Thursday, October 1, 2026
In a hard fought and emotional matchup on Amityville Senior Day, the Kings Park Kingsmen came out on top with a dramatic 2-1 overtime victory over the Amityville Tide in boys soccer action Oct. 15.
The loss dropped Amityville to 5-5 in conference play while Kings Park continued to build momentum as a postseason contender.
The match was filled with intensity and late game heroics, capped off by Kings Park’s Jhony Moreira scoring his second goal of the game with just six seconds left in the first overtime period to seal the win for the Kingsmen.
After the loss, Amityville coach Mike Abbondondolo offered a candid assessment of both the game and the state of his team.
“I think the game was indicative of how our season has been going,” said Abbondondolo. “At moments we look like we could be a strong team and then at moments we look like a team that’s not as strong.”
The first half saw both teams battling for control in the midfield, with physical play and few clear scoring chances early on. Kings Park broke through with 6:08 remaining in the half when Moreira fired a shot that deflected off a defender and into the back of the net, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Amityville, determined to respond in front of its home crowd, turned up the pressure in the second half. The persistence paid off with 12:36 left in regulation when senior captain Aiden Johnson delivered a beautiful low line-drive strike to level the game at 1-1. The goal ignited the Tide bench and gave the home side renewed energy as it pushed for a go-ahead goal.
With just eight minutes remaining, Amityville junior goalkeeper Cesar Hernandez came up huge, making a sliding save on a breakaway to keep the game tied and force overtime.
But in the waning moments of overtime, Moreira once again found himself in the right place at the right time. With just six seconds left on the clock, he buried the game winner past Hernandez, silencing the Amityville supporters and securing a 2-1 win for Kings Park.
The game marked a bittersweet Senior Day for the Tide, which honored 2026 graduating players prior to kickoff. Among those recognized were captains Justin Mendez, Anthony Salvador, and Johnson, along with classmates Steven Chavez, Meny Claros, and Christopher Bonilla, who are all key contributors on the defensive end.
“With the way our program is, competing against a team that makes the playoffs is not a victory,” said Abbondondolo. “Our standards are a lot higher and we don’t take moral victories in losing to a playoff team because if we do make the playoffs, we’re gonna need to be able to beat other playoff teams.”
Amityville did indeed bounce back from the defeat, however, picking up a 1-0 win over Sayville in its next outing last Saturday. Fittingly, it was Salvador who provided the decisive goal, helping the Tide get back on track, improving to 6-5 in conference play and punching its playoff ticket.
