Michael Donovan racks up goal, assist as Floral Park defeats Lawrence for Nassau Class A title
Michael Donovan of Floral Park, right, and goalie Oscar Dalton celebrate after their team's 2-0 win over Lawrence in the Nassau Class A Cunty boys soccer final at Farmingdale State College on Sunday. Credit: James Escher
It’s every soccer player’s dream to pick up a goal or assist on a team’s run to a championship. Senior Michael Donovan did both for Floral Park.
The No. 3 Knights earned their first Nassau Class A boys soccer title since 2015 by beating No. 4 Lawrence, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon at Farmingdale State.
Donovan assisted the opening goal just 2:45 into the second half, beating his man down the right sideline before crossing to the waiting foot of senior forward Ned Devine.
Just under five minutes later, midfielder Conor McCarthy lofted a pass over the top to Donovan, and the forward finished the breakaway with a carefully placed shot into the bottom right corner.
“It was amazing, going to celebrate with my bench and everyone clearing out,” Donovan said. “I couldn’t imagine anything better.”
Floral Park senior goalkeeper Oscar Dalton had three saves in the shutout, denying Lawrence star forward Kevin Mendoza at the top of the box in the first half with a terrific stop.
“It’s pure ecstasy,” Dalton said. “It’s everything we’ve been working for, the culmination of a lot of blood, sweat and tears.”
Dalton also showed his composure in critical moments, including pressuring Lawrence’s Jeremy Cruz in front of the net to force a high shot that went over the crossbar.
“I knew I had a job to do. I’ve been working for years to learn how to do it,” Dalton said.
McCarthy seemed to be everywhere covering everyone, all at once. Defender Michael Chery did well to force Lawrence’s buildup wide rather than in the middle of the field, helping to limit Lawrence to four shots on goal.
The defensive discipline stayed consistent on all levels, preventing a Lawrence team that thrives with the possession to play the long ball instead.
The Golden Tornadoes (13-4-2) had many terrific chances, including a header off the crossbar by center back Benjamin Perez inside the final five minutes, but just couldn’t find the back of the net.
The Knights (13-3-1) will return to action soon enough, with a Long Island championship date against either Glenn or Kings Park at 8:30 p.m. on Friday at Farmingdale State.
“[It took] long practices, lots of film and a whole lot of running to get here,” Donovan said.
“I’m proud of our team. We move on to the Long Island championship, and we’ll see how far we can go.”
