Lorenzo Selini scores twice and has two assists in 4-0 win for 10-2 Newfield
Newfield's Lorenzo Selini (3) plays the ball while being covered by Centereach's Matthew Gorski (11) in the first half during the Suffolk High School boys soccer game between Newfield and Centereach on Friday Oct 5, 2018 at Veterans Park. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Lorenzo Selini has a knack for the net.
The sophomore midfielder had two goals and two assists to lead Newfield over Centereach, 4-0, in a Suffolk III boys soccer match on Friday.
Selini opened the scoring after converting on a penalty kick in the 13th minute. The Wolverines dominated possession for much of the first half, but would not score again until the final minute when Selini broke from a defender and entered the penalty area, flicking a touch pass through to Olvin Yanes just as the next defender stepped up. Yanes finished to put Newfield ahead 2-0 at halftime.
“I felt the defender closing in, so I just dished it to Olvin,” Selini said. “It’s nice to have good players around me that make me better.”
Newfield asserted itself from the start of the second half, led again by Selini. First, he held off a challenge inside the box and found Cesar Lopez for a goal in the 30th minute. Two minutes later, he secured a ball from Yanes, sifted through two defenders in the box, and found the bottom right corner to give the Wolverines a 4-0 advantage.
“He controls the tempo, spreads the ball around, and has great composure on and off the ball,” coach Jamie Santiago said. “He makes life a lot easier for us.”
The Newfield defense continued to limit opportunities for Centereach to establish a rhythm in the remaining time. Yanes finished with a goal and an assist, and Loui Chen made five saves in his seventh shutout of the season. Ryan McGovern had 11 saves for Centereach (3-8-1).
The Wolverines are 10-2 in league and comfortably in first place with four games to play. With a strong core of seniors — many of whom still remember losing 4-2 to Brentwood in the 2016 county championship — Santiago believes his team is on the right track to make another run at the title game. A feat made easier with Selini at midfield.
“He’s an ideal player in an ideal situation,” Santiago said.
