Glen Cove edges Garden City on penalty kicks to earn Nassau Class AA boys soccer championship
Glen Cove celebrates their overtime win of the Nassau Class AA boys soccer championship against Garden City at SUNY Farmingdale on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
With less than a minute left in the second overtime, Garden City had three golden opportunities. Glen Cove goalkeeper David Bernal helped keep all three out of the net.
He made a diving save with both hands, a shot hit the right post, and then he made a kick save before the final whistle sent the scoreless game to penalty kicks.
“When you’re laser-focused in a game like that, it’s moments where it makes you a winner or a loser,” Bernal said. “I just saved it. I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a kid.”
He delivered again in the shootout, stopping a Garden City penalty kick with the teams tied at 3.
Kosta Tsirkas then had the opportunity to win it with the shootout tied at 4. His shot wound up trickling across the line as No. 2 Glen Cove defeated No. 1 Garden City, 1-0, winning in penalty kicks, 5-4, to capture the Nassau Class AA boys soccer championship at Farmingdale State College on Sunday night.
“I saw it bounce off his knee, and I knew it was gonna roll behind the line,” said Tsirkas, who immediately dropped to the turf.
“All the emotions came pouring out from all the hard days in the gym, all the hard days by myself on the field, all the hard work that I put in,” he added. “My dream has always been to win a championship with this team, and I finally did it, and I’m so proud of everyone.”
Two-time defending state champion Garden City started the game in complete control. The Trojans had the ball for the majority of the first half and outshot Glen Cove 8-1 before halftime.
“They were ball-dominant and they had the ball for most of the game,” Glen Cove coach Brian Smith said. “Once we got our defensive scheme in place, then all of a sudden it became more of an opportunity for us to have some chances on net.”
In the first overtime, Glen Cove’s best opportunity came in the final stages. Hector Santiago controlled a long pass before dribbling past a defender. He cut inside and fired a shot, but it sailed just over the crossbar as the crowd gasped.
The Trojans had their share of chances, including the late stretch in the second overtime, but Glen Cove held on to reach penalty kicks.
“They showed incredible heart and grit and strength and resiliency. That’s the word that I use in the huddle,” Smith said. “And because of that, we were able to weather the storm.”
Luke Nicosia, Francesco Mazzella, Nicholas Fiducioso and Gianluca Damiano converted penalty kicks for the Trojans.
Glen Cove went 5-for-5, with Luis Gomez, Santiago, Jack Martinez and Cameron Allan scoring before Tsirkas finished it.
Glen Cove will face Suffolk Class AA runner-up Huntington for the Long Island Class AA championship, which serves as a regional semifinal, on Wednesday at Patchogue-Medford.
Suffolk champion Smithtown West chose the at-large route directly into a regional final against the Section IV champion.
It is Glen Cove’s first county title since 2022.
“I love these boys,” Bernal said. “It’s everything I could have asked for.”
