Hasting’s Jackson Silverstein (11) works the ball past Blind Brook’s Jonah Gklick (25) during a boys varsity soccer game at Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook on Tuesday, October 11, 2016.
RYE BROOK – They’ve only been together for a month and a half, but the chemistry is already quite obvious between Hastings seniors Jackson Silverstein and Oscar Pereira.
Silverstein was a key member of last year’s team, which went to the Class B state final four for the first time in program history. Watching nearby was Pereira, who had been in the U.S. Academy system before committing to West Point and joining the high school ranks for his final year.
Now they’re teammates, and they connected less than 10 minutes in during a resounding 3-0 win over Blind Brook on Tuesday.
“Oscar looked up at me because he likes to send those long balls,” Silverstein said. “He goes back and forth — he can switch between striker and center back — and he just gave me that look. It went through the gap perfectly on the ground, their center back missed the ball and I just slotted it away in the corner.”
Prior to Tuesday, the top-ranked Yellow Jackets had yet to play a Class B team which was also ranked in the top five, which sparked curiosity about how they would fare against the fourth-ranked Trojans.
Hastings emphatically quieted the doubters, winning the possession battle decisively and preventing Blind Brook, which was playing without top-scorer Joao Souza due to a red card in his last game, from getting off a single shot on goal in the second half.
The crisp passing from the Yellow Jackets was especially impressive, as they continue to benefit from an influx of players that have returned from the U.S. Academy system. Pereira leads the team with 11 goals and eight assists, while sophomores Reid Koken, Diego Rodriguez and Sasha Fuller have also made an impact.
“It’s nice to be able to play with your friends because my whole life, I’ve just been playing Academy,” Pereira said. “A lot of Academy kids came out to play this year, which has created more of an Academy-level of passing. The kids, especially on the back line, we’re all experienced. Everyone knows where they need to be and when.”
Player of the game: Jackson Silverstein, Hastings — The speedy senior pushed the pace all afternoon, scoring the first goal on an assist from Pereira and assisting on the third and final goal from Koken. He now has eight goals on the season.
Turning point: Even though Hastings only led by one goal at halftime, it never really allowed the Trojans to have any quality chances. Once Willem Bos made it 2-0 with screaming shot in the 61st minute, it was clear that the result was in hand.
Stat line: Hastings (11-1-1) — Silverstein had a goal and an assist, Bos and Koken each scored and Pereira added an assist. Daymon Theodule made two saves and the Yellow Jackets took 17 shots. Blind Brook (7-4-1) — Jordan Schoen made eight saves and the Trojans took five shots.
Quotable: “Coming into this game, we knew they were probably going to be the best team we’ve played so far, so we were looking forward to it,” said Silverstein, who noted that Hastings has big games coming against Yorktown and Bronxville. “We just want to see how we’re going to do against some of the better teams. It helps because you don’t want to go coasting into your first sectional game. You want to have some momentum going and know that you’re playing at a high level.”
Twitter: @vzmercogliano
Hasting’s Jackson Silverstein (11) works for possession against Blind Brook’s Alex Feuerstein (11) during a boys varsity soccer game at Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook on Tuesday, October 11, 2016. Hastings won 3-0.
Hasting’s Jackson Silverstein (11) works for possession against Blind Brook’s Alex Feuerstein (11) during a boys varsity soccer game at Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook on Tuesday, October 11, 2016. Hastings won 3-0.
Blind Brook’s Spencer Berman (3) and Hasting’s Oscar Pereira (9) go after a header during a boys varsity soccer game at Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook on Tuesday, October 11, 2016.