What a soccer trio these guys have been

Chris Posillico and Joe Digiglio were about 11 when they first started playing soccer under Frank Vertullo, who coached Commack Premier, a club travel team. That lasted seven seasons.

Today, the trio remains intact as the integral ingredients of Suffolk Community College's No. 1-ranked and undefeated team (10-0). Vertullo, 30, had no special plan to recruit the players. It just worked out that way.

"Kids want to stay home,'' Vertullo said. "They get recruited, but there is not enough money. They can't afford to pick up the bills themselves. I was very lucky to pick them up.''

Digiglio, a forward who leads the team in scoring with seven goals, did not think twice about playing for Vertullo, saying, "We have a good relationship, a good friendship. We work well on and off the field. He's a good coach and I'm very comfortable playing for him.''

Vertullo shows no favoritism toward his former club players. Both play on merit. "Joe is a hard-working kid, strong, fast, determined,'' the coach said. "Chris is another determined person. That's what I try to preach. I've been with them so long, I think they got it.''

Posillico, another forward, has six goals. He played at Deer Park High School. "Joe told me he was going to Suffolk,'' Posillico said of Digiglio, "and I told him that most likely was where I was going, too. Coach was my art teacher at Robert Frost Middle School. He brought me to his travel team and became a family friend.''

Both players also were sold on the idea that they could win a title at Suffolk.

"The stakes are a little bit higher here ,'' Posillico said. "We have such a good team. We have a great chance of winning a national championship.''

Vertullo, who is in his fourth season at Suffolk, has a career record of 58-3-5. The Clippers won the Region XV title in 2008. The goal is much more ambitious this season.

"At the national level, we are right there,'' Vertullo said. "We believe this could be our year. We already beat No. 3 Herkimer, No. 4 Nassau and No. 9 Dutchess. We are very hungry.''

New running track, turf facility for Stony Brook

A $3-million state-of-the-art outdoor track and FieldTurf facility is under construction, Stony Brook University announced. The facility replaces the previous track near LaValle Stadium and will include an eight-lane oval of Mondo polyurethane.

The infield will have special areas for track and field events, such as runways for the long jump, and also will serve as an alternate practice facility for lacrosse, soccer and football. The project is expected to be completed by next spring.

"This is another great step for our athletic program,'' athletic director Jim Fiore said in a statement. "This new venue will continue to help our championship program attract some of the finest track and field athletes from across the country and internationally, while also providing our field sports a high-quality practice facility which will give Stony Brook the opportunity to make a significant impact at the conference, regional and national levels.''

Hofstra women's soccer on a roll

After an season-opening loss to second-ranked Boston College, the Hofstra women's soccer team has won eight straight games and is ranked first in the Mid-Atlantic Region poll, the first time the program has achieved that ranking. The Pride may be closing in on the national poll, as it fell only five votes short of making the Top 25. Salma Tarik leads the team in scoring with five goals.

Long Island players who have keyed the effort include midfielders Tiffany Yovino (Sachem East), Courtney Breen, who was an outstanding high school basketball player at Hicksville, and Massapequa graduate Brittany Butts.

Contract extension for Hofstra wrestling coach

Tom Shifflet has received an extension to coach the wrestling team at Hofstra through the 2013-14 season. Shifflet is 47-30-4 in four seasons with the Pride. Hofstra has captured three Colonial Athletic Association championships and Shifflet has had 24 wrestlers qualify for the national championships.

Around the campuses

The Farmingdale State women's soccer team is off to an 8-2 start as it tries for its fourth straight Skyline Conference title. Sarah Golden leads the team in scoring with six goals and Jamie Smith has five. Competition for the conference title will come from St. Joseph's, sporting a 4-0 record in the Skyline. Samantha Garcia and Erin Beach share the team lead with 14 points each. Goalie Michelle Gulino has six shutouts and a 1.15 goals-against average. On the men's side, St. Joseph's John Dettori leads the conference with nine goals.

The Stony Brook men's soccer team is unbeaten (5-0-1) in its last six games after a 1-0 victory over Iona. The Seawolves enter America East play Saturday against Boston University at 7 p.m. . . . Adelphi, which plays at the Division I level in soccer, defeated No. 25 Pennsylvania, 1-0. Mauricio Mora scored the goal . . . Nicole Valentine scored three goals in the Molloy women's soccer team's 4-3 victory over 16th-ranked Dowling . . . Molloy freshman cross country runner Nick Filippazzo set a school record in the 8K of 26:18.94 in the C.W. Post Invitational . . . C.W. Post's Erik Anderwkavich is ranked eighth in the nation among all quarterbacks in rushing, averaging with 101.2 yards a game . . . Stony Brook defensive back Dominick Reyes had a career game against Massachusetts with 13 tackles. He also broke up two pass attempts . . . Dowling volleyball (11-0) is ranked 24th in Division II. The team has not dropped a set.