Mount Sinai boys soccer's Jack Thomas caps comeback over Miller Place as Mustangs net three straight goals
The Miller Place boys soccer team huddles while wearing blue arm bands to honor their fallen teammate, Andrew Salgado, who died on March 24 after he was critically injured in a crash while riding his bicycle. Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
Mount Sinai’s boys soccer team, fresh off two scoreless ties against Southold and Hampton Bays, was still searching for its first goal of the season as it trailed by two in the second half against Miller Place.
And sometimes, all it takes is one kick of the ball to change a team’s fortune.
A Miller Place hand ball in the 52nd minute sent Mount Sinai’s Daniel Hall to the penalty spot, slotting his shot into the bottom left corner. Less than three minutes later, teammate Leandro Cila capitalized off a defensive miscue to score.
Was a third tie coming? Not quite.
Mount Sinai’s first corner kick of the game in the 66th minute resulted in a loose ball in front of goal. Chase Williams poked the ball forward and Jack Thomas swung his right leg forward to score his first varsity goal as Mount Sinai held onto its 3-2 comeback win over Miller Place on the road Wednesday in Suffolk’s League V.
A look at the go-ahead goal by Jack Thomas that eventually completed the three-score comeback for Mount Sinai’s boys soccer team against Miller Place today. pic.twitter.com/ZdMAL2lNkz
— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) September 10, 2026
“Down 2-0 and to come back, it feels pretty good,” Thomas said.
Mount Sinai first-year coach Chris Kunzig shifted Cila to an attacking role in the second half, pressuring Miller Place’s backline into the mistake that led to his goal. Sam Covington dropped into the midfield, maintaining possession for Mount Sinai (1-0-2).
“We played a down first half, and the boys answered that,” Kunzig said. “They played with heart and grit.”
It helped to have goalie Owen Cleveland (five saves) in net, whose assertiveness on crosses and breakaway chances kept the Mustangs in the game.
Adrian Killary and Joseph Fichera scored for Miller Place (0-2-1), donning blue armbands with the rest of the team. It’s part of how the Panthers are dedicating their season to Andrew Salgado, who died in an accident while riding his bike last spring. Salgado was an eighth grader on the varsity team in 2025.
Miller Place coach Thomas Fank said Salgado’s No. 3 jersey will not be worn within the program until the 2031 season; the year Salgado would’ve graduated high school.
“I thought it was a great idea and a good way to have our own team tribute to him,” Fank said. “Everybody’s been wearing them. It’s awesome to see staff, athletic directors, show support for him.”
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.
