weitz, a four-year varsity player, at the forward position. 

Before a 1-0 loss to Carey last Saturday, Gershon scored  two goals in a 3-1 win over New Hyde Park on Sept. 17. The Cougars’ frontline has also gotten contributions from sophomore Dan Markel (two goals), with seniors Jason Teich and James Giammetta also in the rotation.

White, named the Conference A-I Player of the Week for the first week this season, is one of the team’s co-captains, along with senior center back Brett Samuels. White provides a powerful left foot at outside midfield, and his running mate on the other end, junior Domenico Maffei, already has a goal and a pair of assists. 

The playmakers at center midfield are a pair of freshmen, Chris Polonco and Justin Kohan. Both excel at moving the ball, whether it’s at their own feet or by finding teammates heading upfield. The rotation at midfield is deep, despite the preseason loss of senior Mark Fridburg to injury, with seniors Jesse Liebman and Jake Fegan, juniors Justin Orenstein and Evan Ross and sophomore Matt Kaufman all in the mix for playing time.

“We like to try and keep the ball on the ground and seem to be scoring a lot off of crosses,” Bisk said. “We try to play it quickly from the midfield to the outside, and we’ve been scoring goals by pressuring high.”

Some of that pressure in front of opposing keepers has come from a pair of Kennedy defenders who move inside the 18-yard line when the Cougars are trying to convert corner kicks. Junior Ryan Cummings brings size and athleticism to the offense on corner kicks, and he’s scored twice on headers in the box. Joining Cummings in the middle of the backline is Samuels, a returning All-Conference honoree who also specializes in making plays in the air. Junior Matt Kreuder and sophomore Matt Forman line up on the outsides of the flatback defense, with senior Mitchell Boyer and junior Alex Buchbinder also in the rotation.

Josh Schuit, an athletic senior with size, is in his first season as the varsity keeper, with junior Jake Lamonsoff as his backup.