The Long Beach boys’ soccer team sees the road ahead paved by improvement and self-discovery. As they gradually learn to compete in Conference AA-1, coach Leo Palacio believes the Marines will learn plenty about themselves along the way.
“We're gonna compete,” Palacio said “We're going to learn a lot. We're going to learn a lot about ourselves and our team, and second half of the season, whatever we learn, we're going to put it into use.”
With a 2-1-1 record, Palacio has seen more good than bad from a Long Beach core that has been taking shape for several years. The defense has been tenacious in the face of stout competition and the offense is led by senior forwards Ryder Heitefuss and Nick Amantea.
Palacio noted complementary styles between his two forwards. He described Heitefuss as capable of moving through defenses like “a hot knife through butter,” while Amantea moves more like a “freight train” with a highly physical style. Each forward scored four combined goals in Long Beach’s first two victories over New Hyde Park and Roslyn.
In the midfield, senior Josias Saravia has been an important distributor and secured four assists in four games. On the outside, junior Dominic Mendoza is a specialist for the Marines, providing a scoring threat while locking in on opposing star players. Senior Dunia Sibomana, a two-time state champion in wrestling, seems to have endless endurance and has proven capable of wearing down tiring rivals.
Though the Marines suffered their first defeat in a physical game against MacArthur on Sept. 6, Palacio was much happier with his players on defense when they held perennial contender Calhoun to a 0-0 draw on Sept. 12
“My defenders are playing some great ball,” Palacio said. “They had a great, great game, probably one of the best defensive games I've ever had against Calhoun. Calhoun is going to score goals on everybody, they've been scoring goals. And my defense the other day was unbelievable.”
Senior goalkeeper Vance Kanganis is returning to the position he last played for Palacio in junior varsity two years ago, but the coach said that he has immediately stepped up to cover the position well.
“He didn't play last year in goal for anybody, but he’s 6-foot-1 now, so I talked him into playing goalie,” Palacio said. “He’s a basketball player too, and I’ll tell you, he probably had one of the best games I've ever seen a goalie play against Calhoun, making saves against anything in the air.”
In front of Kanganis on defense, junior Gavin O’Grady offers excellent field vision and could soon earn playing time as a midfielder as well. Daury Tineo-Infante missed most of last season with an injury and is bolstering Long Beach’s back line.
“I got to get these guys ready again because, you know, three games in the week is a lot, and if you're still healthy, you’re going to make some noise,” Palacio said. “We're going to make some noise if we're still healthy.
If Palacio’s predictions ring true and the battle for Conference AA-1 is one of attrition, then there is only so much within the Marines’ control. The coach’s only expectation is that they learn and continue moving forward, and early results suggest that they’re keeping on task.
