Garden City boys soccer crowned Nassau Class AA champions thanks to Luca Profeta's goal, assist
Luca Profeta (center) of Garden City scores the first goal of the Nassau Class AA boys soccer final at Farmingdale State on Thursday, October 31, 2024. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The parallels were striking.
Garden City showed up for the 2023 Nassau AA boys soccer championship game at Farmingdale State as a top seed, having won all 18 of its games and having allowed six goals all season en route to outscoring the other guys by 74.
Garden City also showed up for the 2024 Nassau AA championship game at Farmingdale State Thursday night as a top seed, having won all 18 of its games and having allowed six goals all season en route to outscoring the other guys by 72.
But the two endings were in stark contrast.
The Trojans lost last season to Manhasset in OT. This time, Luca Profeta scored one goal and set up fellow senior Connor Griffin for another, and this determined Garden City team emerged with the title, blanking No. 7 Glen Cove, 2-0.
“It’s great,” Griffin said. “Team effort. Training in the summer, eight weeks of that. Just a grind to get here. The past two years, we came up short . . . [Last year’s loss] definitely motivated us in the spring and the summer to train really hard and in practice every day.”
Garden City and Glen Cove had played for the Nassau A title in 2021, and Garden City won that one. They met again in the 2022 A final, and Glen Cove won that one. They met again in the 2023 AA semis, and Garden City won that game before the loss in the title round.
And now the Trojans own the top prize again.
“It was the most motivated group of soccer players I ever coached in my life,” coach Paul Cutter said.
So these players will now go for the Long Island AA championship at 7 p.m. Tuesday back at Farmingdale State against the winner of Saturday’s Suffolk final between Comsewogue and West Islip.
“I think we’ve got a shot for states,” Griffin said. “I’m mean, [we’re] playing with house money now. So it’s just going to be a grind to get there.”
Garden City controlled the ball for much of the first half, but it had nothing to show for it until 1:01 remained.
Profeta took a free kick from about 35 yards out. His shot deflected in off goalkeeper Christopher Hernandez, who made nine saves.
“I think it built momentum for the team,” Profeta said. “I thought it got us going.”
Then Griffin doubled the margin with 18:29 left, heading the ball in off a perfect corner kick from Profeta.
And so the Big Red finished at 12-6-2.
“My boys are united,” coach Brian Smith said. “We’re a family and we play together. And I couldn't be more proud of them."
