Sunday, November 1, 2026
Lucas Mejia was on a mission.
Back at Farmingdale State College, a year removed from a heartbreaking loss to Friends Academy in the Nassau Class A boys soccer semifinals, the Locust Valley senior forward earned legend status with a hat trick to lead the second-seeded Falcons to a 5-0 victory over No. 4 Plainedge in the county championship on Saturday.
“It feels great,” Mejia said. “We worked so hard all year for this. I’m at a loss for words. I don’t know what to say. I’m ecstatic.”
It’s in stark contrast to how Mejia felt leaving the same field following the season-ending 1-0 loss to Friends.
“Against Friends Academy, I feel like I left that field with a lot more to give,” Mejia said. “This year I gave it all I had, everything I had for this moment right here.”
Mejia, who has 23 goals on the season, opened the scoring against Plainedge with a first-half penalty kick before completing the hat trick with goals two minutes apart — with both feet — in the second half.
John Guarderas followed with the final two goals to secure the second county title — and last for Locust Valley coach Joe Lee, who is stepping down after 23 years at the helm.
“I'm ecstatic. I'm so happy,” Lee said. “The boys, since this day started, they just kept telling me how much they were going to do this for me. And no matter what I said, I'm like, ‘guys, it's about you.’ They just said ‘No, it’s about us,’ and ‘we’re going to do this for you.’ There’s a relief that they got the job done because I knew how much it meant to them.”
After that loss to Friends Academy last year, Andrea Ginestra, whose son Lucas is a key cog in the Falcons’ midfield, presented Lee with a gift, a portrait of the team with the words “We’re not finished yet, coach,” on it.
It was hung up in Lee’s classroom until Saturday night.
“I just returned it to her,” Lee said. “It was just a great moment because that's what it was about. We didn't finish it last year, and we wanted to come back and do it.”
Locust Valley (14-2-0) rallied to defeat third-seeded Mineola in the semifinals, with Mejia scoring the tying goal before Jacob Sabow netted the match winner in the 50th minute.
While the Falcons advance to the Long Island Class A final against John Glenn, Plainedge (10-4-4) fell just short of a first county title.
It was a season that started with uncertainty, with four freshmen assuming starting roles. But the Red Devils, who defeated No. 8 Valley Stream South 2-0 in the semifinals on goals from Conor Sinclair and Patrick Svraka, gelled to make a memorable run that ended in the county final.
“Losing a championship game is never easy, especially when you have worked so hard all season to get to that moment,” Plainedge coach Jason Cinelli said. “Obviously the result isn’t what we wanted, and there is disappointment knowing how close we were to accomplishing our goal. However, I couldn’t be prouder of the effort, heart, and determination the guys showed.”
