Having elite talent on any roster can change a team’s trajectory for the better, but having two top-five players in Nassau County might win that team a county title.
Calhoun High School soccer senior forwards Jacob Bachrach and Lucas Nangle are both top four in points and goals, carrying their team to a 12-0-1 record and the best record in conference AA1. In addition to the undefeated season, they’ve scored the most team goals in Nassau with 58, eight more than the next team.
For Bachrach and Nangle, they haven’t had a deep run in the postseason, with their last three seasons ending after the first round.
“Almost everyone on the team knows how terrible that feels and we just can’t have that happen,” Bachrach said. “We want to go far, we know we’re one of the best teams in the county. We have to not beat ourselves.”
Bachrach and Nangle are both team-oriented players. They have a selfless mentality when it comes to games, making sure they do whatever it takes to win.
“Last year, I had a decent amount of stats, too, but this year I’ve been really focusing on working as a team,” Bachrach said. “Lucas and I, especially, build off each other a lot. A lot of our goals and assists are to each other and we have that connection where we can always make that extra pass to each other. We’ve been racking up a lot of goals that way.”
For two players who have fallen in love with this sport at a young age, they are going out with a bang in their swan song as high school athletes. Bachrach and Nangle are tied for third in Nassau in goals with 13. Bachrach is second in Nassau in assists with 13 and second in points with 39.
Nangle, the Robin to Bachrach’s Batman, ranks tied for seventh in assists and fourth in points.
“Jacob, he’s blazing fast,” Nangle said. “When he’s on the wing, I know he’s going to beat his defender. I know he’s gonna put the ball in the box and have the movement to be where I need him to be. It’s been working really well for us.”
“I think Lucas’ best skill is off-ball movement; he always gets there in the right spots,” Bachrach said. “So if I’m driving down the wing, I know he’s always going to be there in the box and I can always get it [the ball] to him and rely on him.”
As a coach, having two players with this type of scoring ability can positively affect their ability to coach.
“Nangle has a knack for finding the ball in the net,” Calhoun head coach Chris Vogel said. “That’s something that’s really hard to teach. He knows how to find the ball at the right moment near the net and Jacob knows how to get it there, so together they just kind of match up really well.”
Bachrach has been a part of the varsity team for three seasons, while Nangle first arrived last season as a junior. Nangle didn’t start right away a season ago, but he used that as motivation, which has now turned into dominance.
“Not starting last year really motivated me to get it going this year and put in the work over the summer to do the best I can,” Nangle said.
There’s no rule against being a good teammate or being a leader if you aren’t named a team captain. For Bachrach and Nangle, they don’t have the “team captain” role but that hasn’t stopped them from helping out the underclassmen and pushing the rest of their teammates.
“Overall, being loud,” Bachrach said. “On or off the field, on the bus, getting hyped after a win. We’re a good team. We have to keep going strong and coaching each other.”
“If someone makes a bad play, pick it up as our coach says, ‘kippit,’” Nangle said. “It’s another way of saying, ‘[get the] next one.”
From the first time Vogel saw these two when they were just eighth graders, he knew he had playmakers on his hands. Even though they’re successful student-athletes, they know how to have fun while dominating.
“I think the way they balance hard work and good times is very impressive,” Vogel said. “I think anyone who got to hang out with them would understand that they’re fun guys, good people, but as much as they smile and joke around with things, they know how to turn it on when they need it. It’s been a pleasure to coach them.”
