Before Stefano Linardos was the left winger for the Locust Valley varsity boys’ soccer team, he was the little boy who watched his two older brothers play for head coach Joe Lee.
Ever since Linardos was about three years old, his brothers and his father put a ball between his feet.
“I coached his two older brothers probably 10 years earlier,” Lee said. “I met him as that little kid on the sideline juggling the ball nonstop. I’ve known him and seen him a long time, so it wasn’t a surprise.”
“My brothers have been playing their whole lives and they passed it on to me,” Linardos said. “They’ve always been a big motivation for me. They’ve helped me through every part of my journey as a player and as a person.”
Fast forward about 15 years into the future to the present day. Linardos is second in Nassau in points with 45, tied for second in goals with 18 and sixth in assists with nine. He’s coming off a season in which he won All-County honors as a junior, but before this season, he set the bar as high as he could for not only himself but also for his team.
“I wanted to put the team first and win the county championship,” Linardos said. “I want to win the Long Island Championship, but I wanted to be All-Conference player of the Year, an All-State player, and possibly an All-America.”
With those personal goals just over the horizon for the senior, those team goals are just as realistic with the team set up as the No. 1 seed in the Nassau boys soccer Class A playoffs with a 9-0-1 league record, 9-0-2 overall. To make a run, Nassau will have to go through Locust Valley.
“Starting the season off, we always want to be the best and put ourselves in the best position to succeed in the playoffs, but it really is just the first step in our journey,” Linardos said. “We’re never satisfied until the job is fully finished. We still have a lot to do.”
As a team, Locust Valley finished with 47 goals, tying for fifth in the county. In the team’s 10 league games, they surrendered just 10 goals. Linardos was responsible for just over 57% of the team’s goals with his combined 27 goals and assists.
“Soccer is one of those sports where ties are a part of the culture of the game,” Lee said. “It is very hard to score. So, for us to have reached those heights with our record, the scoring is what puts you over. We have a strong team. We have a strong defense. We have a strong goaltender. Stef’s ability to score and set up other people has probably been the biggest difference. [He makes] the next guy better. Even our second guy [Lucas Mejia] is one of the top goal scorers. They got great chemistry together.”
Linardos made sure to credit his teammates for the team’s success.
“Our midfield has been so strong this year, and I feel like they’ve also done such a good job at doing the dirty work that people don’t really hear about,” Linardos said. “Luke [Ricigliano] is probably the shortest starter in the conference, but you don’t even realize it when he’s out there because he puts in so much of a fight that his height goes unnoticed and he’s a really strong kid and a strong player.”
“We have a sophomore who has been starting since last year, his name is Liam Herbig,” Linardos said. “He’s such an animal, and he’s such a smart defender. There’s a reason why we’ve conceded only 10 goals all season, because he’s a workhorse and knows when to put in the tackle and step in. He’s such a leader on the back line, and it really helps our team out.”
And for his partner in crime.
“Our other captain, Oscar [Salinas], he’s pretty much my dynamic duo,” Linardos said. “He’s set me up for so many of my goals. This year and last year, he’s been a key factor to our team, and he’s really the main block in the midfield. He’ll do such a good job of getting us forward and then also getting us out of slumps where we just can’t keep the ball.”
Linardos has been a captain for the past two seasons, growing both as a leader by example and through vocal leadership.
“I think finding your voice is a big thing for all the captains, not just being the captain,” Lee said. “For him, this year, different from last year, is finding that voice where he could speak up and everybody respected him. He had earned the respect over the years. He’s coming from a place that is team-first. The maturity of finding your voice in a positive way, but at the same time, when you have to be tough with each other … the kids respected it when they heard it from him. Whereas in the past, he was a leader by example. The way he played was what they followed.”
Even though Linardos’ high school soccer career is entering the final minutes of extra time, he’s built friendships that’ll last a lifetime.
“Those kids are my family and it really helps having such a strong bond on and off the field,” Linardos said.
With hopes and aspirations of playing at the collegiate level, Linardos leaves his family’s legacy behind him at Locust Valley, with multiple potential trophies in its award case.
