​Garden City Boys Win Nassau Soccer Championship

The Nassau County Class A Championship match pitting the number 3 seeded Garden City Trojans against the Big Red of Glen Cove, the number 12 seed, lived up to its expectations of a tight, well played game. The Trojans take home the crown for the first time since 2017 (they were co-champs in the shortened Spring season) with the 3-2 victory after fighting off a Glen Cove eleven that came back to tie the score twice.

The winning goal came off the foot of senior tri-captain Finn Connolly who patiently waited for his chance on a ball that was being headed around the box. His patience paid off as he struck a hard volley that tucked under the crossbar and settled into the back of the net. The dipping goal came so quickly and nonchalantly that it seemed like no one on the sideline was prepared for the eruption that took place. That is other than Connolly who was looking for such an opportunity throughout the second half and he didn’t let this one slip by.

The match was set up by two close victories for the teams, an overtime 2-1 victory for Glen Cove over Manhasset and a last-minute game winner for Garden City after two comeback goals against Roosevelt. So, both teams were playoff tested and showed that they would represent Nassau County well.

The first half was a well-played match that saw Glen Cove have more time of possession but Garden City having the better scoring chances. The Trojans defense, which has been rock solid all year with eleven shutout victories, was once again shutting down a potent attack. Big Red had scored three of the ten goals that the Trojans had given up this year, so they had the confidence that they could break through.

Junior keeper James Castoro anchors the defense with outstanding backs Connor Brock, Ryan Buccellato and Spencer Caporicci. Also in the rotation on defense and playing key roles for the Trojans are Robert Patrissi, Jack Perrini, Ethan Meringolo and Tommy Esposito.

Glen Cove is dangerous when they can move the ball into the attacking third of the field with standout forwards Christian Yanes and Chrystian Hernandez in control. Both have the speed and skill to put pressure on any defense and were doing so throughout the first half.

In the twelfth minute of the match Patrissi headed a ball by getting over Hernandez to send Travis Thompson down the sideline with a head of steam drawing the Glen Cove defense to him, He could found an open Steven Zuniga in the center of the field but he fired a shot that keeper Dylan Trif got a hand on.

The action stayed in the Trojan half of the field for the next four minutes and Garden City cashed in on a long throw-in from Patrissi that came off of the head of a defender. The ball fell to midfielder Christian Pica at the back post and he quickly settled it and sent a shot into the goal.

The rest of the half was a battle of counterattacks as both teams’ defenses held strong and utilized the speed of their midfielders to set up scoring chances. For Garden City there was another chance for Pica, this time off his head, that just sailed past the post.

Finn Connolly was working hard in the midfield trying to open up the game with several crosses into the box that were turned away by Big Red's backs. The best chance came off a combination from Connolly to Nick Bernieri who laid off a nice pass to Thompson who just couldn’t get enough on a shot.

Glen Cove’s best opportunities came late in the half. First it was a low shot from the top of the box from Hernandez that Castoro dove to get a hand on and he pushed it wide of the goal. And with only eight minutes left in the first half Yanes created space for himself in the box and got off a close range shot that Buccellato got a foot on as it sailed towards the goal.

The second half started quickly, and Garden City produced a chance that brought the stands to their feet only four minutes into the half. With a burst of speed down the sideline, Thompson beat his defender and chipped a ball over the keeper as he came off his line, but the ball was cleared off the goal line by a well-positioned defender.

Once the teams settled into the second half the game followed the script of the first half, an up and down the field match that featured good but not great scoring chances for each team. That changed at about the hour mark of the game.

Glen Cove finally broke through the Garden City defense as Hernandez worked his way through the Trojan defense and beat a diving Castoro from about ten yards out and Big Red had tied up the game with 17:27 remaining in the match.

The Trojans shook off the goal and came back quickly on the attack and forced a foul just inside the center line. Friday nights hero Buccellato launched the free kick into the box that Thompson went up high for to keep it in the area. As the ball bounced off a couple of players, keeper Trif came out to punch it away but GC’s Marco Russo got to the ball first to head it into the goal. The Garden City sideline and fans erupted; the Trojans had the 2-1 lead with 16:11 remaining.

Glen Cove continued to battle for the tying goal and with less than ten minutes remaining got the break they needed, a foul called against GC just outside the box. Hernandez took the shot and placed a perfect one around the wall and into the far corner out of the reach of a diving Castoro. The game was tied and neither team was going to go away.

It took only a minute for Garden City recvoer. They got the ball deep into the box with a long throw from Patrissi. As it bounced off the heads of several Glen Cove defenders, as well as Brock, Zuniga and Tommy Poz of GC, the ball ultimately fell to the foot of Connolly who launched the eventual game winner.

The game wasn’t quite over as Glen Cove pressed in the last seven minutes, but Castoro came up with his best four saves of the evening, and maybe the season, to keep the score at 3-2 for the win.

As the final ten seconds were counted down the GC fans went wild, and the Trojans had wrapped up the Nassau County Conference A title and a chance to meet the Section XI winner of the match between Amityville and Sayville. The Long Island Championship game will be played at Longwood High School on Sunday at noon.