Parker, Meyers lead Hicksville victory
Hicksville's Jimmy Meyers, who scored one of his team's two goals, gets his head on the ball against Massapequa. (Oct. 4, 2010) Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
As soon as Tim Parker raced past two Massapequa defenders and headed toward the goal alone, the home crowd groaned, knowing what the result would be. When the Hicksville forward gets a chance to score, he usually does and Monday was no different.
The senior buried the shot to the top corner to cap Hicksville's 2-0 win over Massapequa in a non-league boys soccer game. Parker has scored in seven of eight games, and he's done it with most teams marking him closely with several defenders.
"With me getting more attention, it leaves others open," Parker said. "The perfect example of that was the East Meadow game. It opened it up for everyone else."
That was the lone game he didn't score, a Comets' 3-1 win.
There were whispers that Hicksville (8-0), the defending Nassau Class AA champions, may not be as good with the graduation of a few top players, but the St. John's-bound Parker is one of the best players on Long Island. "We're playing well," he said. "I definitely have to step up more. My role is to lead by example. I'm really not surprised. We're striving to go further than last year."
Said Hicksville coach Scott Starkey: "Tim's done everything you could ask of a player. He makes great touches. He's a special player. We have a nice team all around, but he's a player that can decide to take it over. He makes runs and players know he'll be there because he'll make the right decision."
While Parker gets most of the accolades, he pointed out the defense of Salvatore Geneva, Tom Geneva, Kyle Brennan and Marcos Bonilla, along with the play of Ian Gallagher and Jimmy Meyers in the midfield being critical to the team's fast start. There's also goalkeeper Brian McPartland, who made seven saves for his fifth shutout.
Hicksville took the lead 11:16 into the game when Meyers leaped in the air and headed in a corner kick from Dimitri Partsinevelos. "He's been a real force in the middle," Starkey said of Meyers. "Before the season I asked him to win every ball in the air and he did it right there."
The junior class has played well for the Comets, but Parker is a difference maker.
"I thought we played great," Massapequa coach Keith Stanley said. "They were better than us. With Parker off the field, they're great. With him on the field, they're unbelievable. He's probably the biggest game-changer I have seen at this level. He's dangerous and he has it all."
