Long Beach boys’ soccer coach Leo Palacio was concerned a scoreless first half at last-place Division Oct. 5 would come back to haunt the Marines, who needed a win and two points to keep up with the frontrunners in Nassau Conference AA1 East.
“We had about five or six good chances to score,” Palacio said. “These are the types of games your opponent gets once chance and scores. I told the guys at halftime they were playing not to win. Even though Division is much better than the record shows, a tie against them would’ve felt like a loss.”
But it didn’t take long for the Marines to take the lead and take control. Sophomore Ryder Heitefuss, who’s had a hot foot all season, converted a pass from senior Ryan O’Campo just 16 seconds in the second half and added an insurance goal 25 minutes later to lead Long Beach’s 2-0 victory. Freshman Dominic Mendoza assisted on Heiefuss’ second tally, his team-leading fifth of 2023.
“We moved the ball out to the wings and started attacking with four guys,” Palacio said of the second-half surge that upped the Marines’ conference record to 4-2-2. “We also kept sending the ball into the box. You never know what can happen. Ninety percent of the time good things happen when you get the ball in the box.”
The shutout was the third straight for junior goalkeeper Jayden Zarco, who made 9 saves. Zarco was a midfielder last fall but volunteered to play goalie during summer league and quickly made an impression after shutting out Baldwin, 1-0. “He’s been phenomenal,” Palacio said. “If you want to advance deep in the playoffs, you need a strong goalkeeper and defense. Being a former field player, Jayden’s goal kicks and punts are a weapon. He’s getting better every day working on his angles and positioning.”