Thursday, October 1, 2026
Valley Stream North had Conference A-II boys’ soccer frontrunner Plainedge in a two-goal hole on Oct. 7, but couldn’t seal the deal and ultimately saw their playoff hopes slip away with a 3-2 defeat at home.
Junior Jean Gardy Derineau continued his hot scoring pace and sophomore Tcharly Verna added a goal as the Spartans held a 2-0 advantage with 22 minutes remaining. “They were pressuring us most of the game, but we scored early in both halves and really had them on the ropes,” VSN coach Dave Aquado said. “It’s a game we should’ve won. They finished strong towards the end.”
Dylan Pagan, Antonio Ripepe and Giancarlo Vacca scored for the Red Devils, who improved to 7-1-1 in conference games. Pagan had the winner with eight minutes left off an assist from his brother, Justin. Ripepe set up Vacca for Plainedge’s first goal and then scored the equalizer.
“The conference is even tougher than it was last season,” said Aguado, whose team dropped to 2-6 in A-II and 3-7 overall. “The top six is tough to crack. We were young last year and we’re still young.”
The Spartans have only two senior starters. Carlos Cardona is one of their three captains and plays defense along with Michael Hernandez. Of North’s 21 goals, 13 have come from juniors and eight from sophomores.
Derineau leads the offense with seven goals and four assists. “He’s dangerous all over the place,” Aguado said of the starting forward. “Teams are doubling him, but he’s been productive every game.”
Junior midfielder/forward Luciano Cirelli, a captain, ranks second on the team in scoring with five goals and four assists. He scored twice in North’s 5-3 conference loss to Division on Oct. 5, and he also found the net twice in a 5-4 non-league defeat to Cold Spring Harbor on Sept. 26. “He’s very good with the ball at his feet,” Aguado said. “He can shoot and distribute.”
Sophomore Anthony Franco, another captain, is having a big year anchoring the defense at sweeper and also as an offensive contributor on set plays. He has four goals. “He can push up and join the play,” Aguado said.
Verna has three goals and one assist, while freshman Fernando Garcia has a pair of assists. In goal, sophomore James Perciballi has stepped up recently to take the starting job.
Conference wins have come against Lynbrook and North Shore. Derineau, Verna and Franco scored in a 3-2 victory over Lynbrook, and sophomore Brandon James had the lone goal and Perciballi four saves against North Shore.
