Blue Devils Topple Bellport and Cold Spring Harbor

Six games into the fall season and the Huntington varsity boys’ soccer team is sitting pretty with a 4-1-1 record. The Blue Devils topped Bellport last Friday and then bested Cold Spring Harbor on Saturday with both games playing out before large crowds at Blue Devil Stadium.

Huntington is coached by John Pagano and Jason Suarez and captained by Bryan Lizama, Edwin Marroquin, Dante Salgado and Jerson Contreras.

In a league game against Bellport, Huntington took a 2-0 first half lead and coasted the rest of the way, winning a satisfying 4-0 shutout behind two goals and an assist from Carlos Gutierrez, a goal and an assistant from Jonathan Morales and a goal from Cruz Flores. Dante Salgado also picked up an assist. Goalie Dylan Hayden stopped six shots.

Saturday’s non-league game against nearby foe Cold Spring Harbor was an exciting affair that stay competitive until the final seconds before the Blue Devils finally locked down a 1-0 win.

After the two teams battled to a scoreless tie over the opening 50 minutes, Marroquin finally put a shot past Cold Spring Harbor goalie John Aviles. Neither team managed to score over the final 30 minutes. Huntington goalie Nicholas Plachta recorded five saves to notch the shutout.

Gutierrez is among Suffolk’s top scorers so far this fall with seven goals and an assist. Only Brentwood’s Nicholas Loaiza has more points with eight goals and two assists.

Huntington’s defense has been stellar, recording four shutouts over six games. But Pagano, who won his 200th career game earlier in the season, believes the Blue Devils are still improving and far from playing their best soccer just yet. That’s bad news for opponents.