Beacon’s Alec Mahrer is The Post’s All-Manhattan boys soccer Coach of the Year. (Damion Reid)
The borough known for its high level of soccer earned its reputation this fall.
Beacon won its second PSAL Class A title by shocking four-time defending champion Martin Luther King Jr. in the semifinals and outlasting Francis Lewis in penalty kicks. Collegiate won its first NYSAISAA title, pulling off three upsets in the state tournament over No. 4 Rye Country Day School, No. 1 Hackley and No. 3 Poly Prep.
No Manhattan team made a deep playoff run in the CHSAA, but Xavier enjoyed a solid season under first-year coach Joe Balsamo.
All-Manhattan Player of the Year: Joe Nikic, Beacon
The playoffs began with some questioning if Beacon had enough firepower up front and ended with Nikic’s writing his name into Blue Demons’ lore.
After a solid, if not overwhelming, regular season, Nikic, Beacon’s senior captain, owned the postseason, scoring five goals, including a hat trick against John Adams in the quarterfinals, the overtime winner against Martin Luther King Jr. in the semifinals and the clinching penalty kick against Francis Lewis.
“Joe was just amazing,” Beacon coach Alec Mahrer said. “We had the guys around him, everybody stepped up, but Joe was just the man at the right time.”
All-Manhattan Coach of the Year: Alec Mahrer, Beacon
One of the city’s expert tacticians and foremost team manager of egos, Mahrer kept his club confident despite a disappointing regular season. He lost Tom Poulos just before the year began, then Peter Poulos before the playoffs, yet handled the losses with aplomb.
He had the Blue Demons believing a title run was possible, from the starting XI to the bottom of the bench. During the toughest playoffs matches – the come-from-behind victory over John Adams, the overtime thriller over Martin Luther King Jr. and penalty shootout against Francis Lewis – he always made the right moves. And Beacon, in large part, are champions because of those decisions.
First Team
MF Tarek Beckles, Martin Luther King Jr.
Somewhat overlooked because of forward Moriken Sangary’s brilliance, the attacking midfielder enjoyed a solid first year for King, dishing out a Manhattan A-high 17 assists and scoring seven goals. The sophomore’s continued emergence will be significant if the Knights are going to return to their customary perch atop the city.
GK Max Brown, Beacon
His sophomore year was solid, but not in comparison to his junior season. Brown used that experience and made himself into a better keeper, which was obvious for all to see in the postseason when he registered two clean sheets. The last one was his best effort, blanking Francis Lewis in the PSAL Class A final over 90 minutes and making three saves in penalty kicks, 10 in all.
MF Ibrahim Diaby, Martin Luther King Jr.
The 6-foot-2 central midfielder is poised to become the Knights’ next megastar next fall, a supremely skilled ball-winner who finished his junior campaign with six goals and 12 assists.
F Marco Fronterre, Xavier
Speedy, skilled and smart, Fronterre was one of the most lethal strikers in the CHSAA, always making the perfectly-timed run. The senior scored a team-high 10 goals, helping lift Xavier to the Class A intersectional quarterfinals.
GK Connor Hailey, Regis
The clear leader of a very young Regis team, Hailey excelled in net and on the practice field for the Raiders. The technically-sound senior is one of the most underrated players in the city because of his height (5-foot-8).
F Weller Hlinomaz, Collegiate
The Dutchmen’s leading scorer, this sophomore striker wrote his name into the Manhattan school’s record books by sending Collegiate to its first NYSAISAA title with an overtime goal against nemesis Poly Prep.
F Ryan McLaughlin, Regis
In his first year on the varsity, the junior exploded for a team-leading nine goals and that was after missing the early part of the season because of injury. There wasn’t a game McLaughlin wasn’t a scoring threat. He’s part of the Raiders bright future.
F Moriken Sangary, Martin Luther King Jr.
The city’s most feared playmaker enjoyed a regular season for the ages, guiding the Knights to their second Manhattan A crown with 33 goals and 16 assists. As dangerous with either foot and arguably the PSAL’s fastest striker, Sangary was also MLK’s leader as its only returning starter and guided his teammates to the PSAL Class A semifinals.
MF Eddie Sullivan, Xavier
If it wasn’t Fronterre scoring the goals, it was Sullivan, who also provided the grit and punch in the center of midfield. The senior was especially dangerous on set pieces and then broke up the other’s team’s flow as a solid ball-winner in the midfield. The two-sport star be sorely missed.
MF Henry Swertloff, Bard
In a borough filled with stars, Swertloff was among the best, a talented and speedy striker who set up others as much as himself. Swertloff made Bard’s transition to the ‘A’ a seamless one, scoring 12 goals and dishing out seven assists.
D Jesse White, Beacon
Nikic scored the big goals and Brown stopped them, but White, who man-marked the opposition’s best player, was just as important in the Blue Demons’ memorable title run. He embodied Beacon – tough, smart and poised.
Honorable Mention
F Suleiman Haruna Ayi, LaSalle
MF Ryan Cupolo, Beacon
F Jethro Dede, Martin Luther King Jr.
D James Fisch, Collegiate
MF Walker Latham, Beacon
D Gianluca Masucci, Xavier
F Krit McClean, Stuyvesant
MF Nathan Miller, Bard
D Devin Pierre, Regis
MF Arik Raviv, Stuyvesant
MF Jan Zieolonka, Hunter College HS
