Peter Coen's goal in OT gives Locust Valley its first LI championship in boys soccer
Locust Valley players raise the championship plaque after winning the Long Island Class A boys soccer title at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Credit: Derrick Dingle
Locust Valley’s Peter Coen won possession around midfield and dribbled inward toward goal. Facing two Glenn defenders, he pulled the ball back to the top of the 18-yard box and took a shot.
The ball curled into the bottom left corner of the goal with 3:42 left in the first overtime period. Coen turned to celebrate, shaking off teammate Jacob Sabow, and jogged toward the corner flag.
The senior, who hadn’t scored all year, had no idea he had just scored the most consequential goal in program history.
“I didn’t even realize sudden death meant that first goal ends it,” Coen said. “I just thought we were up 1-0. I didn’t know I ended it.”
“I didn’t know I ended it.”
— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) November 4, 2026
Senior Peter Coen chose one heck of a time to score his first goal of the season, scoring the winner in the first overtime period to hand Locust Valley its first Long Island championship.
The goal and the celebrations that followed🔥 pic.twitter.com/HRSM5wyI5o
Coen only realized he had won Locust Valley’s first Long Island title when he saw his team’s bench empty in the Falcons’ 1-0 overtime win over Glenn in the Long Island Class A championship game Tuesday night at Uniondale’s Mitchel Athletic Complex.
“I’m not even a starter, so to send my team all the way to states like this, being a bench player, it means everything to me,” Coen said.
Locust Valley (15-2) will face Section I’s Rye at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Jericho High School in the Southeast Regional final. It continues a storybook season for the Falcons and coach Joe Lee, who is in the midst of his 23rd and final season at the helm.
“Peter has worked so hard this season,” Lee said. “The effort he puts in, it doesn’t always result in that goal … For him to get that moment, I’m so happy for him. We all dream of that moment, and he had it.”
It certainly didn’t come easy. Glenn (17-2) controlled the majority of possession in the midfield through strong play from players like Jesse Columbo and Jack Ziminski. David Palencia made five saves as one of nine seniors for the Knights.
“We’re certainly going to miss them,” Glenn coach Lou Hanner said. “They're going to be very successful in life, and we just hope they take these [life] lessons with them that they learned.”
Locust Valley’s Oliver Dostalek and defenders Xavy Vasquez, Skylar Yim, Liam Herbig and Owen Canizales did well under immense pressure. Dostalek, who made five first-half saves, constantly communicated with his back line as the defense allowed zero shots on goal in the second half.
“There is no greater leader on a soccer field than my goalkeeper,” Lee said. “[When the team] meets together, we discuss key points, but it’s best coming out of him because they trust him with everything.”
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.
