The J. Taylor Finley Middle School boys’ soccer team coached by physical education teacher Travis Smith completed its fall schedule with a 9-0 record.
The 29-player Finley squad outscored its nine opponents by a margin of 53-8. “This was a highly skilled, driven and hardworking team,” Smith said. “Each team member contributed to the team’s overall success.”
Finley featured an explosive offensive along with a very aggressive defense. Goalkeepers Matthew James and Justin Cahn were splendid, recording dozens of saves.
Seventh graders who scored goals included Jack Steinberg (10), Javier Velasquez Mancia (8), Ezra Oddoye (6) and Bryan Lopez Ramirez (4). Eighth grade scorers included Rudis Villatoro Benitez (6), Luca Terrado (6), John Reyes-Alvarez (4), Max Carino (3), Byron Araujo Yanes (2), Jeffrey Flores Andrade (2), Angel Flores (2) and Xavier Garcia Granados (1).
Dago Garcia Lazo was another offensive force for Finley, which had only one close call during the season.
“Beating East Northport, 1-0 was the highlight of the season,” Smith said. “It was a defensive battle. We scored with 32 seconds left in the game.”
Defensive stars included seventh graders Steven Contreras Moreira, William Donaghy, Jayson Flores Menjivar, Jack Corcoran, Quinn Rinaldi, Charles Stanforth, Joseph Conklin, Townsel Henry, Jose Quintanilla Joseph Raymundo and Samuel Rivera Umanzor and eighth graders Hamilton Giron Hernandez, Alexander Ordonez Flores and Marin Mullaly.
The 13 eighth graders on the roster will all be heading to Huntington High School to bolster the junior varsity squad next fall. The majority of the team will be returning to Finley for another season.
