By Michael Lewis
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – NY Polet took the long route to win its first Sal Rapaglia Cup
championship on Sunday.
That turned out to be a marathon shootout to decide matters at the Verrazzano Sports
Complex.
But for team captain Mauricio Martinez, it didn’t matter.
The Long Island Soccer Football League team outlasted N.Y. Greek American in 10
rounds of penalty kicks in the final, winning 8-7, after playing to a scoreless draw in the
60-minute match.
“Oh, honestly, I’ll take the win,” he said. “A win is a win at the end of the day. Greek
Americans are a very good team. My hats off to them. We fought, we battled just as
they did, and we ended up at a draw, and we ended up winning. May the best team in
penalties win.”
Goalkeeper Daniel Alzate, who shared netminding duties with Ronald Alejos during the
day-long tournament, pulled off the heroics. He saved two attempts before Greek
American’s Oscar Garces rammed his attempt off the crossbar on the final try of the tie-
breaker.
Needless to say, NY Polet players were exuberant over the triumph.
“It’s a great achievement,” Alzate said. “This is the first time Polet has won it in its
history. Very proud and very happy to have won it with this group of guys. They’re all
great. They’re all amazing. A lot of us grew up together, so, this one’s definitely going
down as one of my most important ones.”
Head coach Michael Leone said that the victory was a “big thing for the Long Island
Soccer Football League. Big thing. We’re playing all these teams that play in these
higher leagues. We didn’t give up a goal in three games. That says it all.”
Leone was spot on.
NY Polet, the reigning Flamhaft Cup champions, blanked the Stamford Lions (Eastern
District Soccer League) and Leros (Manning Cup) in the group stage by 2-0 scores, to
reach the final. N.Y. Greek American (American Premier soccer League) defeated FC
Sandzak (Cosmopolitan Soccer League) 3-1, and then the N.Y. Irish Rovers (LIFSL) by
the same score to book a spot in the championship match.
The teams essentially cancelled each other out in the final, as chances were few and
precious.
“They battled,” Leone said. “It was hot out there. This was our third game. Boys were
tired, but they gave it their all. They finished it. I’m proud of them.”
Added Alzate: “It was a hard-fought battle. Just kind of a standstill. We were in a block
out there as well. Just a lot of transition. But at the end of the day, we got the win, we
got the job done. The lads did a very good job and got to move on to the next.”
Alzate, playing in his first games and tournament with the LISFL team, certainly made a
good impression, along with Alejos, a veteran on the club.
The two goalies split matches on Sunday. Alejos guarded the goal in the first half
against Greek American.
“Ronald, he’s the starting goalkeeper for the team,” Alzate said. “He’s been here for a
long time, and he did a very good job as well. He made a great save off the header [in
the first half] that kept us in the game.”
Then it was Alzate’s turn in the second half and beyond.
During the tie-breaker, Alzate dove to his left to deny Greek American’s first and fifth
attempts.
Asked what he saw to make both saves, Alzate replied: “Sometimes the hips can tell
and then as well, you look at the eyes of the opponent. Sometimes they give it away. I
was gracious enough to get two. It was this close to two more. But at the end of the day,
I was glad with the two.”
Alzate also scored a PK in the ninth round because NY Polet was running out of field
players to take kicks.
“They’re like, ‘You want to take one?’ Why not? Why not?” he said.
A couple of minutes later, Jose Alvarenga converted his to the lower left corner against
Greek American keeper Constantine Christodoulou on NY Polet’s final attempt before
Garces hit the woodwork.
Delwin Hernandez, Alan Martinez, Carlos Martinez, Chrystain Hernandez, Brayan
Velasquez and Edgar Velasquez put away their penalty kicks for NY Polet.
The Rapaglia Cup, named after the late Eastern New York State Soccer Association
president, brings together the state association’s various cup winners. The teams are
divided into two groups of three teams each. Because some teams will be forced to play
back-to-back and the two finalists would have to compete in three matches, games
were limited to an hour (two 30-minute halves). Rapaglia passed away last year.
For Polet, the 2026-27 LISFL season kicks off the second weekend in September.
“We won the State Cup. The boys are confident,” Leone said. “You could see that. They
are. They show it on the field. They’re not going to back down from anybody.”
Before tackling the league schedule, NY Polet will compete in a 62-year annual Hnns
men’s soccer tournament in Ottawa, Canada from Sept. 4-6.
Martinez liked where the team is at the moment.
“We’ve been together for about two years, so we’re starting to finally get our grove
going, winning,” he said. “We’re just hungry and ready to keep going, keep winning
more. We want to go for the League Cup, the league, the State Cup again, back-to-
back. Hopefully, we can do it.”
NY Polet certainly has gotten off to a great start in its quest.
