Molloy’s Angelo Luongo (r.) and Iona Prep’s Quinn Hefferon fight for the ball. (Lauren Marsh)
The scouting report on Iona Prep so far this season is the team has just three players to worry about: dynamic goal scorers Cesar Ceja and Stephen Elias and stud goalkeeper Alex Kapp. That was magnified even more last week when Ceja and Elias had a hand in a trio of goals and Christ the King scored three times in a Gaels win.
Marcos Monteagudo can’t stand how his team has been typecast.
“For as good as we are going forward with Cesar and Steve, I think our staple is defending,” the coach said. “At least that’s what I like to think – I used to be a defender. Our staple is not letting in goals. That’s why we were so disappointed with our performance the other day.”
Iona’s defense bent but did not break in a huge, 2-0 win over Archbishop Molloy in CHSAA Class AA intersectional boys soccer Tuesday at Alley Pond Park in Glen Oaks. It was a battle of the last three city champions – Iona won last year, Molloy the two previous – and the Gaels held off a late Stanners barrage to escape Queens with a victory.
“Every time we come to Alley Pond, if we leave with a point we’re happy,” Monteagudo said. “To leave with three is tremendous.”
It took some superb defensive plays to make it stick. Molloy (3-2-2) dominated almost the entire second half, getting chance after chance denied by either the Boston College-bound Kapp or a heads-up defender. Defensive midfielder Quinn Hefferon blocked a potential goal in the 63rd minute and cleared another in the 68th. After a corner kick by Molloy’s Angelo Luongo, Kapp fell down in a collision and Felix Abongo was able to clear another potential tally in the 73rd minute.
“You come into a game so comfortable knowing you have that back four and the best keeper in the league behind them,” Ceja said.
Ceja’s goal in the 41st minute gave Iona (5-0-2) the lead and his second strike in the 80th minute put the Gaels up 2-0. In between, it was really all Molloy with Nick Matusewicz, Guisuppe Barone, Zach Zayas and Gabe Maurello all putting the pressure on. The Stanners were coming off a disheartening loss to Archbishop Stepinac, the first time they’ve lost to the Crusaders in at least a decade.
“We actually played better today than we played the other day,” Molloy coach Andy Kostel said. “But it was the same thing. We’re not finishing.”
Ceja rarely has that problem and if the defense keeps playing like it did Tuesday, Iona could end up being the favorite to repeat. A massive game awaits Friday when St. Francis Prep travels to New Rochelle.
“I really am looking forward to that,” Hefferon said. “I know they’re a great team. They always bring a great class of soccer to our field when we play them. I guess you can say I’m really anxious to play them. I doubt I’ll sleep much the next few nights.”
Monteagudo will sleep a little better after the clean sheet against one of the league’s premier programs – on the road, no less.
“We got back to what we like to do,” the coach said. “We let up three goals against Christ the King the other day. They’re a great team, but with Kapp in net and the defense how it normally is, that wasn’t normal for us.”