Carle Place boys soccer defeats Babylon in Long Island Class B final as Max Cordova makes nine saves in shutout
Matthew Babino #5 and Max Cordova #00 of Carle Place celebrate a victory over Babylon during the Long Island Class B boys soccer championship at Farmingdale State on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. Credit: David Meisenholder
Carle Place senior captain Matthew Babino, with the Long Island Class B plaque under his arm, embraced junior Lucas Viegas as the Frogs began to walk off the field at Farmingdale State. Viegas smiled despite a bloody cut on his right knee, dried up from the cold November air.
You could call it a battle wound, and that would perfectly describe the mentality of Carle Place boys soccer, which defeated Babylon in a 1-0 decision on Friday night in the LI Class B final/state quarterfinal.
“We do the hard stuff that no one else wants to do,” Babino said. “We work when we’re tired, and we’re that team that no one wants to play. The one that everyone hates, but nobody can stop us.”
Carle Place and Babylon have battled it out in three straight state quarterfinals, with the Nassau side having yet to concede a goal in such games. It’s a fact that coach Conor Reardon struggled to hide his smile when he heard it.
“They played together, they played as a unit,” Reardon said. “And what can you say about (goalie) Max Cordova? He made save after save, and I’m going to give him man-of-the-match.”
Cordova’s nine saves stole the show against a strong Babylon attack, particularly in the first half. He made six saves through the first 40 minutes, with two coming against solid headers just a few yards in front of the net.
The senior wasn’t even a goalie before this fall, but a running joke between him and his friends in training led him to switch positions.
“I was always a forward so to be standing in net in a playoff game and winning, after one year and winning means a lot to me and my wonderful teammates who back me up on everything,” Cordova said.
Sophomore Cristiano Costa scored the winner off a loose ball in front of net in the 54th minute, sending Carle Place (15-2-2) to Middletown for a state semifinal at 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 16 against either Rye Neck or Chenango Forks.
“Just fight for the ball in every moment,” Costa said. “We wanted to get the ball wide to our wingers, that was our gameplan and we executed it toward the end.”
Babylon senior midfielder Ciaran Stein was the engine of a Panthers offense that controlled the first half and most of the second half, while also setting up some of his team’s best scoring opportunities off set pieces. The Panthers finish 15-2-1.