Francis Lewis’ Sebastian Guenzatti tracks down a pass. (Damion Reid)
New York Post PSAL boys soccer beat writer Zach Braziller breaks down Thursday’s PSAL Class A semifinals at Newtown HS and Forest Hills HS in Queens.
Here’s the schedule:
Newtown HS
2:30 p.m. – No. 1 Martin Luther King Jr. vs. No. 4 Tottenville
Forest Hills HS
2:30 p.m. – No. 2 Francis Lewis vs. No. 6 Beacon
No. 1 Martin Luther King Jr. Knights
Head coach: Martin Jacobson
Record: 14-0-0
Player to watch: Moriken Sangary
How they got here: Manhattan A champion received first-round bye; Defeated No. 16 John Bowne, 4-1, in second round; and No. 8 Curtis, 6-0, in quarterfinals.
No. 4 Tottenville Pirates
Head coach: Ron Nathanson
Record: 15-1-1
Player to watch: Damien Vuotto
How they got here: Defeated No. 29 DeWitt Clinton, 3-0, in first round; No. 13 Erasmus Hall, 2-1, in second round; and No. 5 Lehman, 1-0, in quarterfinals.
Outlook: MLK has hardly broken a sweat in reaching the semifinals. The Knights have few weaknesses. They are strong at midfield, potent up front and blessed with two of the better fullbacks in the city in sweeper Alex Zorrilla and stopper Serigne Dioum. Arguably, their Achiles heel is keeper Jean Carlo Perez, who has yet to experience playoff pressure. Then again, he was beaten just five times in 14 games.
MLK’s strength, however, lies in its skill players, particularly center midfielder Sebastian Ramirez, a senior who orchestrates the Knights’ attack like a point guard or quarterback. And he has plenty of weapons at his disposal. Six different players scored at least three goals during the regular season, and five have found the back of the net during the postseason, including skilled sophomore Moriken Sangary. He had a hat trick against Curtis in the quarterfinals.
Tottenville has enjoyed a magical run here, winning its first division title in a decade just three years removed from a two-win season landed them in the Staten Island basement. The Pirates are blessed with a wondrous goalkeeper (Vuotto), talented, do-it-all fullback (Arlind Nika), and a forward (Allan Tarkatchev) with thunder in his feet who can strike from anywhere on the field.
Nathanson, in just his third year, has returned respectability to the once-proud program. He;s demanded accountability and received victories. The 1-0 win over No. 5 Lehman put a stamp on the season. Getting by MLK would send shockwaves throughout the city.
No. 2 Francis Lewis Patriots
Head coach: Roger Sarmusknis
Record: 12-0-2
Player to watch: Sebastian Guenzatti
How they got here: Queens A East champion received first-round bye; defeated No. 15 Bronx Science, 4-2, in second round; and No. 10 Stuyvesant, 3-0, in quarterfinals.
No. 6 Beacon Blue Demons
Head coach: Alec Mahrer
Record: 11-4-0
Player to watch: Pascal Louis
How they got here: Defeated No. 27 Brooklyn Tech, 8-0, in first round; No. 11 Bayside, 3-0, in second round; and No. 3 Columbus, 4-0, in quarterfinals.
Outlook: Francis Lewis has reached the PSAL Class A final. The Patriots were in the semis last year. They have won five consecutive Queens A East titles, and have gone 38-0-6 since their last division loss, to Cardozo, Sept. 20, 2006. There is very little left for them to achieve but a city championship.
Sarmuksnis’ club certainly has the pieces to get over the hump. There may not be a better playmaker in the entire city than Guenzatti, a natural scorer who has set up teammates (8 assists) almost as well as he has found the back of the net (15 goals). Lewis is blessed with plenty of talent throughout the midfield (Danny Bedoya and Fadil Paljevic) and up front (Sam Mignon, Ricky Rada and Frank Lopez).
The great question with Lewis is whether they can keep high-scoring Beacon off the scoreboard. They allowed two goals to Bronx Science in the opening round, but did shutout Stuyvesant. That victory was highlighted by the play in net of 6-foot-2 junior goalkeeper Chris Herrera, who made six saves, many of them phenomenal in the final minutes.
“Having a sensational kid with as much talent as Chris, it helps,” Sarmuksnis said.
Halfway through the season, Beacon was lost, lacking offensive punch and sitting close to .500, an uncustomary position for the Manhattan powerhouse. Once Louis, the speedy senior striker, got healthy and Mahrer resorted to a more aggressive approach, the Blue Demons turned it on.
Since back-to-back losses to MLK and Stuyvesant, they have won 7-of-8, averaging over six goals per game in that time. Louis has emerged as not only the much-needed finisher, but as a leader. After a slow start, junior Joseph Nikic led Manhattan A with 12 goals, and has scored four during the postseason. The Poulos brother, Tom and Peter, add depth to the fearsome attack.
Senior defenders Alex Brass, Jacob Kipnis and Alex Scrum have jelled to form a solid backline in front of freshman keeper Max Brown while sophomore starters Ryan Cupolo, Anthony Casagranda and Gideon Rosenthall have found their footing.
All those factors combined have Beacon playing its best soccer at the right time. Nobody has faced a tougher road to this point. Bayside and Columbus were quality teams capable of getting to this point, except the Blue Demons handled each with ease.
“This is our year,” Brass said. “We know we can beat any team.”
