Hauppauge boys soccer's Nico Mieles makes seven saves in shutout win over Islip
Hauppauge goalkeeper Nico Mieles leaps to a save a shot in the first half of a non-league matchup against host Islip on Friday. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Hauppauge goalkeeper Nico Mieles finished his sophomore season with nine shutouts — the most in Suffolk’s League IV. A year later, Mieles entered the fall with a simple goal: 10 shutouts.
The first came against Comsewogue on Sept. 4. The second came Friday afternoon when Hauppauge’s boys soccer team defeated host Islip, 2-0, in non-league play.
“Very proud of my defense; they helped me out a lot today,” Mieles said.
Mieles made seven saves and handled long balls into the box with ease. Apart from Devan Delarosa working as a wingback, Hauppauge (3-1) featured three new defenders in front of Mieles.
Of course, it helps to have a failsafe.
“If we get two, three goals in a game, it almost automatically wins us the game,” Hauppauge coach Jamie Edson said. “The guys in front of [Mieles], Johnny Irwin, Mihir [Sathish Kumar], Ryan Buscarino [and] Michael Granshaw, they didn’t allow too many good shots today.”
That youth movement along the backline could be seen throughout the lineup, with freshman forward Jesus Rodriguez scoring his first varsity goal in the 8th minute. Miscommunication along the Islip defense allowed Rodriguez to pressure and poke the ball in.
It’s quite the milestone for Rodriguez, who didn’t play soccer growing up and transferred from Floyd’s school district a few years earlier.
“I came to Hauppauge in fifth grade, showed up in jeans and everything,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t know how to play the sport . . . It feels amazing to share this with the lads.”
Rodriguez nearly added an assist with a low cross into the box in the second half, but Islip defender Jake Taormina headed the ball off the goal line.
Hauppauge added its second goal off a free kick from Dom Mroczkowski, whose cross into the box took a deflection off an Islip defender for an own goal less than two minutes into the second half.
Islip (1-2) has a younger lineup with just seven seniors, which showed against a more physical Hauppauge squad.
“They’re bigger than us, a little faster and stronger than us, and I think that age plays out a little bit,” Islip coach Michael Argenziano said. “I thought my backline did a good job . . . We’re just trying to work on that offensive third.”
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.
