HSMSE Boys' Soccer wins division to earn playoff spot

HSMSE Boys' Soccer Team / N. Diunte

The 2015 season was a tremendous success for the HSMSE boys’ soccer team. They played to a record of 11-2-1, and reached the postseason for the first time since 2012.

The Dragons won the Manhattan B II Division, and played into the second round of the PSAL playoffs. Coach Nicholas Diunte attributes the improvement to young players who were prepared for the competition.

“The younger players matured in a shorter amount of time,” Diunte said. “Having a year behind of playing together helped. We [also] had some freshmen who were ready to step right in.”

Throughout the entire season, the team focused on the concept that all players needed to have an impact on the game. With everyone working towards the same goal, success was easier to attain.

“[By] getting everyone to contribute, and getting everyone on the same page on what we wanted to do offensively and defensively, we got the most out of what we could do with that concept all season,” Diunte said. 

Looking forward to 2016, HSMSE will be without four seniors: goalkeeper Alexei Ohotin, defender Matthew Levine, forward Onyekachi Akalonu, and defender Nick Winokur. While the team will have to adjust to the loss of these players, their coach feels that they have the personnel to fill the void of the departing seniors.

“I think that there are younger players who are ready to step in and fill their roles,” Diunte said. “The players who are sophomores and juniors are going to be juniors and seniors; the hope is that they will improve and mature, and we see who walks in the door as freshmen.”

While all the success has certainly been welcomed, the team wants to stay on track with their goals. Although duplicating their playoff run may not be easy, Diunte has faith in his players.

“We would like to [do the] same or better than what we did,” Diunte said. “I think the kids are up to the challenge and they see what they have to do to be prepared.”

Why the HSMSE boys varsity soccer team fell short of the playoffs

HSMSE Boys' Soccer Team / Mateo Galeano

The High School for Math, Science, and Engineering boys’ varsity soccer team put up a great fight during the 2013 season, just missing the playoffs. Although the team faced many challenges, they had a successful season. A major hardship for the team was finding players to fill in for the seniors who graduated.

“We’ve lost a lot of spots like Raven [Roberson] and Harry [Cummins] and Jeremy [Hirschberg],” senior Kofi Kordie said.

Having to fill the positions of six starters, the team had to recover quickly for the season. The teams’ collaboration improved from last year, using more teamwork than in past years.

“I think as a team, they shared the ball a lot better,” said coach Nicholas Diunte.

 Replacing players was not the only struggle for the team, they were bit by the injury bug.

“We had a lot of difficulty replacing players that were injured throughout the season,” Diunte said.

Another challenge this season was having players at new positions. Many of the boys played in positions that they had never played before. Much of the defense was rearranged due to graduation. Kordie went from playing an offensive position to a defensive position. Sophomore, Alexei Ohotin, not having much previous experience in goal, pursued a new position as goalie.

"If the team needs me in goal because the loss of seniors, I’m happy to play that,” Ohotin said.

The team has also taken into consideration what is necessary to reach the playoffs next year. This season was a learning experience that will help strengthen the team for next years’ season.

“It’s better to lose trying than to lose giving up,” junior co-captain Steven Limeta said.

Written by: Asimina Hamakiotes & Harry Smith

Kenneth Hungria valuabe setter for the HSMSE volleyball team

HSMSE Volleyball

Kenneth Hungria, setter for the HSMSE volleyball team, played an exceptional game against the Bronx Science "B" volleyball team. Hungria set the ball at least 30 times during the game with seven assists and only a few errors.

Hungria was the setter that was on the court longest of all the setters of the team, but he did switch out with the others regularly during the game. He said, “This is a way for us to optimize play. I don’t play front row, because I’m small.” Coach Diunte explained the reason for Hungria being substituted for a taller front row player. "Using two setters allows our team to bring in an extra blocker to compensate for our loss of height."

Hungria also contributed the team by making 11 out of 12 serves. One of those serves even scored an ace for the team. “I serve the ball in a curve. I don’t think they expected that,” he said about his serve.

One of the few errors that Hungria made, was on a ball that was spiked just above his head. He managed to jump backwards and dig the ball, but he wasn’t able to pass it to another player. “The ball just came to fast for me. My reaction let me hit the ball, but I wasn’t able to make it a pass,” he said.