Farmingdale's boys soccer team beat Lindenhurst 2-1 on Wednesday to capture the program's first Long Island championship, a milestone that comes just over a week after one of its players scored a playoff-sending goal the day after losing his father. Christian Graziano set up both second-half goals with corner kicks, and Anthony Princi buried the winner with 5:24 left on the clock.
Patrick Molite headed home the first goal off a Graziano corner before Princi settled matters late, according to newsday.com. The win pushed Farmingdale's record to 14-3-3 on the season. Head coach Brian Weber, who has led the program for years, didn't hide his emotions afterward. “I can't be more proud of this group of kids,” he said, per the same outlet.
A Season Defined By Heartbreak and Heart
The road to the Long Island final ran through a gutting personal loss for the team. Junior striker Adam Vitulano scored a golden goal with 10:39 left in the second overtime to beat Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK 2-1 in the Nassau Class AAA semifinal — one day after his father, John Vitulano, died of liver cancer during the playoffs. The team rallied around their teammate in the aftermath, with Weber telling newsday.com that Vitulano has “26 guys and two coaches that just love him to pieces and have his back.”
Weber echoed that sentiment to the Long Island Herald, saying simply, “we all rallied around him.” Farmingdale went on to beat top-seeded Oceanside for the Nassau Class AAA title after a scoreless draw through 110 minutes forced a penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Jonathan Buonomo made three saves in that shootout to go with 12 saves across regulation and overtime, sealing what the Herald described as Farmingdale's first outright county title and its first trip to the Long Island championship in school history.
Regional Final Looms Against Mamaroneck
Farmingdale is now set to face Section I champion Mamaroneck in the Southeast Regional final, scheduled for noon Saturday at Byram Hills High School in Armonk. It's the next step on an unprecedented postseason run for a program that had never before reached this stage, and the Dalers will carry the momentum of their county and Long Island titles into Westchester.
The achievement did not go unnoticed beyond Farmingdale's own fan base. The New York Post reported that the team received an impromptu parade home, with fire trucks and fans waiting to celebrate in front of the high school. Weber described the team's bond, forged through a season that included real tragedy, as unbreakable, according to the Post.
Carle Place Sisters Chase Their Own State Berth
Farmingdale isn't the only Long Island program celebrating a title and eyeing a regional berth this week. Carle Place's girls soccer team, which also won a Long Island championship, features senior midfielder Madison Reedy and her younger sister, sophomore defender Tyler Reedy, per the Post's reporting. The sisters are known to switch positions during matches, something Madison said happens often on the field.
Carle Place is scheduled to face Pleasantville in a state championship regional qualifier on Sunday at Farmingdale State College. Tyler told the Post that playing alongside her sister creates a different kind of bond on the field, while Madison — who will play lacrosse at Northwestern next year — has one more chance to extend her soccer season before moving on to a new sport at the college level.
