Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Through gritty defensive play and a well-rounded attack, West Hempstead boys soccer has successfully clinched a playoff spot in Nassau Class B. With a 3-6-3 record, the Rams have had their trials, but they have also proven capable of hanging with most rivals in a competitive conference.
“I don’t care about the end result,” coach Chris Van Kovics said. “You come in every day and you just work hard. Some guys step up and play multiple positions, and some guys keep their position. We try to compete every day and try to get better. We don’t talk about wins and losses.”
Despite a 5-1 loss to Carle Place, who finished undefeated with a 14-0 overall record, in the final game of the regular season on Friday, Oct. 9, West Hempstead secured fourth in the conference standings to lock up a postseason spot. Though they never defeated Carle Place or Oyster Bay, they never lost to fellow conference rivals Wheatley, Evergreen or Cold Spring Harbor.
West Hempstead will face Carle Place again in the Class B semifinals and will be underdogs, but reaching this point is an achievement in itself for the strengthening program.
West Hempstead’s success has been a result of its defense, which goes through junior goalkeeper Bryan Guzman and senior defenseman Wilder Castro.
After an explosive start to the year, in which West Hempstead frequently traded goals while easing into action, Carle Place was the only team to score more than twice on Guzman in the Rams’ final seven games. Castro held the line in front of him.
“Between the two of them, they’ve definitely kept us in a lot of games, but because they’re really good defensively,” Van Kovics said.
Alongside Castro, Van Kovics built a stout defense supported by junior Cristian Bonilla Pena, who plays a stopper position in the center, sophomore left-back Jared Suruy Diaz, and versatile juniors Alan Escamilla and Alexis Fernandez.
Junior Derlens Fontus-Joseph has been a highly useful piece in West Hempstead’s system, playing everywhere with a highly adaptable style. Listed as a forward, he has also played various positions in the midfield as needed. This versatility is aided by his striking ability, which has allowed him to score two of his four goals from long distance.
“He’s played every position on the field,” Van Kovics said. “He’s played midfield, forward position. He doesn’t care if it’s right or left, and being able to move him around has been very key for us.”
On offense, West Hempstead developed a two-pronged attack revolving around two forwards, senior Yohann Messi Tataille and junior Cameron Leslie. Tataille, recognized as the more experienced finisher, is often keyed by opponents, but doing so provides opportunities for Leslie.
Experience in the midfield has tied both sides of the field together for West Hempstead, as seniors Josiah Verdi and Anthony Medina have been effective facilitators capable of finding the net as well. Junior Christoper Romero recently returned from injury and has provided depth on defense and in the midfield.
