Herricks wins its first boys soccer county title in 20 years
Herricks goalkeeper Brayden Haase reacts to a save during the Nassau Class AAA boys soccer final against Syosset at Farmingdale State College on Friday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Last November, Robby Profeta and the rest of the Herricks boys soccer team sat at home following a two-win season while Syosset won a county title at Farmingdale State.
A year later, the two faced under the same lights on the same turf field. And as Herricks fans stacked the bleachers as the Highlanders sprinted to celebrate, it became clear that Herricks had just won its first county title since 2005
Sixth-seeded Herricks defeated the reigning county champions and fourth-seeded Syosset, 3-0, in the boys soccer Nassau Class AAA championship game at Farmingdale State Friday night. Herricks (10-4-3) will head to Islip High School to face the winner of Suffolk’s Commack and Brentwood on Nov. 8, at 11:30 a.m. for the Long Island Class AAA championship.
"I knew this was going to happen all along," goalkeeper Brayden Haase said. "This team, we really do have something special."
Aidan Bernic netted the first of three second-half goals in the 43rd minute, taking a quick touch inside before burying his shot into the bottom right corner.
Saif Khan added a second goal for Herricks midway through the second half, beating his man down the left side of the field with a quick move and explosive burst before cutting inside to slide his shot into the bottom right corner.
It’s his third goal of the playoffs, having scored in the quarterfinal round against No. 3 Farmingdale as well as the go-ahead goal in a semifinal win over No. 2 Port Washington.
Profeta added the game’s third goal with just four minutes left, all but putting the game out of reach after putting his laces through the ball and sending it into the bottom-left corner. He played a masterful game in the midfield, dictating pace and possession as needed.
“It’s one of the best moments of my life," Profeta said.
“Four years ago, there really wasn’t a culture," he added. "This was really like the biggest joke in Nassau County. Nobody saw us as a threat. This year we turned the gas on, and we never stopped.”
Syosset (11-4-2) nearly tied the score in the 56th minute off the head of Cole Maguire, but Haase dove to deny the chance for his fifth of nine saves. He also came out of goal to make a sliding challenge and deny a breakaway chance for Syosset’s Brody Waxer in the 74th minute.
Herricks defenders George Joseph and Austin Lee also deserve plenty of credit for containing a talented Syosset attack.
"It's a milestone," coach Adriana Mendrinos said. "I think it's fate and if you look at our season, I think not many people expected us to be here."
In a season where the Highlanders have seemingly held the answers to every question on the test that is the playoffs, there’s just one query that remains unanswered as the newly crowned Nassau champions march on.
Why not Herricks?
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.
