By Dylan Butler
Maybe it was facing an opponent he knew little about, or playing in front of a large crowd, including several Division I coaches.
But whatever the case, Bayside senior midfielder David Salazar proved he was ready to play in the Commodores dominating 4-0 win over Canarsie in the first annual PSAL Boys’ Soccer Classic at Newtown Athletic Field Monday.
“Even though we don’t know them, we had to show our game on the field,” said Salazar, who scored a pair of goals in Bayside’s four-goal first half. “We had to show who’s the best team inside, not by talking.”
What made the win even more impressive was that Bayside (1-4-2) did so without starting midfielder Gerald Prophete, who was ruled ineligible after “a clerical mistake,” had the senior available to play at the start of the season, according to Bayside coach Joe Corrado. As a result, the Commodores were forced by the PSAL to forfeit the five games in which Prophete appeared in the lineup.
“I’m the one who brought it to [the PSAL’s] attention,” Corrado said. “It’s a hard lesson for the kids to learn. We went from second to sixth [in the Queens A East standings] in a day, and they don’t understand…I’ve worked so hard to make sure we do things right. I want to make sure that we’re not dirty, that we’re not cheaters.”
While they may be without Prophete, the Commodores still have Salazar and senior defender Jason Knese, and that combination proved to be too much for Canarsie (7-1-1) to handle.
Salazar headed Knese’s free kick in the net from 10 yards out in the 10th minute to put the Commodores in front, 1-0. Bayside, which dominated possession throughout, added another in the 26th minute when Stelios Andreou scored off a rebound of a Jonathan Levy shot.
A minute later Alexander Devliotis scored on a rebound from five yards out at the near post and Salazar capped the scoring in the 35th minute, sending home another Knese cross for his team-leading ninth goal of the year.
“I’m really happy with the job the team did. We came out here and told each other we were going to run them to the ground,” Knese said. “It was great to see what the best teams in the city look like and see how much we compare to them.”
Meanwhile, Knese anchored a Bayside defense that didn’t allow a shot or a corner kick against a Canarsie team comprised mostly of Caribbean-born players.
“Jason is the spine of our team,” Corrado said of Knese, who is considering Army among several Division I schools. “I played defense and I know how important the center back is and he’s been a phenomenal player in every aspect.”
Canarsie was a last-minute replacement for Wingate, last year’s city finalist. The PSAL dropped the Generals out of Monday’s game after it was ruled that Wingate played its opening five games with four ineligible players. Wingate, which was 5-0, was forced to forfeit all five games.
“They played extremely well as a team, their short passes were clicking and ours weren’t,” said Canarsie coach Bobby Nappo. “We looked at this game as a playoff game and I’m not happy.”
Newcomers 1, Monroe 1. Elvir Prasovic anticipated a tough season. After all, the entire Newcomers defense players are, well, newcomers, and the team — a PSAL quarterfinalist last year — is young throughout.
Monday’s opening game at the PSAL Boys’ Classic was no different than any other game this year for Prasovic, a 6-foot-1 senior keeper who has garnered looks from Division I coaches. He was tested early and often, and single-handedly kept the Lions in the match.
“He’s a great leader, he takes it upon himself to hold team meetings,” Newcomers coach Louis Llull said of Prasovic, quietly one of the city’s top keepers. “He’s really worked on his game.”
Monroe (6-1-1) finally managed to put the ball past Prasovic in the 51st minute when Carlos Serrano scored from 15 yards out from Sanel Klincevic’s cross. But Newcomers (1-3-2) answered back five minutes later when Dariusz Stankiewicz’s 25-yard lob landed in the upper left corner of the net.
“Of course I feel pressure, I know I’m going to face a lot of shots,” said Prasovic, who averages more than 10 saves a game. “It’s a totally new defense and I know I have to play 100 percent for us to win.”
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by email at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
