Garden City takes aim at a sixth straight county final

Garden City has been in the same sentence with the Nassau Class A boys soccer final for five seasons running.

“There’s some pressure,” senior goalkeeper James Castoro said about living up to the tradition, “but I think we can handle it.”

The Trojans won the title in 2017, shared it in the spring of 2021 and claimed it outright again last fall.

“I think they love the pressure,” coach Paul Cutter said after a recent 1-0 win at Manhasset that came with top scorer Tommy Poz converting a cross from assist leader James Healy. “They take that pressure and run with it.”

They just ran off with their sixth straight conference, going 10-0 in Nassau A West. They’re 12-0 overall and open the playoffs Oct. 21.

The Trojans want to repeat in one way and not repeat in another after falling to Amityville in the Long Island championship game last November.

“I think once we won the county final, we kind of got in our own heads, thinking that we’re the best and that we’re unstoppable,” Castoro said.

The second-year starter isn’t expecting a repeat of that.

“I think we can get to states,” Castoro said.

He’s one of Garden City's three 2022 Newsday top 100 players along with Robert Patrissi and Christian Pica. Castoro has posted nine shutouts with an assist from a strong back line of Spencer Caporicci, Emmet Duffy, Kyle Watson and Patrissi. Connor Griffin and Thomas Esposito have helped, too.

“Generally, we do a good job of building out of the back, especially Castoro,” Cutter said. “To have a goalkeeper who’s as good with his feet as he is just gives you that 11th player that you can actually use as a field player.”

Giardino enthused over Manhasset

Manhasset had a right to feel more confident after its close loss to Garden City.

“Once we get in [the playoffs], I don’t think anyone is going to want to play us,” coach Mark Giardino said.

His team followed by taking a 5-1 non-conference win over Bethpage — with leading goal scorer Manny Giouroukakis scoring twice — and a 5-2 win over Roslyn to close the A West schedule and clinch a playoff spot — with Gabe Feldman scoring four.

Manhasset finished 4-3-3 in the conference and was 5-3-6 overall through Friday. It begins the postseason Wednesday in outbracket play.

“No matter who we play, we’re going to compete,” Giardino said. “We have a very tough group of young men who never let anything get to them.”

Midfielders Luka Busljeta and Luca Petruccelli and Jack Petersen, a center back/midfielder, are some other standouts. Giardino called Petersen “always the best athlete on the field.”