After 26-year wait, Ward Melville clinches Suffolk II boys soccer title
Ward Melville boys soccer celebrates after winning first league title in 26 years. Credit: Christine Meckley
As the clock hit triple zeroes at Sachem North High School on Wednesday, a longtime goal became a reality for Ward Melville boys soccer.
Twenty-six years had passed since the last time Ward Melville had been crowned league champs, but the drought vanished as the Patriots wrapped up a 3-0 win to clinch the Suffolk II title.
“Everyone went nuts,” Ward Melville coach Rocco Vetro said. “I couldn't celebrate too much because I didn't want to be unsportsmanlike … I didn't want to go too crazy, but it was unbelievable.”
The Patriots wrapped up the regular season Friday at 11-2-2 overall and 7-0-1 in league play.
The championship moment had been a long time in the making for Vetro, the fourth-year varsity coach who is in his 18th season coaching after stints leading both the Ward Melville boys and girls junior varsity programs. It was special for Vetro to win with Thomas Whitehead, his good friend and assistant coach whom he played with at St. Joseph’s University, New York - Long Island.
This fall’s success would not be possible without star senior striker Robert Hauss, who is in his third varsity season. Hauss finished the regular season with 24 goals and 10 assists, breaking the school record for both goals and points.
“Everyone knows him, so the fact that he scored 24 goals and everyone knows he’s our top goal scorer makes it even more important,” Vetro said. “No one works harder than him, no one wants it more than him.”
Ward Melville has 31 boys on its roster, including 15 seniors. Seniors Sawyer Meckley and Owen Haviland have been on the team since ninth grade. Brothers Elliot and Aiden Burgueno, 6-foot-3 defender Justin Clarke and senior goalie David McElroy are also a few of the key cogs that Vetro mentioned.
Each of Ward Melville’s last two seasons ended in first-round playoff exits, including last year’s 2-1 loss to Northport while playing with 10 players due to an early red card. This year, Ward Melville believes it is in good shape to make a run in a bracket featuring powerhouses Commack and Brentwood.
“We have great chemistry together,” Hauss said. “Everyone’s fantastic on the ball. We work hard together as a team and I believe, and they believe, that we could achieve anything.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
