Josue Granados and Diego Argueta link up for goals to spur Brentwood boys win

In their second game in as many days, the defending Class AAA New York State champions proved they are as dangerous as ever.

Led by the dynamic duo of forwards Josue Granados and Diego Argueta, the Brentwood boys soccer team defeated Newfield 7-1 on Tuesday afternoon in Brentwood. Five different players scored  for Brentwood (2-0), who have now won 24 consecutive matches.

The star pairing wasted no time making their presence felt. In the seventh minute, Granados walked the tightrope down the left endline before crossing it perfectly into the box for Argueta to tap in and start the scoring. The two reversed roles to start the second half, as in the 47th minute Argueta outraced the defense before placing a precise cross to his left, where Granados was left wide open for the easy goal to go up 4-0.

Now leading 4-1 in the 64th minute, Argueta found Granados to the left of the box, where he shook off his defender with two crossover moves before finishing in the right corner of the net.

After combining for three goals and assisting on all of each other’s scores, Granados attributed their strong connection to a close bond off the pitch.

“We’re like family; we’re like best friends,” Granados said. “I trust him and he trusts me, so I think that’s why it’s so easy for me to pass him the ball because I trust that he’ll score it.”

Argueta, now a junior, said their cohesion stems from their days spent together as underclassmen backups.

“It started two years ago when I was a freshman and he was a sophomore,” Argueta said. “We started on the bench together, worked our way up to starters and then won the state championship together. So it’s a really deep bond between us and we connect on and off the field.”

Those two were not the only ones who had big days. Four of Brentwood’s reserves found the scoresheet on Tuesday, with senior midfielder Bradley Monta leading the way with two goals. Senior forward Marvin Cruz dished out two assists, while senior midfielder Jefferson Umana added another. Senior forward Oscar Umanzor and junior midfielder Jessy Pacheco Carranza each scored a goal.

Monta, who started in their first game on Monday, was willing to come off the bench this time just to help his team.

“It feels really great,” Monta said. “I know my coach wouldn’t put me on the bench if it wasn’t for the right reason, and I’m glad that I came from the bench and gave my team two goals.”

On defense, Brentwood held Newfield (0-2) to just one goal and five shots on goal. Head coach Ron Eden gave high praise to his backline for the way they performed.

“We have a really good defense,” Eden said. “We were solid in the back. They didn’t have a lot of shots in the first half. I thought overall everybody did a good job.”

For Newfield, junior forward Eli Rubio scored a goal and junior goalkeeper John Caso made four saves.