Glenn boys soccer rallies in second half to win program's first LI Class A title since 1990
Glenn’s Anderson Hinke and Cooper Kassan celebrate a goal against Floral Park in the Long Island Class A boys soccer championship game at Harborfields High School on Wednesday. Credit: Kathy M Helgeson
Trailing at halftime is a place no soccer team ever wants to be, especially in a title game.
Who would?
But Glenn boys soccer has been in this position before, as recently as last Sunday against Shoreham-Wading River in the Suffolk Class A championship game. It’s not new to this team, and neither is senior Cooper Kassan scoring clutch goals when his team needs him most.
Kassan, off a grounded cross from junior Jesse Columbo, tied the game for Glenn. Then with seven minutes left in the second half, a throw-in from senior Peter Bell hit the shoulder of Columbo and bounced in to give Glenn its first Long Island Class A title since 1990 in a 2-1 win over defending state champion Floral Park Wednesday night at Harborfields High School.
Glenn will travel to Yorktown High School at 11 a.m. Saturday to play Rye (Section I) in the state quarterfinal round.
It’s the fourth straight win, all elimination games, where Glenn (18-2) had won 2-1 after trailing. For coach Lou Hanner, who took over in 1998 after playing for Glenn himself, it was a win long in the making.
“That was always my vision to come here and try to bring them back,” Hanner said. “It took a long time — we got real close a lot — but it just feels really good. I’m so happy for the kids, our program, our community, our school and all the guys who played for me who are here tonight.”
Kassan took shot after shot — ending with five on target — before he added his Long Island-leading 31st goal. Kassan’s equalizing goal came with inside 22 minutes remaining in the second half.
“I knew, the second the ball hit the back of the net, we were winning that game,” Kassan said.
Floral Park (15-2-3) scored after senior Samuel Ammirati’s boot connected with the ball inside the 18-yard box. A tackle from a Glenn defender led the ball to end up in front of sophomore Liam Quinn, who had subbed no more than 15 seconds prior and slipped a shot into the bottom left corner midway through the first half.
Bell, alongside junior Ethan Alkelai, played a terrific second half as Floral Park failed to put a shot on frame across the final 40 minutes. The game was a rematch from a year ago, which Bell said added extra incentive to win for last season’s seniors.
“We actually had our seniors texting us before the game, telling us, ‘Good luck, do it for us,’ ” Bell said.
It’s fitting that Glenn’s triumph happened at Harborfields, less than two miles from its home field. With bleachers packed with fans, the moment was perfect for a team that refused to quit when down all season long.
“Even when we’re down, we come back and fight for it,” Bell said. “That’s what makes our team great, we really stay together and fight for the win.”
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
