Carey should be in the hunt

Carey rebounded from a one-win season in 2010 by posting a 9-4-2 overall record last fall and making a trip to the Nassau Class AA boys’ soccer playoffs, where the Seahawks were beaten by county finalist Great Neck South in the opening round.

With much of the team returning and some key newcomers added to the roster, Carey should be among the top teams in Conference AA-III. The league is composed of Long Beach, Calhoun, Herricks, Kennedy, Great Neck South, and Elmont.

Matt Princi, in his seventh year as head coach, likes the make up of his team. “We have a core of players who performed well for us last season,” Princi said. “Six of the juniors saw a lot of time as sophomores. I think we should be able to compete with anyone in the conference.”

Elvis Aguiluz, who scored 12 goals and earned All-Conference honors as a junior, moves to center midfield for the Seahawks. Aguiluz, who is a three-year varsity player and one of the team’s captains, is the type of player who can control the flow of the game, and put teammates in position to score goals. He had a pair of assists in Carey’s first two games; wins over Oceanside and Sewanhaka. 

Senior captain Gianfranco Iacono is a speedy, talented midfielder who has terrific soccer IQ. Iacono scored the game’s lone goal, off a pass from Aguiluz, in a 1-0 win over Oceanside. Junior Ryan Mehr, an All-Conference performer as a sophomore, moves up and down the field well, and is excellent at crossing. Junior Leonardo Landeta may be the team’s best distributor. Landeta is an intelligent player who sees the field well. 

At forward, Carey hopes to have junior Gino Scardino back from an injury in the near future. Scardino is expected to be among the team’s top scorers. Junior Jesse Matozzo, who scored a pair of goals in a 3-2 win over Sewanhaka, is very strong inside the 18. 

Junior Jeff Castaneda, who had a goal and an assist against Sewanhaka, is a skilled player with a hard shot. Freshman Sean Reddy will play both forward and midfield. Princi expects Reddy to find the back of the net, and sees big things from him in the future.