A brand-new field hasn’t meant a lot of new victories for the Lawrence boys soccer team.
Though coach Gerard Lagasse hopes for a turnaround, Lawrence stumbled to a 1-4-2 start, with a troubling lack of offense.
Lawrence had four goals in the first six games before an anomaly last Friday versus Valley Stream South when it burst out to a three-goal lead on a hat trick by Jorge Ortega.
Shockingly, the Golden Tornadoes allowed four straight goals in the second half in a 4-3 defeat, leaving their playoff hopes on shaky ground.
Despite not having a home field last season, Lawrence was the ultimate road warriors and made it to the Nassau County Class A semifinals. Now making the playoffs will be a chore despite just a .500 record being needed.
Centerbacks Jason Arevalo and Andrew Rosales have been terrific, but were part of the Valley Stream South meltdown.
The overriding issue, though, is needing more forward panache. In the 1-1 tie at Clarke on Sept. 23, Lagasse put Arevalo up front out of desperation. The move paid off.
Aravelo scored the tying goal with 3:30 left on a bicycle kick as lovely as Lawrence’s newly sodded field at the middle school. Arevalo positioned himself on the ball after it deflected off Jordy Martinez.
“It was unbelievable,’’ Lagasse said. “I put Jason on top because we don’t have goal scorers. He’s a talented player and can play anywhere.’’
Arevalo, a junior, has All-County potential. “He’s an excellent player with a high soccer IQ and his technical ability is very good,’’ Lagasse said. “In my opinion he’s one of the best centerbacks in our conference. Both of them are.’’
Indeed, Arevalo and Rosales are two reasons Lawrence still has playoff hopes with six games left.
“They’re the backbone to our defense,’’ Lagasse said. “Without them, we’d get killed every game.’’
Rosales, a three-year starter who came back from an ACL tear his sophomore year, hopes to play in college. A 2025 All-Conference centerback, he excels at passing and tackling.
“It took a lot of time,’’ Rosales said of recovery. “I’m very happy with my play because my senior year we’re looking to make it far. Despite the record, we have very talented team that has the potential to make it far in the playoffs.’’
Lawrence lost nine seniors from the semifinal team, including superstar sniper Corvin Pocasangre, who recorded 14 goals. The 2026 Golden Tornadoes have just four senior starters.
"We are having a hard time scoring goals,’’ Lagasse said. “The team chemistry has been an issue but I think we have solved it. We finally in the last week found pieces to get the puzzle together.’’
Besides Arevalo and Ortega, players with single goals are Martinez and Roddy Perard. Lagasse believes Martinez and Perard can be potential snipers. As they’ve had scoring chances.
“We just need a nose for the goal when we’re in the final third,’’ Lagasse said. “We either miss the goal or miss chances to shoot.’’
It’s a good thing junior goalie, Kevin Valle has exceeded expectations after never playing organized soccer. Valle had big cleats to fill after goalie Gabriel Rosales’ graduation.
“He just picked it up naturally,’’ Lagasse said. “He’s played very well, better than I thought. There’s still a lot of work to do but certainly he has talent.’’
And that’s the case for the 2026 Lawrence soccer club. “We’re playing better now,’’ Lagasse said. “We have the talent and ability to make the playoffs.’’
