Newsday's All-Long Island boys soccer team 2025
Newsday's 2025 All-Long Island boys soccer team. TOP ROW, from left: Coach Adriana Mendrinos, Coach Dave Moran, Diego Argueta, Jack Klein, Thomas Fargione, Cooper Kassan, Coach Brian Anselmo. BOTTOM ROW: Jack Dorsey, Ferenc Bagi, Robert Malave, Nicholas Gentile, Brayden O'Boyle. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Newsday Player of the Year: Brayden O’Boyle, Commack, M, Sr.
Commack's Brayden O'Boyle. Credit: Jorge Marcano
There has never been a player like Brayden O’Boyle in Commack boys soccer history.
O’Boyle became the first five-year player/starter for the varsity. And after a junior year in which he delivered 10 goals and 19 assists to help power the Cougars to a third straight Suffolk semifinal appearance, he improved his production even more and helped them claim the top prize in the state in Class AAA.
“Most of these kids, even if they don’t play or do play, we’ve been playing since we were about 5 years old on our Commack Impact team,” O’Boyle said. “Now to be at the high school level and win a state championship with these boys is a special feeling,”
His numbers came in at 12 goals and a Long Island-leading 27 assists in the 20-1-1 journey.
“I think it went really well,” O’Boyle said of his individual season. “I was able to put a few in the net, get a lot of assists, and I feel like overall just helping out the team any way I was able to. Even if I didn’t play the best game, didn’t have any points, just being there for the team with emotional support or leadership when I needed to.”
He scored once in the 3-0 win in the state semifinals and would’ve had another except the lights went out at the Middletown High field just as he was about to score again. He also set up the goal in Commack’s 1-0 win in the state championship match.
“He just loves to play soccer and he loves to play with his buddies,” coach Dave Moran said. “He’s done so much for this program.”
Nassau Player of the Year: Jack Klein, Garden City, F, Sr.
Garden City's Jack Klein Credit: Dawn McCormick
Garden City didn’t find itself desperately needing a goal often. When it did in the Class AA state championship game, Klein made sure the Trojans left Middletown a champion.
His game-deciding goal led Garden City to its second state title in as many years, the only two in the program’s existence. It was his fourth goal across six playoff games, which also came with four assists, bringing his season total to 11 goals and 13 assists this season.
“He put a bit of pressure on himself to come up with the goals, to try and repeat as a state champion,” coach Paul Cutter said. “To see him score the winning goal with nine minutes left, it was really wonderful. He’s a really great kid.”
Klein, a player Cutter described as “extremely coachable,” also started for the team’s state championship team in 2024, helping Garden City go 43-2 with 19 goals and 22 assists over that two-season span.
As the winner of Nassau’s Jim Stein Award, the highest honor the coaches’ association gives and the fourth Garden City player to ever receive it, it’s safe to say Klein left a lasting impression on Nassau soccer as a whole.
NSCHSAA/Private Player of the Year: Jack Dorsey, Chaminade, M, Sr.
Chaminade's Jack Dorsey. Credit: Derrick Dingle
Meet the engine that helped propel Chaminade’s run to an NSCHSAA tournament repeat and the state CHSAA championship after falling in the final the year prior.
That would be Dorsey.
The Kings Park resident and captain finished with 17 goals and nine assists in his second season as a starter for the 17-1-2 Flyers.
Two of his goals came in a 3-2 win over St. Anthony’s in the NSCHSAA final. The center midfielder also started the play that led to the goal in a 1-0 win in the state final.
“He’s the motor of the team,” Flyers coach Brian Anselmo said. “He plays in the middle of the field and he connects the offense with the defense. In the playoffs, he just took over. He scored four goals in the playoffs. Three of those goals were special. If you watched those goals, you would be like, ‘Wow.’ There’s not a lot of high school guys that can score goals like that.
"He has been a tremendous leader. He’s one of the three hardest-working players I’ve coached in 32 years.”
Dorsey will always remember the state crown.
“Once we got it,” he said, “it really meant everything.”
His next team will be Union College.
“I think he’ll do outstanding at that level,” Anselmo said. “To be honest, he had interest from Division I schools, but this just seemed to be the right fit. I think he’s a Division I player who will do well in a Division III setting. I kind of expect him to go in and make an impact right away.”
FIRST TEAM
Diego Argueta, Brentwood, F, Sr.
Only three Brentwood players have scored more goals than Argueta’s 22 in a single season and only two have scored more career goals than his 57.
“He’s hard to mark,” coach Ron Eden said. “Everyone’s game plan is to shut him down, and he still gets his goals.”
Eden praised Argueta’s composure — earning just one yellow card over four varsity seasons — while the striker managed at least 15 goals in three consecutive years.
Ferenc Bagi, Commack, F, Sr.
The center forward made a large leap in production, going from four goals in 2024 to 26 goals in helping the Cougars claim the state Class AAA title. Two of those goals came in the first 10 minutes of a 3-0 win in the state semifinals. “Ferenc has just had a monster season,” coach Dave Moran said after that game. “He always comes up huge for us.”
Elliot Burgueno, Ward Melville, F, Sr.
Burgueno became the program’s all-time leading goal scorer in September and leaves with 53, scoring a remarkable 25 of them over 17 games this season. Only 14 players in Suffolk have scored more in a single season over the last 10 years, which is why coach Rocco Vetro called him “such a hard worker on and off the field . . . He’s a master on the field, a smart kid and a brilliant soccer player.”
Thomas Fargione, Garden City, D, Sr.
Fargione anchored a dominant Garden City defense that allowed 18 goals in 22 games en route to a state title, with five of those goals coming against United Soccer Coaches’ top-ranked team in the country, St. Benedict’s Prep. The senior center back also scored the tying goal in the state championship game. . Coach Paul Cutter saw Fargione “break out” as a junior for an undefeated team, noting that “he’s a kid you can put at his position and not need to give a lot of directions. He’s naturally a great defender who’s very physical and great in the air.”
Dylan Fisher, Garden City, D/M, Sr.
As dominant on aerial challenges as he is with the ball at his feet, Fisher is brilliant in the middle of the field. It’s a different role than when he played at right back in 2024, highlighting why coach Paul Cutter called Fisher — who had eight goals and two assists — “Mr. Versatility.” Cutter added: “He’s such a presence on the field, so calm, so composed. He reads the field and distributes really well.”
Nicholas Gentile, St. Anthony’s, D/M, So.
Gentile excelled as a wingback for the Friars, scoring four goals and assisting on eight more. The future is bright for the young star player, with coach Don Corrao noting how he has “all the intangibles. He’s got a tremendous soccer IQ, and that goes hand in hand because he’s our scholar athlete this year as well. He’s got that Ferrari fifth gear, and he’s tough as nails.”
Cooper Kassan, Glenn, F, Sr.
Kassan matched the program record for most goals in a season, scoring 31 times to help power his Suffolk and Long Island Class A championship team. He scored four times twice in a game and three times on two other occasions. “I had a great year, but I couldn’t have done it without 10 guys on the field with me,” Kassan said. “We worked so hard every game.”
Robert Malave, Chaminade, M, Sr.
Malave, who had three goals and an assist, was a first-year starter who stood out as a defensive center midfielder after eight months of preparation work in the weight room and on the field. “He was the guy who slowed down the other team’s attack,” coach Brian Anselmo said. “He won the ball and he made sure that the ball moved around the field. [He] protected our back four, our defense. He was a leader.”
Nassau Coach of the Year: Adriana Mendrinos, Herricks
Mendrinos’ sixth-seeded Highlanders beat defending champ Syosset, the No. 4 seed, to claim the Nassau Class AAA title, the program’s first county crown in 20 years. Herricks’ sixth-year coach guided the team to a huge jump, from 2-12 in 2024 to 10-5-3.
Suffolk Coach of the Year: Dave Moran, Commack
Moran’s Cougars took the Suffolk, Long Island and state Class AAA titles and posted a 20-1-1 record. Moran passed 200 wins combined as their head coach for 11 seasons and as an assistant coach for them the two previous seasons. He now stands at 202. So he was an assistant with Commack’s previous state title team in 2014 and was a reserve midfielder/defender on its only other team that could call itself a state champion, the one that was a co-champ in 1995.
NSCHSAA/Private Coach of the Year: Brian Anselmo, Chaminade
Anselmo guided the Flyers to a 17-2-1 record, repeat NSCHSAA regular-season and postseason titles and the program’s first state CHSAA championship since 2021. This was his second season as head varsity coach after 19 as the JV coach and then 11 as the freshman coach.
SECOND TEAM
Ager Agirregomezkorta, Bay Shore, F, Sr.: Bay Shore enjoyed a 12-win season, with Agirregomezkorta’s 18 goals and seven assists playing a key role for the Marauders.
Samuel Ammirati, Floral Park, D/M, Sr.: His 14 goals and 12 assists led Floral Park to its second Nassau title in as many years.
Filip Beben, Malverne/East-Rockaway, M/F, Sr.: Sometimes a defensive midfielder and sometimes a forward, Beben’s 16 goals and 12 assists helped turn around a team that went winless a year earlier.
Jack Costa, Garden City, M, Sr.:
As capable of scoring as he is of finding the right pass, Costa’s 10 goals and 11 assists helped Garden City win 20 games and a state title.
Jake Dapice, Syosset, M, Sr.:
A steady and reliable presence in the middle of the field, Dapice is strong defensively and distributes as well as anyone.
Gianluca Falanga, Chaminade, F, Sr.: No NSCHSAA player scored more than Falanga’s 19 goals, and he added five assists.
Massimo Fargnoli, Chaminade, M, Sr.: One of the best players for Chaminade’s state championship team, Fargnoli had nine goals and six assists.
Thomas Fierro, Northport, F, Sr.: Fierro scored seven goals and logged 15 assists for an 18-win Northport team that took the Suffolk Class AA title.
Cole Lawrence, St. Anthony’s, G, Sr.: The back-to-back Newsday All-Long Island goalkeeper kept 11 clean sheets across 19 games and allowed more than one goal just three times.
Drew Lennon, Calhoun, F, Sr.: With good size and impeccable finishing, Lennon had 11 goals and four assists despite being limited by injury.
Dylan Leon, Friends Academy, M, Sr.: With nine goals and nine assists, Leon led Friends Academy to the Nassau Class A title game and a co-championship.
Stefano Linardos, Locust Valley, F, Sr.: Locust Valley earned the top seed in Nassau’s Class A in part due to Linardos’ finishing ability; he scored 21 goals and assisted on nine more.
Esteban Loiaza, Brentwood, D, Sr.: Loiaza is and has been one of the best defenders on Long Island, both in terms of distribution and defensive ability.
Owen Lucano, Northport, M, Sr.: Lucano’s 18 goals and three assists helped the Tigers win their first outright Suffolk title since 1982.
Sean Mahoney, Oceanside, D, Sr.: Strong and dependable along the back line, Mahoney led Oceanside to a Nassau top seed and logged an impressive 16 assists in 15 games.
Zach Makarewicz, Shoreham-Wading River, F, Jr.: Makarewicz scored 21 times, including the Wildcats’ only goal in their Suffolk championship match, and had seven assists for a team that opened with 16 consecutive wins.
Luke McDonough, Commack, D, Sr.: McDonough helped Commack post 13 clean sheets, headlining a defensive unit that allowed more than one goal just once all season.
Luke McNaughton, Port Washington, F/M, Sr.: A forward who runs with the stamina and hustle of a box-to-box midfielder, McNaughton had 11 goals and three assists.
Shane Rossiter, St. Anthony’s, F, So.: Rossiter led the Friars in goals, scoring 14 times, and he assisted on three more.
Austin Sheehan, Calhoun, G, Sr.: Sheehan kept 10 clean sheets across 17 games, allowing just one goal in five October games, which included two playoff matches.
