It’s been five years since Francis Lewis last tasted defeat in Queens, a remarkable run that includes six division titles, three PSAL Class A finals appearances and 45 regular season league matches without a loss (38-0-7).
“Even though the record seems to remain somewhat the same, it’s always different,” Lewis coach Roger Sarmuksnis said. “You never know what to expect.”
Predicting this season would seem to be difficult with Lewis losing so much, particularly superstar goalkeeper Chris Herrera, versatile midfielder Nathaniel Richardson and key fullback Michael Zebzda. As always, Sarmuksnis has pieces to fill the missing void.
For one, he has possibly the most skilled central midfielder in the city in Danny Bedoya, a technically sound and shifty senior who had nine goals and seven assists last year.
“I can’t wait to see what he does next,” Sarmuksnis said.
Senior Gabriel Ortega and junior Luca Damasco are battling it out to fill in for Herrera, defender Luigi Puello will move up to midfield where his improved ball skills can be better utilized while Daniel Castro and Yiming Yang will start up front.
“We’re always looking to improve, we’re always looking to take the next step – and that’s achieving the championship,” said Sarmuksnis, whose club fell to Beacon in penalty kicks in last year’s final.
Getting through Queens unscathed, however, won’t be easy. Bayside, an on-the-rise program with its entire core back, nearly bested Lewis in two regular-season matches last year and reached the quarterfinals. Sarmuksnis and his players are wary of the Commodores.
“Every single year it’s a one-goal game, they’re in it until the last second,” the coach said. “I’m surprised that Bayside hasn’t gotten us. They have a tremendous program over there. They’re hungry, I know that, and they’re coming after us.”
Bryon Ortiz described last year’s run to the PSAL Class A quarterfinals and second place finish in Queens A West as one of his best seasons in 22 years at William Bryant. It included the emergence of striker Annes Salkovic (20 goals) as one of the top finishers in the city. With Salkovic returning, along with several other key teammates, Ortiz may get to enjoy another memorable year.
After falling three points of shy of the division title last year, the Queens A West crown is a definite possibility since defending champion John Adams lost so much.
“We’re gonna try and I think we have the potential for it,” Ortiz said.
Four-year contributor Juan Rojas, a team captain and midfielder, is back, as is versatile senior Adrian Molina, who is Bryant’s set piece specialist. Ortiz is particularly high on freshmen fullbacks Kevin Vera and Miguel Chung. But the Owls’ motor is Salkovic, the potent striker originally from Switzerland.
“He’s well disciplined and he likes to listen – that’s the main part,” Ortiz said. “He follows direction and he was very good when he came to me.”
If losing team leaders Willian Benitez and Jhonnatan Mejia, leading scorer Rodolfo Paguada and top playmaker Diego Carchi to graduation wasn’t enough, John Adams also lost out on its top two returning players when Lucio Cotarelo moved back to Argentina and Bruno Ramirez graduated early.
“It’s challenging this year – very challenging,” said John Adams coach Alex Navarrete, who guided the Spartans to the Queens A West title last year and PSAL Class A quarterfinals, the furthest it has gone in the ‘A’ league. “I don’t have leadership, players in the past who put the team together.”
The Spartans, though, are hardly devoid of talent, Navarrete said. Rodrigo Pereyra, a physical 6-foot-1 defender, moves to sweeper, promising sophomore Henry Gonzalez will replace Benitez in net and talented junior Kiyo Scott (three goals, five assists) will be counted on to produce scoring chances as an attacking midfielder. Scott scored twice in a recent scrimmage against Jefferson and also excelled in the back.
“I think he can make a difference,” Navarrete said. “He can play anywhere.”
Cardozo’s Achilees heel last season was failing to finish. In the Judges’ four league losses, they scored a total of two goals, highlighted by a 1-0 defeat to city champion Beacon in the second round of the PSAL Class A playoffs. That shouldn’t be a problem this year, not with junior striker Ricardo Marin (eight goals) being joined by seniors Isaac Falcones and Nicolas Salgado. Cardozo’s biggest question mark will be in net as it must replace standout John Tzanidakis
At this time last year, Louis Llull had no idea what to expect. His team was virtually brand new and because his school is full of immigrants, he tends to add new players once classes begin. This fall is a different story for Newcomers, which returns top seniors Woojae Lee, Sergino Emmanuel, Jose Echeverria and John Dany Gengueng. With a stable base, the Lions hope to improve on last year’s 8-5-1 mark and first-round playoff loss to Stuyvesant.
Aviation’s 7-5-2 mark may not sound like anything to celebrate for a program that once reached the PSAL Class A semifinals, but considering it went winless just two years ago, coach Mario Cotumaccio certainly has the Flyers headed back in the right direction. Aviation did graduate eight seniors, but Yasar Arkbas (four goals) is back along with five juniors who gained valuable experience last season.
Juniors Alexis Orrego and Felipe Yanez and senior Esteban Cavado aren’t just Forest Hills’ top returning players, they are also going to have to help break in a new coach for the third straight season. Marvin Carbajal, who previously coached boys soccer at James Monroe, takes over for Vasilis Antoniou, who guided the Rangers to a fourth-place finish in Queens A East one year removed from an 0-10-2 campaign.
If momentum from one season to the next exists, Long Island City is in for a big year. After a slow start, the Bulldogs finished with a flourish, nearly upsetting semifinalist Tottenville in the second round, topping Queens A West champion John Adams late during the regular season and winning seven of their last nine matches. LIC has a nice mix of youth (eight sophomores) and experience (six seniors), headed by veterans Brandon Diossa, Anthony Norena and George Orsaris.
Despite a season-opening forfeit and 0-5-0 start to Martin Van Buren’s promotion to Queens A East, the Vee Bees more than held their own. They finished fifth in one of the city’s top divisions, closed with three straight wins and notched a draw against six-time defending league champion Francis Lewis. The next for coach Mark Wilson’s club is reaching the playoffs, an attainable goal with midfielder Dario Novembre and goalkeeper Larry Londono returning.