Northport boys soccer's Teddy Hopkins makes seven saves in win over Huntington
Cameron Fischer of Northport controls the ball during a boys soccer game against host Huntington on Oct. 6, 2026. Credit: Kelvin Loarca
Northport senior captain Cameron Fischer has been waiting for this day for nearly a month.
That day, a rematch against Huntington Tuesday afternoon, was finally here. Fischer wasn’t over how the Tigers lost the first meeting, conceding the winning goal with just 4.4 seconds remaining.
“It was everything,” Fischer said. “Ever since the end of that game, it’s been, ‘When’s the next time we play them? How can we fix what was broken?’”
The answer? Flipping the midfield diamond from two center defensive midfielders to two attacking midfielders, with Fischer operating as one of the two. But formation aside, Northport hustled and displayed clinical finishing that propelled the Tigers to a 3-1 win over Huntington Tuesday in Suffolk’s League III.
Northport goalkeeper Teddy Hopkins was terrific, making seven saves with several of high difficulty. Suffolk’s leading goal scorer in Huntington’s Robbie Campbell nearly tied the game at two midway through the second half with a breakaway chance when Hopkins dove and stole the ball right off his foot.
“That was a game-winning performance,” Northport coach Don Strasser said of Hopkins.
It was one of many hustle-based plays for the Tigers, with defenders Tom Ciolfi, Dylan Kalinowski, Billy Gebert, Ty Hamada and James Horyczun all impressing against a Huntington offense that averages over three goals per game.
Highlights from Northport v Huntington ⚽️ Northport’s Tom Ciolfi finishes in the rebound for the team’s opening goal. Huntington’s Robbie Campbell extends his Suffolk-best goal tally to 16 with a sensational bicycle kick 👀 Northport’s Noah Weaver adds the 3rd and final goal. https://t.co/RbAxQe9lbB
— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) October 7, 2026
Strong day from Northport goalkeeper Teddy Hopkins. Made several terrific saves, including these two below. The first one, coming off the throw-in, is just fantastic. Different game if Huntington goes up 1-0 early here. https://t.co/z8VTs7kMBK
— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) October 7, 2026
“I’ve never seen a back line work harder in my entire life,” Fischer said.
Fischer spurred the opening goal in the 36th minute, winning a corner kick despite being guarded by three Huntington defenders. Huntington goalkeeper Jeancarlos Murillo punched away Fischer’s cross, but Ciolfi was in the right position to put the rebound immediately back on frame and score.
Huntington (10-3) responded with a sensational bicycle kick from Campbell in the 50th minute, his 16th goal.
“He’s been really consistent all year long; he’s been tremendous,” Huntington coach John Pagano said. “The trick is not to be too dependent on him, which is something we got to work on going forward.”
Northport (5-3-2) scored just over a minute later as Horyczun ripped a shot that hit the crossbar. Sophomore Gianluca Lucano tapped in the rebound for the go-ahead goal.
Fellow sophomore Noah Weaver added another score in the 69th minute, heading in a free kick from midfield by Hamada. It’s a promising win for Northport as it continues its first county title defense this fall after graduating numerous seniors, with just seven on this year’s team.
Lucano said: “Last year we had a big fall with our seniors leaving, and now we’re just trying to go for it."
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.
