Silber gets shutout for 12-0-1 Sachem East

William Silber isn't shocked one bit. Although the Sachem East goalkeeper didn't expect to be undefeated at this point, especially in the extremely competitive Suffolk League I, he did expect a lot of success.

Going into the season, the coaches picked Brentwood, Commack and Ward Melville as the top three boys soccer teams in Class AA, and all play in League I. With a week left in the regular season, Sachem East is the one on top.

The Flaming Arrows (12-0-1, 10-0-1) earned a 2-0 home win over Commack Thursday. Jason Santos scored off a blast to the upper right corner off a pass from Zachary Galluzzo with 5:42 left in the first half, and Demetrios Tsiokos scored off an assist from Santos with 12:06 left in the game. Commack is 6-5-2, 6-5.

"We knew going into the season we had great players to have a successful year," said Silber, who made five saves. "We're fortunate everything is coming together. At the end of last year, we knew this was the year. We did well in the summer league."

Sachem East, which has allowed only three goals, missed the playoffs by one game last year. It had nine league wins combined the previous two seasons. "We knew we would be good this season," Santos said. "We have great chemistry. We're playing amazing."

Said Sachem East coach Matt Stallone: "I'm not so surprised. The kids have been driven all winter long. They want to prove to themselves and everyone else they can play at a high level, and playing at a high level in League I is where it's at. We've had competitive teams the last few seasons, but League I is tough. We were young last year, and the experience is paying off."

With three games left, the Flaming Arrows are in control of where they finish. They play at Longwood Saturday and host second-place Brentwood, which they tied 0-0 in the first meeting, and third-place Ward Melville to close out the season.

SEE PHOTOSSachem East 2, Commack 0

"We expected to get in the playoffs and make some noise," Stallone said.

It's shaping up to be a loud November at Sachem East.