Brentwood boys soccer tops Connetquot behind Diego Argueta's two goals
Diego Argueta splits the Connetquot defense during a Suffolk League I boys soccer game at Brentwood on Tuesday. Credit: David Meisenholder
With 22 seniors making up more than half its roster, the Brentwood boys soccer team was playing for something bigger than a win on Senior Day.
The host Spartans topped Connetquot, 3-0, in Suffolk League I Tuesday.
“I wasn’t sure I would get all [the seniors] on the field today,” said coach Ron Eden. “Connetquot is a tough opponent and the last league team to beat us, but we turned it on and they all played well today.”
It took both teams some time to get settled. Connetquot’s Patrick Alvarado fired the first shot in the seventh minute, but hit the right post.
A few Brentwood players found room to test Connetquot goalkeeper Riley LaRocca, but Diego Argueta was the first to find success. The senior forward slipped the ball past LaRocca’s left hip to give the Spartans (11-0-1) the lead in the 37th minute.
Connetquot fell to 3-6-2.
“The stat isn’t the first thing on my mind,” Argueta said. “I always put the team first. We were having a poor half so when the ball went in, it was a wakeup call for us.”
And wake up they did.
Brentwood took full control of possession in the second half. Alija Gardener was a sparkplug in the midfield and occupied the left side of the box. He rattled off two shots in the 51st minute that were narrowly tipped away by LaRocca.
“When he plays with the energy he played with today, [Gardener] is unstoppable,” Eden said. “He’s so hard to knock off the ball. He’ll go against guys twice his size and come up with possession. We don’t know how he does it.”
Gardener cleared the way for Argueta to score his second goal in the 64th minute and give Brentwood a 2-0 lead.
Jessy Pacheco controlled a rebound off the crossbar two minutes later and sent it to the back of the net.
The Spartans controlled possession until the clock expired, and the bench immediately rushed the field to celebrate.
With four regular-season games remaining, Gardener said the energy is something he hopes to keep rolling.
“We have the best support in the world,” Gardener said. “Knowing we have so much support in the stands really pushes us. Everybody does what they can for us and I love it.”
