Ryan Andreone's OT goal gives Lindenhurst its first Suffolk boys soccer title
Lindenhurst celebrates its victory in the Suffolk Class AAA boys soccer championship against Commack on Sunday at Patchogue-Medford. Credit: Connor Lawless
Lindenhurst boys soccer coach Joe Riemma wiped away tears as he moved from embrace to embrace. Daniel Ramos knelt and buried his head in his shirt. Anthony Rodriguez ran screaming toward the crowd, his arms stretched wide.
And there was senior Ryan Andreone, shirtless and roaring, after scoring a goal no Lindenhurst player had ever scored before.
With less than 30 seconds left in the first overtime period, he had received a pass from Max Lombardo. He took a touch with his right foot, poked the ball forward and ripped a shot from 40 yards out.
“Honestly, I was exhausted,” Andreone said after giving fifth-seeded Lindenhurst a 2-1 overtime victory over No. 2 Commack, the defending state champion, in the Suffolk Class AAA final on Sunday at Patchogue-Medford High School.
“I really didn’t want to go another 15 [minutes], and I was scared to go into [penalty kicks],’’ Andreone said. “I just had to take that risk.”
Seconds after the ball floated into the right corner of the net, Andreone lifted his arms in the air and fell to his knees. He said he felt as if a weight had left his shoulders. He disappeared in a dogpile of white jerseys as his brother Thomas ran by, leading the charge toward the stands.
Enjoy it, Lindenhurst. It’s your time.
It’s the first county title in program history for the Bulldogs (13-6), who had five losses in their first seven games.
Lindenhurst will play Farmingdale on Wednesday at Patchogue-Medford in the Long Island Class AAA championship/state subregional.
“We dreamed of this since we were little kids,” Andreone said. “We’ve all grown up together, and to win it with this group of boys, it’s like a fairy tale, honestly.”
Riemma stood in disbelief as he rattled off members of the 1986 Lindenhurst team, which lost in the county final but showed up Sunday to support the current team.
“This is for all those guys who played in that game,” Riemma said. “This is avenging 40 years’ worth of misery.”
The Bulldogs took the lead in the 33rd minute when Gianni Lombardo assisted his twin, Max, for the opening goal.
“We’ve been working on this all year,” Gianni Lombardo said. “Me, Ryan, Max, since freshman year with no playoff run every time. This is the year we made it all the way, and it’s special to do it with my friends and my brother.”
Commack (15-2-2) tied the score in the 63rd minute after Chris Morici took the ball from Lindenhurst goalkeeper Daniel Zylowski, who suffered a knee injury moments earlier and thought there had been a whistle. Dylan Prisco entered and finished the game, making two saves.
Ryan Curcio led a Cougars offense that challenged a resilient Lindenhurst defense, led by center back Dylan Vetack.
“Ryan’s just a team-first guy,” Commack coach Dave Moran said. “Little stature, giant heart, and you can’t teach that.”
As green confetti shot onto the field from an overjoyed Lindenhurst fan base, it felt as if this was exactly how the team could’ve dreamed of this moment.
But when the Bulldogs woke up Monday, those dreams will have become reality — with at least one more chapter left to write in this storybook season.
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.
