Lynbrook part of playoff chase

A playoff team a year ago, it was almost unthinkable for Lynbrook boys’ soccer to miss the postseason in 2023.

But that’s now a real possibility for the Owls, who can only afford to lose once more, and even that may be too much.

Lynbrook has played several tight matches through the first nine games on its schedule. The issue hasn’t so much been its three losses but three ties that have the Owls (3-3-3) fighting for their playoff lives.

“The frustrating part for me is that we’ve fully been in a position to win,” Lynbrook coach Josh Berlin said. “We didn't get the job done.”

Against Mineola on Sep. 21, the Owls gave up a late lead and then squandered an opportunity to win the game in the final minutes. The narrative was the same when they faced Lawrence two weeks later. Now, Lynbrook is looking up at both teams in the Conference A West standings.

Lynbrook was rarely in such a position late in games last season. Offense came second nature, with Sebastian Cuenca and Gabe Moscheni combining for 27 goals. Without them this year, five players have combined to score just 12 goals for the Owls.

But despite the lack of offense, goalkeeper Jake Prince has served as Lynbrook’s saving grace.

“He’s confident and is a great communicator on the field,” Berlin said. “He's tall, he's agile and he's very good with his reflexes. He positions himself very well, and he's made some incredible saves.”

With 47 saves, Prince ranks second in the conference as a sophomore and is part of a promising class of 2026 for Lynbrook, along with Devin Byrne, Nick Mignella, Fabian Safsten-Suarez, Steven Najera and Garrett Reid.

“I'm carrying sophomores who have gained invaluable experience at the varsity level,” Berlin said. “They're learning about the amount of conditioning you need to have. It will only make them better these next two years because they'll understand that earlier.”

Helping Berlin guide the younger members are senior captains Walter Martinez, Sam Moscheni, Patrick O’Doherty and Marco Pantano. Through all of Lynbrook’s hardship, their leadership hasn’t wavered.

“They’re the most impactful leaders that we've seen in our program in a long time,” Berlin said. “They are motivators, they’re tacticians and they're helping their teammates constantly. I trust them implicitly with the leadership of this team.”

Martinez, Moscheni, O’Doherty and Pantano will lead the Owls into the three most important games of their individual careers. The first coming against Hewlett before rounding out the season in rematches with Mineola and Lawrence that will decide Lynbrook’s fate. If that means not making the playoffs, so be it.

“Soccer, more so than anything that I've been involved with, is cyclical,” Berlin said. “When you have the right players and you have the right mentality, success follows. If we don't meet our goal of the playoffs, these guys will be devastated, but they’ll know they did everything they possibly could.”