10 storylines for the high school boys soccer season on Long Island
Cameron Fischer of Northport passes during the Suffolk Class AA boys soccer final against Deer Park in Islip on Nov. 3, 2025. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The summer is in the books. Now it’s time to grab your shin guards and suit up for the fall boys soccer season.
Here are 10 storylines to watch for in Long Island boys varsity soccer:
1. For the first time since 1995, Brentwood enters its season without Ron Eden.
It’s impossible to describe what Eden, who died from prostate cancer in July, meant to a soccer-first community like Brentwood.
Under Eden, Brentwood won 17 league titles, 11 Suffolk championships, 10 Long Island championships and four state titles. Victor Farfan, who wasn’t on the previous varsity staff, takes over as the program’s interim coach this fall.
Oscar Alvarenga is a tremendous player to have along the defense as the lone returner for a lineup that graduated 10 starters.
2. Meet the first-year head coaches of 2026
Jack Fabrizio leads Hicksville this fall, having last coached the Comets to a state title in 2011. Sherrif Twerefour leads Ross, which fields its first varsity boys soccer team in 15 years. Chris Kunzig brings 14 years as Commack’s assistant varsity coach to Mount Sinai. Nick Pleines takes over Smithtown West after seven seasons as an assistant coach at Kellenberg.
Gordon Purdie Jr. (Herricks), Jack Fengler (North Babylon), Kenny Caal (Hampton Bays), David Johnson (Bridgehampton), Michael Podstupka (Eastport-South Manor) and the aforementioned Farfan make up other new coaches on Long Island this fall.
3. Malverne/East Rockaway was one of the best stories of 2025. Can the Rockin’ Mules write a sequel?
The team went 0-11 in 2024. Everything changed last fall, however, as Malverne/East Rockaway went 9-5 and made the playoffs. Liam Whitehouse headlines a defense that returns all four starters, while the midfield also returns Jose Gomez, Jeremiah Arning and Sebastian Rueda.
4. Can Manhasset build upon its promising 2025 season?
The Set scored 46 goals and conceded just 13 entering the playoffs last season, eventually losing to Long Beach in the Nassau AA semifinals. Manhasset returns winger Frank Cvecic from a broken foot as well as Michael Hacikian, who broke out over the second half of the season. The coaching staff also added Joe Acquista, who had previously spent years building up Carle Place’s club soccer programs as president.
5. A first for Northport as a title defense begins in tight Suffolk AA
For decades, Northport’s boys soccer players entered the fall season with a clear goal: a program-first county title. Last year’s Tigers achieved that. Now what?
Northport, led by Cameron Fischer and Joey Smith, will try to do it again. But expect many teams to be in the hunt, especially Huntington, which returns eight seniors including Robbie Campbell and Ezra Oddoye.
6. Wheatley took a huge step forward in 2025. Can the Wildcats maintain what they had?
Coach Manuel Mirao’s debut season with Wheatley was undoubtedly a success. The Wildcats went 8-3-4, with two of those losses coming to county champion in Floral Park and runner-up Friends Academy.
Now the work begins again after the team has graduated 18 seniors. With players like Diego Cruz returning, the Wildcats will look to maintain the momentum it built.
7. Will Islip pick up where it left off after a second-half surge?
The Buccaneers were just 3-5 after their overtime loss to Amityville on Oct. 3. Then Islip won four of its next five games to qualify for the playoffs and added a playoff win with a 2-1 victory over Miller Place.
Jonathan Lovo Lopez returns after leading Islip in goals for three straight seasons. Cooper O’Connell could soon become a known name in Suffolk, fresh off a stint playing in England while attending school abroad.
Add in the arrival of standouts from a JV team that went undefeated last fall, and Islip could surprise many in Suffolk’s Class A.
8. Commack, Floral Park and Garden City debut new, promising goalies
Commack and Garden City won state titles, and Floral Park is fresh off back-to-back county titles. All three will feature new goalies.
Logan Gatto of Commack, Jack Armstrong of Garden City and Kaden Sy of Floral Park will now patrol the 18-yard boxes full-time for their teams. Coaches Dave Moran, Paul Cutter and Ahkeel Rodney all expressed confidence in each respective goalie, who should each get ample opportunities to prove them right.
9. Returning experience: Keep an eye out on New Hyde Park, Patchogue-Medford and Kings Park
New Hyde Park brings back 16 seniors, six starters and three underclassmen who significantly contributed last year. Patchogue-Medford came seconds away from its first Suffolk semifinal appearance since 1998, with coach Tim Trava believing this fall can yield the team’s first league title in 30 years as the Raiders return a heavy senior class.
Kings Park returns seven starters from a 12-win team, including standout center back Joe Dempsey. Experience never hurts, something all three teams should benefit from this fall.
10. Small school/big expectations for Riverhead Charter
There aren’t many high schools on Long Island smaller than Riverhead Charter, but that doesn’t mean the program has limited expectations.
Led by Daniel Carrera, who led his team and all Suffolk freshmen with 11 goals, Riverhead Charter earned its first playoff win and reached the state Class D regional final last fall. The team graduated just two starters and enjoyed a promising summer league campaign.
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.
