Clarke boosted by early play

Clarke’s welcomed a host of new faces to the boys’ soccer field, and some that even find themselves in new places, including junior goalie Kevin Mejia, a converted midfielder who has already netted a pair of shutouts.

Though the Rams (3-5-1 overall, 2-2-1 in Conference ABC-III) hit a speed bump in a 5-2 loss to Wheatley on Sept. 26, the solid start has provided a nice early confidence boost and includes a 1-0 nonconference win over a Bethpage team currently ranked No. 3 in Nassau County. “We’re very young and we have two freshman starting,” Clarke coach Matt Germaine said. “And we had no goalie going into the season.”

Already possessing great athleticism — he’s played every position for the team during his career and even scored four goals as a midfielder last season —Mejia is now getting a handle on the technical side in net and has a great mentor in Germaine, himself a former goalie. Junior sweeper Connor Questel is a varsity veteran, while sophomore Rodolfo Chacon is seeing his first full-time action after being brought up during last season’s playoffs. An injury in the Wheatley loss has forced sophomore Andrew Mavrogeorgis to the sidelines, but the open spot was quickly spoken for by junior Tristan Nagel for the remainder of the game. 

The midfield has been a work in progress, and some shuffling could occur if Nagel stays at stopper for the long-term. Junior Nick Courtney and freshman Owen Restrepo are already in the mix alongside Clarke’s top playmaker, senior Jose Hernandez, an All-County returnee who registered a goal and three assists through the first nine games. “He sees the field well and puts the ball on the spot,” Germaine said. “And defensively, if he loses possession, he’s the first one to try and take it back off your foot.

“He’s definitely vocal and keeps guys encouraged and keeps them in the game.”

When Hernandez is looking for places to send the ball, he’s got a number of weapons on the Rams’ frontline, led by senior Efrain Cruz, the No. 3 scorer in Nassau County entering this week’s play. He scored nine goals, including two in the loss to Wheatley, two in a 4-1 win over Mineola on Sept. 24, and the first goal in a 2-1 win over Locust Valley on Sept. 18. Alex Reid, a sophomore, has shown a knack for being in the right position and netted the other two goals against Locust Valley. “He’s got a very powerful left shot and his initial burst is plenty to get past [defenders],” Germaine said of Cruz.

The winning goal against Locust Valley came off the foot of senior Bryant Acosta just two minutes after he was subbed into the lineup on a hunch.  “He works hard,” Germaine said. “He kept running, the ball was played to him and he touched it in. He missed in the same exact situation against Seaford, so we called it a redemption [shot].”