Mepham Boys Soccer Come Up Short on Road in Elmont

The Mepham Pirates boys soccer team battled through the elements on Thursday afternoon at Elmont High School, but a late tie was broken as the Spartans (2-1-0, 1-1-0) topped the visiting Pirates (1-1-0, 1-1-0) by a 3-1 score.

Mepham was coming off of a 1-0 win over Herricks at home behind a penalty kick goal from Rob Lagomarsini, but could not pull out the win over Elmont. 

“We had a couple of chances late to tie this game up. One of our guys got taken down in the box with no call and then they scored the late goal to make it 3-1,” Mepham head coach James Koester said.

Elmont set the tone early with a goal from Benji Alonge past Mepham keeper Steve Fotinos, who finished with four saves, just minutes after the opening whistle. The Spartans nearly added a second goal within the first 10 minutes after a shot rolled wide left after Fotinos misplayed a ball on the slick field.

Midway through the first half, Mepham picked up their own offensive pressure with three solid chances against Elmont goalkeeper Alex Servin.

With Elmont ahead at 1-0 after the start of the second half, Mepham found an answer with a goal from Fermin Sorto. The pressure and intensity picked up on both ends with Mepham and Elmont looking for the go-ahead score. 

In the 70th minute, Richie Robinson put in a shot to move his side into the lead at 2-1. The game would be put out of reach for Mepham as Chad Barker added a third goal for Elmont to cap the scoring. 

Despite the loss, Mepham has been getting a good taste of what Conference III will offer this year. With Elmont now entering them own squad as a force, the Pirates will also contend with the likes of Great Neck South, Carey and Long Beach for the top spot this season.

Mepham will host Carey (2-0-0, 2-0-0) in their next game on Monday, Sept. 19 at 4:30 p.m.