Amityville boys soccer's Iker Molina scores go-ahead goal to beat East Hampton in Suffolk Class A semifinal
Iker Molina of Amityville celebrates after scoring the go-ahead goal against East Hampton in the second half of a Suffolk Class A boys soccer semifinal on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2026, in Amityville. Credit: Kelvin Loarca
It wasn’t the end to the regular season Amityville’s boys soccer team dreamt of.
Losing to St. Anthony’s in a non-league game before falling to Glenn in the regular-season finale on Oct. 21 -- conceding the League V title as a result -- left several players in tears on its home field.
Just six days later, there were tears again in the eyes of those same players. Only these were tears of joy at the realization that No. 2 Amityville is heading to its eighth county final in 12 years after hosting and defeating No. 3 East Hampton, 2-1, in the Suffolk Class A semifinal Tuesday afternoon.
“To recalibrate was very tough,” Amityville coach Mike Abbondondolo said. “I give the kids a ton of credit. We showed the effort today that we needed to, and we are ready for the big show.”
Amityville (14-4) will get a second chance against top-seeded Glenn at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the county championship at Harborfields High School.
Junior defender Iker Molina broke a 1-1 tie in the 58th minute, heading in the go-ahead goal off a free kick from Jayson Ramirez. Molina said they practiced “those exact runs” the day before in practice.
“I was scoring some yesterday, and I felt confident,” Molina said. “I just went for it.”
Highlights from Amityville’s 2-1 win over East Hampton in the Suffolk A semifinal round🔥 pic.twitter.com/vkCvcRqt1T
— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) October 27, 2026
Molina impressed defensively alongside fellow center back and club teammate Osohan Ojo. Goalkeeper Cesar Hernandez made seven saves while also being assertive off his line.
“I think (Hernandez is) not getting enough credit for how good he really is,” Abbondondolo said.
East Hampton (13-2-2) tied it on a strike from Colton Everett in the 31st minute after Amityville took an early lead off an own goal. Esteban Diaz led several promising attacks for the Bonackers, who enjoyed a turnaround season after winning just two games a year ago.
“He’s grown tremendously as a player, but also as a young man,” East Hampton coach Don McGovern said. “Wherever he goes in life, he’s going to do good things.”
Abbondondolo praised his coaching staff, with each member yelling instructions like a family at Thanksgiving. But there’s also a quieter voice that the players and community affectionately call “Papa Mike” in Abbondondolo’s father, who is now in his 14th season alongside his son.
And once more, the father-son duo is going to be coaching a title game together.
“It’s one of the greatest things in my life that I get a chance to coach with him,” Papa Mike said, his voice cracking. “When he first got this job, the first thing he said was, ‘Dad, you’re going to be my assistant.’
“And being a father, him being my son, is the greatest feeling.”
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
