Carle Place boys soccer's Cristiano Costa scores go-ahead goal Nassau Class B final victory over Cold Spring harbor
Carle Place's Cristiano Costa (20) after scoring the go-ahead goal in the first half during the Nassau Class B boys soccer final on Saturday, Nov 2, 2024 at Farmingdale State College. Credit: Bob Sorensen
The words “Carle Place” and “Nassau County boys soccer champion” have become synonymous.
It’s difficult enough to win one title. But there were the top-seeded Frogs jumping up and down with the championship plaque Saturday night at Farmingdale State College, having edged No. 2 Cold Spring Harbor 3-2 in the Nassau Class B title game — the program’s seventh straight county crown.
“I just talked to the boys how unprecedented this is and how much of a run this has been,” coach Conor Reardon said.
“And you know what’s funny is every year it’s a new group. It might be the same . . . a couple of guys here, a couple of guys there, but there were new guys. There were new members of the team that contributed.”
The Frogs have won six of these titles in B, including three straight, and one in C.
“Yeah, there’s a little bit of pressure,” junior forward Ryan Leary said about keeping the streak alive. “But we know we’re a great team . . . And we just keep winning.”
Now the Frogs (14-2-2) will try to win a third straight Long Island title.
They will go for it at 6 p.m. Friday night back at Farmingdale State against the winner of Tuesday’s Suffolk final between Babylon and Center Moriches. But Carle Place has its eyes on making the final four in Middletown and taking a state title.
“We had one goal going into this season and it’s the same goal now, but we want to take it one game at a time,” senior defender Matt Babino said.
Babino tied it at 2 from the left doorstep with 6:36 left in the first half off an assist from Jason Pereira. And then two of the new members teamed up for the go-ahead goal. Gavin Lima fed Cristiano Costa in the right side of the box, and Costa beat Ty Donaldson with 1:15 to go until the break.
“We’re dangerous offensively,” Reardon said.
Ryo Furukawa gave the Seahawks (10-7-1) the lead 4:09 in. Then Pereira sent a ball ahead to Leary, and he used his speed to burst past Donaldson and score easily. “He’s the most dangerous forward in Nassau County,” Reardon said.
Cold Spring Harbor, which had split two games with the Frogs during the regular season, went up 2-1 on a goal by Graydon Vitagliano.
“My guys did an incredible job,” coach Christian Lynch said. “They played really tough.”
