Carle Place boys soccer's Ryan Leary, Stratos Mehalakes lead Frogs to first state title since 2013
Carle Place celebrates after winning the NYSPHSAA Class B boys soccer final on Sunday in Middletown, N.Y. Credit: Neil Miller
MIDDLETOWN — State championships do more at a school than put a trophy in a case and a banner in the gymnasium. They change perceptions outside its walls. And they bring glory that reverberates inside them.
The Carle Place boys soccer team grew to know this all too well.
It piled up seven straight Nassau County titles and won three straight Long Island crowns. And still, the Frogs felt like they stood in the shadow of the 2013 state championship team. But on Sunday morning, they stepped out of that shadow and into the sunlight.
The Frogs are the champions once again after posting a 1-0 victory over Section III champion Westhill in the state Class B championship game at Faller Field. Call it coincidence or irony, but when Carle Place won its first state title 11 years ago, it also beat Westhill in the title game.
“It’s kind of a full circle moment with the guys from 2013 beating Westhill and now us,” Ryan Leary said. “Being state champions is everything we’ve wanted and more. We earned it, but it’s still unbelievable.”
After the final horn, the emotions of the moment were palpable. Carle Place (17-2-2) had won the last two Long Island titles only to be eliminated in the regionals and for many of the players who played in those games, the fulfillment of this dream brought tears.
“There were some high expectations for this group [following] two straight regional losses and coming up short of the goal,” Carle Place coach Conor Reardon said. “They came here and finally achieved the ultimate goal. . . The emotions everyone sees is just them finally able to let go.”
Carle Place grabbed the upper hand against Westhill (20-2-1) in the 13th minute. Leary — its Mr. Everything all season — launched one of his trademark herculean throw-ins from 35 yards out and it found Stratos Mehalakes in the middle of the field, about 18 yards from goal. He made a quick turn and rifled it into the left side of the goal.
“I didn’t even look at the goal — I had one idea in mind and that was to shoot,” said Mehalakes, who also scored in Saturday’s semifinal win. “Ryan has an incredible throw-in and we’ve been working off them all season.”
To earn the crown, however, Carle Place had to clear one last obstacle in its path. Defender Matt Babino, who already had foiled a half dozen Westhill runs at the goal, got called for a red card with 14:28 left to play. The Frogs had to hold on to a 1-0 lead the rest of the way playing down a man.
Leary was the go-to guy down the stretch. He asked to move from the front line to center back to shore up the defense, and he and goalie Max Cordova (nine saves) were instrumental in keeping Westhill’s attack at bay. Jason Pereira also managed to eat up a bunch of time in the other end with his dribbling skills.
“That really wasn’t on my bingo card today,” Reardon said of playing down a man for the first time this season. “But I knew Ryan would go back there and do the job and clean everything up. Babino had been a stud the entire game . . . and he’s been a huge part of what we’ve done. I'm so happy for him that the boys pulled together, held tight and brought home the title for him.”
“I’m one of 15 seniors on the team and it's a great feeling for all of us to be part of the team to finally do it,” Babino said. “I’m glad we got the happy ending, but its bittersweet that this is our last game together . . . we came through a lot to do this.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.