Mepham Boys Soccer Drops Season Opener to Uniondale, 4-1

The Mepham Boys Soccer team opened their season with a loss to non-league opponent Uniondale 4-1 on Monday afternoon at home.

On a team with only four seniors, Mepham Coach James Koester said he is trying to build a cohesive unit that can thrive without any major standout individual players.

"We don't really have a star," said Koester. "We don't have that guy."

Down 2-0 early in the first half, Mepham pulled within 2-1 when senior captain Anthony Duranova cashed in on a penalty kick at approximately the 15-minute mark of the first half.

But the Pirates would have no real chances after that. With Uniondale's spirited Head Coach Cohen Nelson encouraging and coaching his team on every touch of the ball, Uniondale ratcheted up their intensity. Josue Zdaya found the lower left corner at the eight-minute mark of the first half to extend the lead to 3-1.

At halftime, Coach Koester urged his team to show more energy. 

"We have to figure out a way to connect a couple of passes together a little sooner," Koester said.

It was not to be. Uniondale relied on their depth and quickness to wear Mepham down further in the second half. And finally, after multiple scoring chances and near misses, the Knight's Nyder Chardonette found the lower left corner from 25 yards out to put the match out of reach at 4-1.

Late in the match, Mepham's defense was playing for pride and frustration began to creep in on both sides. Several hotly contested loose balls resulted in some rough play and heavy whistles from the official, but no yellow or red cards were given. Both coaches encouraged their teams to respect the calls and each other– and cooler heads prevailed.

"They're a good team." Koester said. "And we have to get better."

From the other bench, Nelson humbly agreed. "We played some attractive football," he said.