Luke Scarangella's goal on pass from cousin Emmanuel Kasiotis gives Valley Stream Central tie with Baldwin
Emmanuel Kasiotis of Valley Stream Central, right, congratulates teammate and cousin Luke Scarangella after he scored a goal to draw even with Baldwin 1-1 midway through the second half of a Nassau Conference AA boys soccer game at Valley Stream Central on Monday. Kasiotis assisted on the goal. Credit: James Escher
Luke Scarangella was quite surprised to learn that he would be switching positions in the second half on Monday night.
Little did he know that a much-needed family connection was in the works.
Scarangella netted a goal on an assist from his cousin, Emmanuel Kasiotis, for the equalizer with 22:39 remaining as host Valley Stream Central forced a 1-1 draw against Baldwin in a Nassau AA boys soccer game.
"My coach put me at right wing, which I didn’t expect at first," Scarangella said. "So I was kind of shocked. Then I saw my cousin with the ball, we looked at each other and I ran and he played me the ball and I was able to score."
Though Scarangella normally plays left back, Valley Stream Central coach Billy Miller recognized a window to utilize him in a more aggressive role. Scarangella then gave him exactly what he was looking for.
"I wanted to get him in there in the back," Miller said. "But I saw an opportunity to kind of attack the wide spot. And he got the ball and did all the work with a beautiful shot to tie it up."
William Zelaya scored from inside the 18-yard box with 35:50 to go in the first half to give Baldwin (6-1-2) an early 1-0 advantage. Ashel Santos picked up the assist.
"Our right back crossed it in, I took a touch with my chest and connected with the ball nicely to get it in the net," Zelaya said of his sixth goal of the season.
Bruins goalkeeper Josue Ascencio made two crucial saves in the first half to preserve the lead for Baldwin. He saved a shot on a breakaway with just under 26 minutes left before corralling an open shot at the three-minute mark. Valley Stream Central (3-1-4) also failed to capitalize on a key opportunity with 16:35 to go after heading a corner kick over the crossbar.
Ascencio and Eagles goalkeeper Jonas Mata traded numerous timely stops late in the second half through a steady rain to keep the tie intact. They finished with seven saves apiece.
"I think it was a really hard-fought battle," Baldwin coach Christopher Soupios said. "They have some of the best offensive players in the league and I thought we did a great job of shutting them down for about 60 minutes. But we lost focus and soccer’s an 80-minute game. You give a team a chance they’re going to come back in."
