James Garvin's goal in OT propels Southampton to state championship game in boys soccer
Southampton's James Garvin, top, is carried by teammates after a NYSPHSAA Boys Soccer Championships Class B semifinal Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, in Middletown, N.Y. Southampton advanced to the final with a 1-0 overtime win over Schuylerville (II). Credit: Adrian Kraus
MIDDLETOWN — Southampton’s James Garvin sprinted to his left, running toward the corner flag with Ulisses Lopez Silva and Mateo Cruz behind him. Garvin jumped and kicked the flag with his right foot before strutting forward, a sea of Mariners flooding behind him.
Garvin has scored plenty of goals for Southampton’s boys soccer team — with 15 heading into Saturday’s state Class B semifinal — but his 16th is one he’ll never forget.
Gonzalo Alvarez’s cross found Garvin in the box, who headed it into the back of the net in the 83rd minute to send Southampton to its first state championship game with a 1-0 overtime win over Section II’s Schuylerville Saturday at Middletown High School’s Faller Field.
“It’s amazing,” Garvin said. “I went up, and I knew the goalkeeper was right on me. I knew I had to get at least a touch on it.”
Southampton (16-5) will face Section I’s Briarcliff Sunday at 10 a.m. in the state Class B championship game back at Middletown. The Mariners lost the Suffolk championship game to Babylon, but advanced via an at-large bid, beating Chenango Forks and Livonia to reach the semifinal round.
“We believed in these guys the whole time, and they believed in themselves with how many times they had to come back, where they had to rise up when the pressure was on,” Southampton head coach Dave Riley said.
Southampton is now 5-0 in overtime games this season. Center back Max Mobius, who led a defense that constantly caught Schuylerville offside alongside fellow center back David Uzhca, has an idea as to why.
“We just know how to create momentum out of thin air,” Mobius said. “I think we just have clutch players. No one ever gives up on this team, and that’s what’s special about it.”
Southampton dominated possession against Schuylerville (15-4-2), with the Mariners putting 16 shots on goal to five for the Black Horses through 80 minutes. Southampton also had eight corners, with Schuylerville recording just one.
“We just know we can’t slip up; we can’t stay unfocused for one second and let them get an opportunity,” Garvin said. “We knew that we deserved to be here and that we deserved to win this game.”
Levi Garcia excelled as a wingback, constantly threatening up the left sideline. Midfielders Mateo Cruz and Cristian Sandoval maintained possession and found feet in the middle of the field, dictating the pace of play.
Schuylerville nearly scored in the final minutes of the first half, but Hector Alvarez blocked a shot on the goal line to keep the game level. Ewen LeGuen made five saves for the clean sheet.
Now, the Mariners are a goal and 80 minutes away from their first state championship.
“Being a finalist, no matter what the outcome is tomorrow, these guys have a lifetime of memories that they earned,” Riley said. “ I hope they savor them.”
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
