Andrew Weiner's goal lifts Mepham to Nassau A title
Mepham's Andrew Weiner moves the ball downfield during the Nassau Class A boys soccer final against Garden City at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale on Wednesday. Credit: James Escher
Andrew Weiner is Nassau’s top scorer and the skilled forward can now say he plays for the county’s top team.
Weiner scored in the ninth minute to lead No. 3 Mepham to a 1-0 win over No. 1 Garden City Wednesday evening in the Nassau A boys soccer championship at Mitchel Field. Mepham will play either Amityville or Hauppauge for the Long Island title Sunday at Diamond in the Pines in Coram.
“There are no words to describe this feeling. It’s just the best,” Weiner said. “This program has come so far. It’s at the top now and we’re not going to stop winning.”
The Hofstra-bound senior leads Nassau in goals and netted his 22nd by firing home a shot in the penalty area off a rebound.
“He’s mature, he’s able to combine with players and really builds his teammates up,” coach Zachary Gosse. “The other players are better because they have a player like him around them.”
Mepham (15-1-1) has not lost since its season-opener against Calhoun and will take a 12-game winning streak into the Long Island championship. The Pirates have also not conceded a goal in seven matches, thanks to the combination of strong defensive play and a midfield that excels in maintaining possession.
This was evident Wednesday, as the Trojans, who had scored nine goals in their last three matches, could not create many clear chances for much of the match. Garden City (16-3) put nine shots on goal and Mepham keeper Louis Luparello stopped them all.
“We wanted to get in behind and keep the pressure on them,” Weiner said.
As the Trojans pushed for an equalizer, Mepham created a number of good chances on the counterattack, including one that led to a free kick from the edge of the penalty area with about 12 minutes left.
Garden City goalie Joe Griffin made a diving stop on the ensuing low shot from Weiner, one of his nine saves of the evening, to keep the Trojans’ deficit at one.
From there, Garden City continued to bomb forward but could not find space behind the Pirates’ backline to level the score.
Said Gosse: “It’s been an amazing run, they’ve been working hard from day one and we said from the beginning that the county final should be our goal.”
