Malverne/East Rockaway searches for offense

The Malverne/East Rockaway boys’ soccer team could easily compete for a playoff spot this season…if it can just find a way to score.

The Rockin’ Mules offense went dry in 2021, scoring just 15 times while being shut out in five contests to finish at 2-9-3. Their season high was just three in a loss to Oyster Bay on Sept. 21 and David Atiencia and his team-high six tallies graduated last spring.

The concerns were heightened further with a temporary move this year to Conference A Central, where the schedule was based more on geography than school size. But they were temporarily eased with a 6-3 win over Elmont in the season opener on Sept. 8 in which six different players found the net. A seventh different player tallied in a 5-1 loss to Floral Park two days later.

Coach Robert Anderson blamed last year’s outage on his players bypassing shots in search of the perfect play but believes that some new talent and some tweaks to the lineup can put his players in a better position to succeed.

“Last year, if you looked at the scoreboard, there were a lot of zeroes,” he said. “Now, up top, I’ve got a ninth grader and a senior who I converted from the midfield and I’m hoping that they make the difference.”

That freshman is Johnny Staubitz, who had the team’s most recent goal last Saturday. Anderson expects him to be one of the team’s top facilitators while getting the “garbage goals” because of his strength and soccer IQ.

“Johnny just plays on instinct,” Anderson said. “It’s a really cool thing to watch. Johnny doesn’t overthink the game, he keeps it simple [and] he’s extremely physical beyond his years. For a ninth grader, he’s shoving seniors and juniors around.”

Anderson believes senior striker Nicholas Guarino (2 assists) will finish the season as one the team’s top scorers and expects senior newcomer John Najera to get on the score sheet eventually at right wing because of his durability, strength and strong crossing skills.

The offense is being set up by the solid midfield tandem of junior Joseph Mejia, who already has a goal and two assists through two games, and sophomore Angel Landaverde, a converted outside back who had a goal and assist against Elmont.

“The two of them see the field really well and they’re distributing the ball really well,” Anderson said. “Last year, the defense was doing most of the work and the midfield was creating these huge gaps. You could graze cattle in-between the amount of space we left.”

The defense is led by senior center backs Robert Staubitz and Thomas Guarino, who also scored last week. Staubitz rarely gets beat by opposing forwards because of his speed and physicality, while Guarino’s smart decision making and communication with the outside backs makes him a dependable player.

The lineup was bolstered further this week with the return of agile 6-foot-3 goalkeeper David Rogalo, whose large wingspan makes the net smaller for the opposition when he comes out to challenge shots.