Blue Devil Boys' Soccer
Marches into Play-offs
With nine days remaining in the regular season, the Huntington boys' soccer team faced a stark reality; the Blue Devils needed to win every single one of their last four games to qualify for the play-offs. It was a tall order for a squad that had lost six of its first eight league contests.
Backed into a corner, Huntington's performance in the "final four" was extraordinary. Blue Devil goalie E.J. Connell notched three shutouts and the team took another game, 3-2 in double overtime.
Huntington had its play-off ticket punched late last week with a 3-0 victory at Hauppauge. The Blue Devils picked up goals from Christian Caballero, Ricky Velasquez and Christian Campos. Caballero and Velasquez each added assists. Connell made five saves as he continued his hot play.
"We finally got healthy," head coach John Pagano said. At full strength, Huntington (6-6 league, 9-7 overall) can be a dangerous team for any opponent to face. The Blue Devil season has been topsy-turvy, including stretches of inconsistent play. But, the team is talented and well-coached so anything is possible on any given day.
Two days earlier Huntington topped visiting Bellport in double overtime, 3-2. Anthony Catarino scored two goals for the Blue Devils in regulation before Caballero scored on a 15-yard header off an assist from Catarino with 33 seconds remaining in the second overtime period. Connell stopped four shots in goal.
Huntington began its four-game winning streak with 2-0 home victory over West Babylon. Velasquez scored goals in each half and Campos and Caballero tallied assists. Connell recorded five saves.
Two days later the Blue Devils nipped Deer Park, 1-0 behind a goal by Carlos Marquez, who scored off Jon Pena's pass midway through the first half. Connell was superb in goal, stopping four shots. Huntington's offense took 12 shots on the Deer Park goal.
Pagano and assistant coach Jason Suarez are happy to see the Blue Devils ratcheting up their play by several notches. Huntington has lost several maddeningly close games this fall and been clearly outplayed in a handful of others. By qualifying for a post-season berth, the team has accomplished one of Pagano's goals for the year.
The Blue Devils will play at League I regular season champ Commack (12-1-1, 14-1-1) on Tuesday (Nov. 2) at 2:30 p.m. in the opening round of the Suffolk Class AA play-offs. Admission is free.