Nassau soccer showcase game a success

Forty of the most talented Nassau County high school boys’ soccer players competed in a showcase event in front of nearly 30 college coaches last Saturday at Mitchel Athletic Complex.

The Nassau County Executive Cup, presented by andGo Sports and sponsored by Adidas, was a well-played game as expected and decided on penalty kicks after a scoreless battle through regulation and overtimes. Goalkeepers Matthew Schwartz (East Meadow), Taylor Kosakoff (South Side), James Pyasky (Garden City) and Ari Lewis (Jericho) had strong performances in the 3-1 win for the Blue Team.

“It’s the first time we’ve done anything like this and the game went as well as we could’ve anticipated,” Scott Knight of andGo Sports said. “You could tell how much this meant to the kids. They put in a lot of effort and played their hearts out. A lot of them were open to playing positions they wouldn’t normally play.”

Knight said last summer he along with Marco Da Forte and Gabriel Maruez of andGo Sports put together a showcase event for ESPN Rise at three sites — Newark, New Jersey, Pier 40 in New York City and Adelphi University. “Of the three places, Long Island had the largest attendance,” he said. “Soon after we were asked by Nassau County and Edward Mangano to put together something similar.

“While I can’t speak for the county, I’m optimistic this can grow and include a girls’ game as well,” Knight added.

More than 192 boys tried out for the first Nassau County Executive Cup, which was open to all county-based high school students entering grades 9-12 this coming fall. There were three tryout sessions followed by two training sessions, and a panel of six coaches chose the teams.

Schwartz led all goalies with six saves for the Orange Team, while Kosakoff turned aside four shots for the Blue side including a penalty kick. Hicksville’s Robert Aronov, Mepham’s Steve Polimeni and Chaminade’s Terrence McGovern, a Merrick resident, all scored in PK’s for the Blue Team. Oceanside’s Casey Densing found the net for the Orange Team.

Other local participants were Efrain Cruz (Clarke), Harry Davis (Calhoun), Travis Feinberg (Oceanside), Michael Kaniatyn (Oceanside), Manny Flory (Long Beach), Chris Harkins (South Side), Joseph Martinico (East Meadow), Teddy Matozzo (Carey), Stephen Pollmeni (Mepham), William Rosales (East Meadow), Wilber Romero (Clarke), John Zator (Long Beach) and Nicholas Zorbo (Kellenberg.)  

Following the showcase game, the Mineola Portuguese Soccer Club played an exhibition against the Long Island Rough Riders.