North Shore confident as playoffs arrive

The dramatic 1-0 North Shore loss to the Locust Valley juggernaut Oct. 9 was decided by a penalty kick.

The contest’s closeness lifted the confidence level of the Vikings boys' soccer team. 

They’ve incurred two losses to unbeaten Locust Valley – both by one goal. A third meeting could happen in the postseason. 

“It definitely shows we can hang around with the best team in our conference,’’ North Shore star midfielder Griffin Pinter said of the 1-0 defeat. “We got unlucky with the penalty but we’ll see them in the playoffs for sure.’’

North Shore, eliminated in the first round last season, finished the regular season in second place in Conference A East with an 11-5 record thanks to a 1-0 win over Plainedge Tuesday afternoon. Preston Samtani has the lone goal and Henrique Malaco earned the shutout.

“We’re playing well this year,’’ coach Mike Bishop said. “Players who were sophomores last year have matured. We’re playing better overall soccer and passing the ball more. We’re starting 11 guys who can settle the ball and play.’’

Against Locust Valley in the rematch, North Shore may have outplayed its neighbors. Though the Vikings lost only 2-1 in the first meeting, Bishop admitted Locust Valley dominated play. Not the second time. 

“We matched their energy extremely well,’’ Pinter said. “If we didn’t have more chances, we had better scoring chances than they did.’’

Ultimately, the decider came midway through the second half when Locust Valley’s Daniel Greene was fouled hard in the box by Matteo Maffetone. Green drilled the penalty kick into the low right corner as stout keeper Malaco never stood a chance. Malaco had an otherwise stellar performance. 

“We defended well throughout the match except for that mistake,’’ Bishop said. “We moved the ball very well. We had the ball in their half quite a bit. It was a great game.’’

Bishop’s confidence also stems from recent tight wins over strong squads in Friends Academy (1-0) and Wantagh (2-1), giving the Sea Cliff/Glen Head school a sweep of each series. 

“The second time around, teams play you tougher,’’ Bishop said. “I’m proud how our kids grinded out those results in tight games against good teams. We saw it through.’’

Sophomore midfielder Henry Cardosa scored the lone goal in the Friends Academy win. But Cardosa didn’t secure the same magic against Locust Valley as he had the game’s best chance on his foot. His close-in shot off a brilliant feed by forward Lino Leighton sailed over the cage. 

 The Maroon’s two forwards have done the bulk of the scoring. Leighton is one off the conference lead with 13 tallies and  Samtani has 10 goals. 

“(Leighton) is a year older from last year,’’ Bishop said. “He’s improved his shot and instincts around the goal and going to the goal more. Last year he was used more as a midfielder.’’

 Pinter (4 goals, 3 assists) has played flawlessly. “He’s the engine of the team,’’ Bishop said. “He’s just everywhere on the field.’’

The Vikings will need his leadership to ignite a long postseason. “I was really happy when Coach Bishop asked me to be captain,’’ Pinter said. “We all know that we can definitely go really far this year. We’re a very deep team.’’