Mineola defeats W. Hempstead 3-0

The Mineola Mustangs defeated the West Hempstead Rams 3-0 on Thursday afternoon led by Michael Rodrigues who scored two goals in the second half and Dimas Cabrera scored the only goal in the first.
Mineola head coach Paul Pereira said the boys played well and controlled the pace of the game.
“They came in here with the mentality of trying to hold us scoreless for as long as they could,” Pereira said. “We were frustrated because we were dominating and working but we just couldn’t seem to finish. That second goal at the beginning of the second half by Michael gave us a bit of breathing room.”
In the first half, Mineola had more time on the attack and peppered West Hempstead goalkeeper Eric Cunningham with six shots on net.
Defensively, Mineola sat back but didn’t allow West Hempstead to register a shot on goalkeeper Manny Mirao.
After spending the majority of the first half in the attacking third, Mineola finally broke through with 13:04 remaining.
Cabrera gave Mineola a 1-0 lead with his team leading 15th goal of the season.
After Cunningham blocked the initial shot, the loose ball came to Cabrera, who finished.   
In the second half, Mineola once again went to work in the attacking third and struck for two more goals.
Rodrigues gave Mineola a 2-0 lead with 30:12 left to play.
Senior forward Justin Bracken got the ball down low and passed it back out to Rodrigues, who fired it in to give Mineola a two goal cushion.  
Rodrigues netted his second goal of the game late in the second half. He sprinted past the West Hempstead defense for a breakaway opportunity and sealed the deal with 3:27 remaining.
Senior midfielder Brandon Mendes assisted on the goal
Rodrigues said after struggling to score in the first half, coming out strong to start the second half was crucial to picking up the victory.
“We needed to work hard, you never know what could happen,” Rodrigues said. “We were patient with the ball and weren’t in a rush. We waited for our chances.”
This win moved Mineola into sole possession of first place in the ABC-III conference with 27 points. They improve to 10-4 overall and are 9-2 in league play.  
Pereira said they can clinch their first conference title since 2006 with a win next Friday in the season finale against Locust Valley.
“We control our own destiny,” Pereira said. “We’re in a good position to win the conference, regardless of what the other teams do. It’s up to us.”
Weekly Boys Soccer Scores
Wednesday, Oct. 5
New Hyde Park defeated Elmont 2-1. Matthew Lorandini led New Hyde Park with two goals.  Lorandini tied the game in the 68th minute and scored the game-winner on a breakaway in the 74th minute. New Hyde Park goalkeeper James Connoly recorded eight saves.
Sewanhaka defeated Garden City 3-1. Erick Gruver led Sewanhaka with a goal and an assist.
MacArthur defeated Great Neck North 3-0. Chris Rodriguez, Danny Conigliaro and Kevin Eceda each scored a goal for MacArthur.
Carey defeated Manhasset 4-0. Nick Acquafredda led Carey with a hat trick.
Andrew Mehany added a goal while goalkeeper Ben Wettstein recorded five saves for Carey. Manhasset goalkeepers Jamie Weiss and Alex Kassabian combined for nine saves
Great Neck South tied with Roslyn 1-1. Jorey Garcia scored for Great Neck South while Zach Silver scored for Roslyn.
Thursday. Oct. 6
Oceanside defeated Port Washington 1-0. Val Napoli led Oceanside with the lone goal. Port Washington’s Colin Schroeder recorded six saves.
Chaminade defeated Holy Trinity 4-1. Matt Vowinkel led Chaminade with two goals.
Wheatley tied with Friend’s Academy 0-0. Wheatley’s Zach Jacobs recorded eight saves while Friend’s Academy goalkeeper Joe Como stopped six shots.
Herricks defeated Valley Stream Central 1-0. Alex Lacerra scored the game winning goal in the 71st minute.
Yianni Nictas assisted on the goal while freshman goalkeeper Andrew Liu recorded his first career shutout by stopping seven shots.
Friday, Oct. 7
Glen Cove defeated Floral Park 3-1. Michael Morra led Glen Cove with a goal and an assist while Jhecsson Garcia chipped in with two assists. Floral Park’s Brian Hamerman recorded 13 saves.
Jericho defeated Great Neck North 2-0. Todd Perlman and Justin Snyder led Jericho with one goal each. Evan Lapidus and Nico Motta each had an assist on Jericho’s goals while Great Neck North’s Oliver Pour recorded five saves.
Manhasset defeated Mepham 2-0. Antonio Mirante led Manhasset with a goal and an assist.
Sewanhaka defeated Great Neck South 3-0. Erick Gruver led Sewanhaka with two goals and an assist. Sewanhaka’s Erick Cifuentes added a goal while Great Neck South’s Jonathan Farkas recorded six saves.
Roslyn defeated Elmont 2-0. Ariel Samoohy and Andrew Markman led Roslyn with one goal apiece.
Carey defeated New Hyde Park 4-3. Carlos Llamosa led Carey with a hat trick. Yiener Vasquez led New Hyde Park with a goal and an assist while goalkeeper James Connoly recorded eight saves.