Hewlett booted on penalty kicks

Eighty minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime weren’t enough to separate No. 13 MacArthur and No. 20 Hewlett in a Nassau Class A boys’ soccer out-bracket playoff game on Oct. 19, so it came down to penalty kicks where the host Generals converted all five to prevail.

Hewlett, which failed to score in its last two regular-season games but managed a scoreless tie in the Conference A2 finale to quality for the playoffs with a .500 record, managed nine shots on goal to MacArthur’s seven but couldn’t get anything past opposing keeper Sean Lyons, who’s been as hot as any goalie in the county.

“We did everything but score,” Bulldogs coach Nick Lacetera said. “MacArthur came out strong and outplayed us for the first 20 minutes, but once we started to gain momentum we didn’t give it back. We had four legitimate shots squeak by the far post.

“It’s a hard loss to take, but we walked off the field feeling good about our team and what we accomplished,” he added.

Hewlett (5-7-2 overall) opened the season with an impressive win over perennial power South Side, but it wasn’t long before Lacetera reacted to a red flag and changed the formation. The Bulldogs switched to a 1-4-5 after allowing four or more goals in three of the next four games.

“Our season took a huge turn after the Plainedge game,” said Lacetera, referring to a 4-0 defeat on Sept. 16 that prompted him to go with five defenders and one forward. “Everyone adapted really well and responded to the changes,” he added. “After that, we didn’t allow any goals to an opposing forward.”

Having a dynamic scorer like junior Luca Preziosi made going with one attacker an easier decision, Lacetera said. Preziosi ended up scoring nine of the team’s 13 goals on the year. “He does such a great job controlling the ball and has good skills in tight spaces,” Lacetera said. “Even when he’s marked, he’s tough to contain. There was a lot of pressure on him being the only forward, but he’s matured so much as a player and has a lot of confidence.”

Much like a baseball team, Hewlett’s strength up the middle was a major reason for its success. Junior Alex Vardaro moved to sweeper and served as the field general of the defense in front of senior goalkeeper Matthew Gershon, who posted five shutouts. “Alex barked out defensive orders and has all the skills, speed and strength you want a player to have,” Lacetera said. 

Juniors Saar Yona and Marc Ziarno were consistent and solid at center-midfield, while junior Roy Schwartz led the effort on the outside.

The coach credits senior marking backs Sam Bodner and Ethan Grossman with helping turn the season around. Senior Jesse Metz and junior Joel Caceres were the starting fullbacks.

Hewlett’s best stretch came a week after the lineup tweak. It went 3-0-1, capped by a victory over Lynbrook that saw Preziosi, Schwartz and freshman Ben Petterman find the back of the net.