Ulisses Lopez Silva, Gonzalo Alvarez lead Southampton boys soccer to state Class B regional crown
Southampton players huddle before the Suffolk Class B boys soccer final against Babylon on Oct. 30, 2026 at Harborfields High School. Credit: Joe Orovitz
Southampton’s spirits were down a week ago after losing the county title, but with an at-large bid in hand, the Mariners are making the most of their opportunity.
Ulisses Lopez Silva and Gonzalo Alvarez each scored twice to lead Southampton over Livonia (Section V), 4-1, in a Class B regional final at Geneseo High School on Saturday afternoon.
“A week ago, we were pretty bummed, but we knew we would get a second chance,” Lopez Silva said. “We were lucky and we’re just trying to take advantage of it.”
Southampton will face Schuylerville (Section II) in the state semifinal at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Southampton will be looking to win its first state title in program history.
Alvarez scored less than ten minutes into the opening half. Lopez Silva scored with two minutes remaining in the half and added another goal 50 seconds later.
“I was really excited. Scoring two goals in a regional final is big,” Lopez Silva said. “We were pushing hard to get scores so we could have a comfortable lead and control the game.”
Lopez Silva found Alvarez three minutes into the second half for a score to put Southampton ahead 4-0. Gavyn Phillips scored Livonia’s lone goal.
“James Garvin, Max Mobius, Ewen LeGuen and Mateo Cruz locked things down defensively and that opened things up for us,” Southampton coach Dave Riley said. “Our guys were able to create and really express themselves with some fantastic combination play.”
After the loss to Babylon in the county final, Southampton defeated Chenango Forks (Section IV) in the regional semifinal on an overtime winner from Andrew Wetter.
“It’s hard to beat a team that doesn’t give up,” Riley said. “They gave the team another opportunity and these trips upstate have seemed to help these kids unlock new levels.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
