Harrison’s boys didn’t just start believing in their ability to make a deep run this year—that’s a drum they’ve been pounding since the summer. 

On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Huskies reached the mountain-top of the local soccer landscape, deftly handling Mahopac in the Class AA championship game and winning the Section 1 title in the process. In that way, Saturday’s triumph seemed almost like an inevitability.

The top-seeded Huskies came into the Saturday showdown riding eight straight wins and it didn’t take long for them to prove why that was the case, notching two goals in the first half and another in the third before the Pac were able to find the net for their first—and only—score of the game, coming away with a 3-1 win in the process. 

Henrik Boman drew first blood, scoring  just nine minutes into regulation, and Ellis Boyle made it 2-0 in the final minute of the first half, before Mylo Langlais added one of his own for good measure 10 minutes after the break. 

Huskies’ keeper Ryan Sottile said that it’s no surprise to him that this Harrison team was the first since 2008 to contend for a section crown and even less of a surprise that this Huskies’ group took that title home. 

I’ve been on the team all four years and this is definitely the best team we’ve had,” he said. “It all started with the Lakeland Summer league, winning that, and then going to the regular season; we knew how far this team could go.”

Harrison head coach Alejandro Galeano said that over the last seven years, he’s been focused not only on turning the Huskies into contenders, but also rebuild the program from the ground-up off the field as well. 

“The goal was to change the culture and make Harrison a soccer school, and I think we’ve been able to accomplish that, especially with this group,” said Galeano. “This group has been playing together since they were seven, eight years old, we came together four years ago and now you look at where all the hard work they’ve put in has gotten us.”

Sottile concurred with Galeano’s take, noting that the feedback he heard from past Huskies was a huge motivator coming into Saturday’s championship tilt.

“This a really big deal, because my first two years on varsity, I got to play with my brother and we weren’t able to win it; this is our first finals since 2008,” he said. “But having those kids who graduated reach out to text us good luck and motivate us for this game today, that was awesome, so it’s all really for them.” 

Harrison will be back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 5, after press time, when they take on the Section 9 champion at New Hyde Park High School.

“There’s definitely going to be a few days of stretching, then it’s time to get back to work and get where we need to be,” said Sottile.  “I think we’re ready for whatever comes next.”