Southampton Boys Soccer Picks Up Two Straight Wins

The Southampton boys soccer team is starting to put it all together.

After a string of four straight losses to start the season, the Mariners have gotten in the win column not once, but twice, with back-to-back victories to cap off the last week of play.

After a 6-0 shutout, the team’s first, to St. Anthony’s on September 11, the Mariners charged back with a 6-0 win of their own over Bayport-Blue Point two days later. It seems Southampton (2-4) found its groove, because on Friday, the Mariners picked up their first road win with a 3-1 rout of Mt. Sinai.

“I think our teamwork definitely helps,” said junior forward Nico Gonzalez, “and having each other’s back for every tackle.”

After several chances up front, junior forward John Valencia put Southampton on the board with a chip shot over four defenders at the 24:40 mark. The play started with a throw-in from senior midfielder Danny Bustamante. He hit Valencia, who did what Gonzalez was talking about when he dished the ball to senior midfielder Erick Campohermoso. Campohermoso passed it back to Valencia, who settled it at the 30-yard line before taking it to the 25, where he dumped the ball past traffic and into the right side.

“We have a lot of chemistry because we’ve all been playing together for a while,” Gonzalez said.

But the Mustangs (1-6) weren’t going to go down easy. With 4:03 left in the first half, a header off a corner kick send-in knotted the score to make it a new game heading into the break.

“We knew not to let off the gas,” Gonzalez said. “We were hungry for it.”

That showed, as Southampton secured two corner kicks inside the 25-minute mark, and freshman midfielder Max Mobius had two chances with 23 minutes to go. The Mariners kept applying the pressure, holding the ball in the Mustangs’ zone until Josue Fanacio hit his mark on a back pass from freshman midfielder Leonardo Garcia to give his team the lead. Mobius helped Southampton to another opportunity, when Valencia settled it before dishing the ball across the box to Campohermoso for the shot, but Mt. Sinai’s goalkeeper scooped up the ball.

With 9:15 left on the clock, freshman midfielder James Garvin recorded his first varsity goal after a send-in down the near sideline was sent to him up top. Garvin’s teammates rushed to him with smiles and hoisted him up after the score.

“It must have felt good for him,” Gonzalez said. “He worked really hard for his first goal and we’re all just really proud of him.”

The junior said all of the freshmen have already made an impact. And he knows the potential they have after taking them under his wing as a co-captain.

“There were some big shoes to fill, but they’ve definitely fit right in,” Gonzalez said of the newcomers. “They bring a lot of quality talent and I’m excited to keep working with them.”

Southampton hosted Center Moriches (2-4-1) Tuesday, but results were not available by press time. The Mariners travel to Shoreham-Wading River (5-1-1) on Friday, September 22, for a 3:30 p.m. matchup.

“I’m confident in what this team can do this season,” Gonzalez said. “We play with passion, and that’s all I can ask for.”