Glen Cove shows championship chemistry with win over North Shore
Adrian Olivera of Glen Cove races to the ball against Jair Melendez of North Shore during a Nassau boys soccer game on Monday in Glen Cove. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Frank Andrade’s long ball down the left sideline was beautifully placed, short of the end line and right in front of sprinting attacker Gabriel Alvarado, who snagged it, turned 90 degrees and sliced toward the goal. He spied Ethan Graziosi cutting and it was over in an instant.
Perfect pass. Quick shot. Back of the net.
On that foray, the Glen Cove teammates moved together like three figures on the same string. That synchronicity — or as center midfielder Enry Hernandez called it “chemistry” — was just one of the residual benefits from a championship season that was on display as Glen Cove topped visiting North Shore for a 4-1 non-conference victory on the grass practice field the Big Red calls “The Pit.”
Glen Cove, the 2022 Nassau Class A champion now playing Class AA, may actually be ahead of where it was as it embarked on a title journey a year ago.
For one thing, as coach Brian Smith explained, “There are a lot of experienced players that started or got [playing] time last season.”
For another, as midfielder Jose Rumipamba said, “We have a great sense of responsibility and accountability to each other.” And though it lost three starters, including Newsday Nassau Player of the Year Londell Wheeler, there are high-ceiling replacements filling those roles.
None was more noticeable than center back Hector Flores, making his first varsity appearance. After a handful of tentative early minutes, he spent most of the game taking a hand in repelling a solid Vikings attack led by Lino Leighton
“Hector ended up our most consistent back line player,” Smith said.
“Starting with a win is good but we are a work in progress,” Smith added. “We didn’t release the ball through the midfield fast enough at first, but we did make the adjustment to start doing that, which is a [positive].”
North Shore may still be a couple days away from playing with its full complement of players — a few need the requisite six days of practice certified — but displayed a fiery attack early.
The Big Red, however, used that aggression against the Vikings and turned it into a breakaway Graziosi goal off a long pass from Hernandez.
Leighton evened the score in the 18th minute on a penalty kick. About 13 minutes later Rumipamba’s driving shot was turned away by Vikings keeper Finn Duffy (10 saves) and ended up on Hernandez’s foot for the go-ahead goal. Alvarado scored on a penalty kick in the 42nd minute before the Andrade-Hernandez-Graziosi connection in the 56th.
“A lot of us have been playing together now three years so we have good communication and play in control,” Alvarado said.
Asked what made Glen Cove look so formidable, North Shore coach Michael Bishop replied:
“Every one of them is comfortable with the ball. Most teams have a few guys like that and surround them with great athletes, but they are all like that.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
