Steven Limeta concludes his high school career with a Mayor’s Cup victory

After four rewarding years playing soccer with the High School for Math, Science, and Engineering Dragons, Steven Limeta finished his high school career with a victory in the prestigious New York City Mayor’s Cup.

Steven Limeta / NYC Mayor's Cup

Playing in the Mayor’s Cup is a huge honor for anyone, especially so for Limeta because he was the first player from HSMSE to participate in the event. The Mayor’s Cup selects the best 20 players in the Public School Athletics League. Since HSMSE is a small school, it is more difficult to be recognized.

Limeta has poured countless hours of training into his craft, playing for both his school’s team and a team outside of school. It is clear that Limeta deserved to represent HSMSE in the Mayor’s Cup, but he was still nervous.

“It felt nerveracking,” Limeta said. “You’re used to having your teammates around. I was really nervous representing our school.”

When Limeta was on the field, he kept a firm grip on his team’s defense. He made sure that everyone knew what was going on and was playing at their best. His key plays kept the score at nil. In one such play, Limeta covered for his teammate, stopped an attacker from breaking to the goal, and cleared the ball from his half of the field.

“If no one was there, they would have scored on us,” Limeta said.

Steven Limeta / Limeta Family

Limeta was a starter on MSE's varsity soccer team for each of his four years at the school. On the team, he played more than just excellent defense. As a centerback, Limeta scored four goals and recorded three assists in his career. Limeta’s defense along with his important role in MSE’s offense will be hard to replace for the upcoming season.

“Steven is gonna be missed as much for his reliable play as for his leadership,” said coach Nick Diunte. “He has a rare combination of both of those qualities that not every high school player has. When he was playing, his teammates knew that his position was locked. He was so fearless when he played, even when it might have been an uneven matchup.”

Despite his intense dedication and college-ready skill, his future with soccer is in doubt. Limeta recently suffered from postinfectious myopathy. He is recovering, but the illness has had a serious impact on his training and ability.

“After high school I'm planning to play college soccer,” Limeta said. “Right now I'm not sure I'm gonna make it because of what happened.”

No matter what ensues, soccer will continue to be an important part of Limeta’s life.

“You know what my first word was? It was not mom, it was not dad, it was goal,” Limeta said.“If I can’t play in college, I’ll just keep playing for fun.”

Coauthor: Junior Flores