Bonac boys and girls varsity soccer burst out of the gate this week with strong performances in their opening games. The boys beat Babylon 6-1 in their road opener on Sept. 1, thanks to six goals from five of their seniors, and the girls won their home opener against Stony Brook on Sept. 2, by a final score of 3-1, thanks to incredible performances from the “Amys” — Torres on offense and Salto in goal.
In the boys’ game, Esteban Diaz, a midfielder, scored two goals and added an assist. William Chillogalli, a midfielder; Colton Everett, a forward; Simon Londono, a defenseman; and Liam Wilson, a forward, contributed a goal apiece.
The team followed up with another win just two days later, shutting out Harborfields 3-0 in a buggy, muggy home opener at the high school, with goals from James Barrera, a junior defenseman, Chris Bautista, a junior forward, and Everett.
“Chris just had a great, great shot,” Don McGovern, the head coach, said of the goals. “Colton was all heart, just running through on that last one. And James did a good job — really composed — took that ball down to the top of the box and hit a laser. It was great.”
While Diaz didn’t score in this game, he made his presence known by creating opportunities for his teammates.
“What he did with the ball and bringing calmness and being dangerous, and allowing us to be dangerous in the attacking third was tremendous,” McGovern said.
Bonac was in control the entire game, getting out to a 2-0 lead in the first half. Coach McGovern called it a great team effort all around, praising his players for working their tails off in the heat.
“They played with a lot of passion, a lot of heart. They were determined, and they did a good job playing as an offensive unit. They created a lot of chances. We scored three. We could’ve scored a couple more, but that’s the way the game goes,” he said. “I think we were solid in the back. Brandon Encalada, who was our goalkeeper today, did an excellent job. Jake Daniels and Simon Londono and our backs were solid.”
Walking off the field, McGovern said he would need to review the game-day tape to identify areas for improvement, but he would like his players to focus on transitions as the season progresses.
“If I had to say one thing, I think we have to attack with half a mind on defense. That’s a philosophy we try to sell them on,” he said. “So, we’re attacking, but if we lose and we’re getting caught on the counter, then we’re putting additional pressure on our four backs and our keeper. We’ll continue to work on that and that transition.”
The boys’ next home game is against Kings Park on Monday at 4:30 p.m. at the high school.
Girls Soccer
Coming off an undefeated season in the developmental league last year, Bonac girls soccer has not lost a game since the 2024-25 school year.
Cara Nelson, the head coach, said she’s “very, very proud of them. . . . We’ve put in a lot of hard work over the last couple of years. We have a team that we’ve been building around, really for
the last three years. Now, a lot of those players are juniors and seniors, and we’re looking to continue the momentum from last year, build on everything that we learned, and hopefully have a very successful season.”
Amy Torres was responsible for all of Bonac’s goals, scoring her first with 3:14 left in the first half and her second just 28 seconds later. She put a third goal in the net with 11:40 left in the game to complete the hat trick.
“She is a fantastic player, only a sophomore. She has great vision on the field. She knows where she needs to be. She knows how to make runs on the field,” Nelson said. “She’s got a great counterpart in Elle Reidlinger as a center mid with her, and the two of them work really well with each other, playing through balls and combination plays. Torres is composed when she gets the ball. She knows how to get past the defenders and then she just picks those corners and I’m hoping she continues to do that throughout the year.”
Amy Salto, a junior, was terrific in goal, keeping Stony Brook scoreless for more than 70 minutes of play.
“Last year she was a backup keeper, who by the end of the season took over as the starting keeper. Now she’s making a name for herself, starting out this season ready to be the full-time keeper,” said Coach Nelson. “She came out and made a beautiful save today to keep the game 3-1 and preserve the win for us. She’s going to gain more confidence. She’s going to get stronger. We’re starting to hear her voice a lot more, and we’re looking for big things from her.”
The girls improved their record to 2-0 with a 5-1 win over Port Jefferson at the Stephen Hand’s Path turf field last Thursday, extending their unbeaten streak.
They host Bayport-Blue Point at the high school today at 4:30 p.m.
