Thursday, October 1, 2026
Lynbrook boys’ soccer has yet to score a goal in its first three games, but a slow start didn’t prevent last year’s team from turning a 2-4 first half to a 6-6 finish and making the playoffs.
Lynbrook is 0-1-3, with a 2-1 loss to Mineola Sept. 13, and three scoreless draws.
Senior goalkeeper Jake Prince, a 2023 All-County honorable mention, 2024 All-County award winner and captain has been nothing short of lights-out for the Owls thus far with 31 saves and three shutouts.
“He made literally three or four point-blank saves [against Valley Stream South],” Lynbrook coach Josh Berlin said. “It could’ve been a 4-4 or 5-5 game if it weren’t for Jake. If we couldn’t have scored, we would’ve lost four or five nothing. We’re happy with getting the point. We felt we could’ve walked out with three points.”
The Owls are stocked with upperclassmen, as 16 seniors make up the 25- player roster. Three of those seniors are captains, with defenseman Thomas Dunne and midfielder Nicholas Mignella joining Prince.
“Jake is a three-year varsity player,” Berlin said. “He’s the goalie, the voice in the back. He’s passionate. He’s looking to play at the next level. He’s very meticulous when it comes to analyzing and figuring out what we can do in front of him to help us.
“Nicholas is a workhorse, Nicholas is an engine,” Berlin added. “He cares deeply, he wants to play at the next level. He's very passionate and will hold his teammates accountable.
“Thomas is my voice of reason,” the coach noted. “Thomas is smart, he’s intelligent. He’s well spoken. He wears his desire to win on his sleeve.”
Senior defensemen Devin Byrne and Max Dellacona, senior midfielder Jake Paley, midfielder/defenseman Devin Ryan and Prince will be leaned on for their size. In addition to the height, senior midfielder Steven Najera and junior midfielder Jose Yapan-Gonzalez are two players that Berlin is expecting to contribute big time.
“Devin Ryan is moving from playing the right back position to more of a holding center midfield position,” Berlin said. “He’s a great athlete, he’s fast, he’s physical and smart. He’s going to hopefully be kind of the change engine in the middle of the field for us. Mignella who will be right up in front of him will be the catalyst that’s gonna hopefully drive our offense from the top and he’s gonna be feeding [senior midfielder] Jacob Wolkoff, [senior forward] Garrett Reid and Najera.
“We have some talent in [junior midfielder] Riley Moscheni and [senior midfielder] Fabian Safsten Suarez, who are proving to be dual threats on the outside both defensively, offensively and possessing the ball in the midfield.”
Outside of the three captains, a few other seniors have stepped up as leaders.
“A number of the seniors [have stepped up as leaders] – Safsten Suarez, Ryan, my backup goalie [Grayson] Prestianni,” Berlin said. “They all have a deep desire to want to be successful and end their soccer career at the high school level with success. We’ve been in the playoffs five or six straight years, they don’t want to be the team that doesn’t make it in this year.”
Lynbrook will host Plainedge this Saturday at 10 a.m.
