East Meadow gets in win column

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East Meadow forward Michael Posillico made up for lost time in his belated 2017 debut. Sidelined with an eye injury for the first four games of the boys’ soccer season, the talented sophomore joined up with his squad Sept. 15 to tender a 2-goal, 1-assist performance that sparked the Jets’ first win of the year, a 4-1 non-conference home romp over Division.

Second-year East Meadow coach Bryan Horrmann – whose team has started 0-3 in Nassau Conference AA-3, 1-5 overall – saw the much-needed breakthrough victory as a moment of crystallization – an instance of execution meshing with a well-defined team vision.

“We’re trying to bring back a tough-as-nails, confident mentality to this program,” Horrmann said. “Against Division we fought for every ball and controlled every minute. Mike Posillico was great coming back from an injury.  He’s the kind of gritty player that brings confidence to the field.”

The Jets have shown signs of a breakout after finishing 1-6-1 in Conference AA-3, 2-8-1 overall last season. This year East Meadow has twice been on the losing end of one-goal decisions, and came up short, 3-1, at home against Mepham Sept. 9.

As a team in transition, East Meadow has shown willingness to experiment with its lineup.  Notably, team captain Dheyby Cantor, a senior who started at midfield last year, has been redeployed as the Jets’ starting stopper.

“Dheyby has solidified our backfield by changing positions,” Horrmann said. “It was a selfless act, because I know he’d like to stay up top and score. He’s the captain for a reason.”

Seniors Dakota Jackson and Jon Carlo Esquivel have been the Jets’ Swiss Army knives, floating from defense to offense as needed.

“Dakota can play anywhere we put him and plays his heart out,” Horrmann said. “He’s not afraid to go for any fifty-fifty chance. Jon Carlo has great footwork and vision. He does whatever is asked of him and never complains.”

A concentration of veterans forms East Meadow’s offensive salient, with seniors Elver Fuentes, Marlon Espinosa and Esquivel starting as forwards.

“Elver gives you a hundred percent every time,” Horrmann said. “His skill set would make any program better. Marlon has one heck of a foot, and he has an extra gear to get by defensive backs.”

Sophomore Samuel Nkrumah, who scored the Jets’ lone goal against Mepham, has impressed his coach starting at midfield. “Sam Nkrumah is a pleasure to watch,” Horrmann said.  “His foot skills are second to none and he distributes the ball very well.”

Starting in goal for East Meadow is junior Julian Quaresima, with seniors Sebastian Romero, Tyler Darrigan and Deiby Torres as the first-string fullbacks.

“We began the season with several players out of action,” Horrmann said. “But this team is tough-minded, and I think we’re going to see better results.  Since I was a kid, East Meadow has always had a fighting-tooth-and-nail, never-say-die attitude.”

Added Horrmann: “I’m proud of all the boys so far.  They make it enjoyable coming to work every day.  I’m a lucky coach.”