When last season abruptly ended in the second round of the Class B playoffs for the Beach Channel boys soccer team, the Dolphins returned with one goal in mind: to win the city title. En route to accomplishing that feat, winning the division title, which eluded them last year also, was important.
After being shut out by Martin Van Buren, 3-0, on Sept. 23, Beach Channel (10-1-0) has to exact revenge or their hopes of such a crown will go by the wayside. It trails Van Buren by one point in the standings with two games remaining.
“It all depends on tomorrow’s game,” coach Dominick Stanco said. “I’m not going to lie. My guys have been looking forward to tomorrow’s game since we lost.”
The fourth-year coach feels his team is better prepared to face the Vee Bees this time around. For one, there has been less individual play of late. Instead of a select few controlling the ball, the Dolphins are relying on the entire 11.
Though senior Carlos Mejia stills leads the club with 24 goals, Ryan Crease, Jose Baires and Cesar Alvaro have taken on bigger roles of late. Crease and Alvaro have moved up to forward, diversifying the attack. Van Buren shut down Mejia with contant double-teams in the first meeting and Beach Channel subsequently fell apart. Stanco doesn’t expect either scenario to repeat itself.
“We’re playing as one unit,” Stanco said. “That’s the biggest difference.”
BRONX
Under coach Will Cushing, Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy had steadily progressed leading up to this season. By reaching the playoffs the previous three years, the Tigers had begun to establish themselves in the ‘B’ division. Then, the Bronx school knocked off two-time Bronx B champion John F. Kennedy, 3-2, at Van Cortlandt Park Sept. 11.
“That was a great game for us because it was a real indication that we arrived, so to speak, as a true contender,” Cushing said. “That was a great motivator for us.”
It is also the difference between the two clubs as the playoffs near. Kennedy and Kingsbridge own matching 9-1-1 records and have garnered 28 points apiece. Cushing’s team has the tiebreaker, courtesy of that win.
With an enrollment of only 500, the Tigers usually face a disadvantage in terms of size and depth, Cushing said. So he has acted accordingly, by emphasizing a ball control game predicated on passing. They don’t rely on one superstar forward, although junior Daniel Shkreli has scored seven goals and added four assists. He has been aided by midfielder Tudor Livadaru, fullback Stefan Sunda and junior keeper Nathan Heller.
BROOKLYN
Thomas Jefferson missed out on the playoffs by one game last year, but it had nothing to do with the Orange Wave’s performance on the field. Jefferson was undefeated late in the year, before it was revealed it had used an ineligible player in six of its matches. All of those wins were forfeited.
The Orange Wave has picked up right where it left off, with a flawless 12-0-0 mark in Brooklyn B South. They have put up double-digits in tallies three times. Most impressive of all, the strength of the club lies in its youth. Juniors Omar Crowl and Dare Aniyikaye leads the team with 11 goals apiece, sophomore Marcus St. Claire has scored nine times and sophomore Jamal Samaroo eight.
MANHATTAN
It isn’t quite worst to first, but the tale of the last two seasons for School of the Future is pretty close.
The Bulldogs finished 2-7-2 last fall, just a point ahead of Environmental Studies in the Manhattan B-II cellar. This year, School of the Future won as many times two weeks into the season, and sits atop the division at 8-1-1. Three points ahead of LaGuardia, the Bulldogs control their own destiny.
The turnaround can be credited to a high-powered offense, led by seniors Max Mansfield and Anias Joseph. The two have combined for 25 goals. Devin Morgan leads School of the Future with 11 assists and has also scored seven goals. Senior Kareem Tageldein has also found the back of the net seven times and dished out three helpers.
STATEN ISLAND
Susan Wagner graduated eight seniors off last year’s team, including several playmakers. The one who didn’t leave – Alfonso Castaneda – can be closely attributed to the club’s success.
A talented striker, he has racked up a Staten Island A-leading 19 goals and five assists, keeping Susan Wagner (8-2-2) close to the top of the division. He has been at his best lately, scoring seven goals in the last two wins. When the year began, the top scoring talent was supposed to be Curtis junior Christian Aldaz. An emergency appendectomy slowed him down while Castaneda has emerged as the Island’s top talent.