The past two boys’ soccer seasons at Floral Park Memorial have been filled with many highlights, including the school’s first Nassau County championship in history. So the 7-0 loss that the team experienced on Friday, September 8 was quite a shock, to say the least.

Even though the game against Lawrence seemed like a struggle, and a difficult loss, it had a positive impact on the players who worked even harder following the defeat. They refused to allow any negative energy to enter the team in preparing for their game against Valley Stream North. The Knights responded well with a 4-2 victory as senior Brian Hamerman scored two goals and Richie Ventura secured the victory with a goal off an assist from Timothy Cleere. Shomari Samuel scored the final goal. It was a great game for Floral Park, showing how the team can easily bounce back from adversity with better communication on the field. This is a talented group of players who just needed to correct a few errors to see better outcomes. The Knights were far more determined and focused against Valley Stream North. In the following game against Plainedge, Cesar Vasconez did his best to keep the Knights in the game with seven saves, but Floral Park failed to score, falling to Plainedge 1-0. The Knights got back in the win column two days later with a convincing 3-0 victory vs. Lynbrook.

When the Knights are playing their best, there is no hesitation in their actions, controlling the ball and showing great instincts. The team is still adjusting to the loss of many talented graduates from last year, but the chemistry is developing. With a mixture of underclassmen and seniors, the team hopes to win enough games to earn yet another playoff berth. It should be a very interesting and exciting season, and Floral Park is definitely up for the challenge.