Long Island high school boys soccer: Here are 10 forwards to watch this season

There are a lot of talented boys at forward ready to lend a foot or head to the cause this season on Long Island’s high school soccer fields.

They can certainly be difference-makers in a sport in which 80 minutes can pass without many shots having touched the back of the netting.

So what makes the best ones?

“I would say, at higher levels where these boys play at, [it’s] intelligence, IQ, their movement off the ball,” said Nick Pleines, the new coach for Smithtown West. “Those are the things that differentiate just a natural talented forward from someone who can play at a higher level and move on into college or into professional — especially quick finishes in the final third . . . and consistency.”

Here are just 10 of the many boys around here to watch at the position:

Evan Cardoso, Carey, Sr.

Cardoso had a 15-goal, four-assist season in 2025. Coach Matt Princi labeled the fourth-year starter as “a fast, physical winger with a knack for putting the ball in the back of the net. He can score in a variety of ways and has the patience and poise in front of [the] goal that many other players lack.”

Tony Garcia, Smithtown West, Sr.

Garcia contributed eight goals and eight assists in last season’s 10-6-1 run. The talented third-year starter will be the focal point of the attack. “I’ve been very impressed with his leadership ability,” Pleines said. “He’s very confident on the ball. He’s very swift, very fluid. He’s got everything you like.”

Micah Joseph, Kellenberg, Sr.

Joseph scored a team-high eight goals and added three assists in his first season starting. Coach Bill Masiulis lauded the striker’s soccer IQ and speed, and stated that “our entire attack will be structured around his elite finishing ability and sharp field awareness. He is poised to be one of the most dangerous, dynamic attackers on Long Island this season.”

Saif Khan, Herricks, Sr.

Kahn scored a goal in the Nassau Class AAA quarterfinals, semis and final, helping power Herricks to its first county title in 20 years. The striker, now in his third season starting, finished with 16 goals and six assists. “He is just determined to get the ball at his feet and find the back of the net any way possible, and he has the ability to score some really spectacular goals,” coach Gordon Purdie Jr. said. “He works very hard for all his success.”

Jackson Langevin, Oceanside, Sr.

Langevin scored 19 times as a junior striker. Coach Patrick Turk called the second-year starter “a threat that demanded every team to mark him wherever he was on the field.” Yet he still topped Nassau Conference AAA in scoring.

Zach Makarewicz, Shoreham-Wading River, Sr.

Makarewicz made second-team All-Long Island after scoring 21 goals and assisting on seven others, helping the Wildcats reach the Suffolk Class A final. Coach Dani Braga feels the striker is “super athletic” with “game-changing ability,” and that he could be the county’s top forward as a third-year starter.

Marquise Miles, Center Moriches, Sr.

Miles, now a fifth-year starter, came through with 12 goals and nine assists as a striker last year. Coach Mike Russo noted that Miles’ “tremendous work rate and leadership skills combined with his soccer IQ make him lethal on the pitch. His ability to take players on is going to make a coach very happy next year at the next level.”

Xavi Navarro, Syosset, Sr.

Navarro delivered 11 goals and seven assists in a junior season that concluded in the Nassau Class AAA final. Coach Brett Waxer cited the striker, who’s a third-year starter, for being “a big presence up top, and [he] has the ability to draw two defenders throughout games.”

Elijah Prywes, Half Hollow Hills West, Sr.

Prywes scored 12 goals and assisted on 13 others. Coach Doug Gannon praised the second-year starting striker’s “relentless work ethic with the ball” and his ability to “score from anywhere.”

Shane Rossiter, St. Anthony’s, Jr.

Rossiter’s sophomore season at striker came with a team-leading 14 goals, three assists and second-team All-Long Island recognition. Coach Don Corrao described the second-year starter like this: “Rossiter is very deceptive, moves very well off the ball and possesses a 'fifth gear.’ ”