The Mahopac boys soccer team is one step closer to making school history after riding two five-goal outbursts into the Section 1 Class AA semifinals, first topping Yorktown 5-2 on Oct. 23 and — as if allowing two goals was an insult — smothering Clarkstown North 5-0 in the quarterfinal on Monday.
In the quarterfinal, the two-time reigning league champion and top-seeded Wolf Pac (14-1-2) survived a tense first half, dominating play without finding a breakthrough. Clarkstown North packed its defense deep and spent most of the match operating in its own end, determined to limit Mahopac's opportunities in transition.
But after a scoreless first half, Mahopac came out flying in the second and the Wolf Pac captains eventually unlocked Clarkstown's D. Once they did, the goals came fast and often.
First, junior captain Nick Portanova threaded a pass to senior captain Jack Rothmann, who finished for a 1-0 lead at the 32:23 mark.
Then, just five minutes later, Mahopac doubled its advantage when unheralded but super-steady senior forward Chris Flanagan found the back of the net. Once again, Portanova's relentless pressure and persistence helped create the scoring opportunity.
Then it was Hawi Odongo's turn, followed by Rothmann's second.
Senior Justin Beberman iced it at 5-0 with an assist from junior Will Garcia.
Mahopac now advances to the sectional semis for the second year in a row—a first for a program still hunting for its inaugural sectional title. In winning its second straight league title, the 2026 Wolf Pac has already made history.
Next up is No. 4 Fox Lane, which eliminated No. 5 Harrison, the reigning sectional champions and state semifinalists, in overtime. The Foxes, whom Mahopac tied 3-3 earlier this season, will pose a staunch semifinal challenge Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 5 p.m.
Mahopac fought hard but fell short in 2025. But if the Wolf Pac does manage to finish the job this year, no one can say it took the easy road to the promised land.
“We were placed on the harder side of the bracket and against a good Yorktown team in the opening round, but we were able to just keep on working hard to get it done,” Mahopac senior captain Michael Oteng said after the first-round win. “There were moments during the game where we did slow down, but after halftime we calmed down, talked it out and were able to play a physical brand and move the ball. Having the fans there as well really hyped up the boys. Me, Cori (Aliberti) and Hawi (Odongo) were really able to make key stops to stop some Yorktown counters, and Jack (Rothmann), (Nick) Portanova and Manny (Mejia) helped create chances to finish the game.
“The boys have really been working together and we all have a set goal and it’s to win the section finals and continue playing together,” he added.
If Mahopac started a bit slowly in the playoff opener against Yorktown — which failed to capitalize on two chances to grab an early lead — the Pac, ranked No. 6 in the state, soon found its footing to seize control over the No. 16 Huskers.
Wolf Pac sophomore Manny Mejia found senior captain Jack Rothmann for a 1-0 lead at 34:52. Both sides were up for a back-and-forth affair until Mahopac senior Chris Flanagan deposited a rebound off a rip from Rothmann for a 2-0 lead at 14:43.
Yorktown responded at 10:09, cutting the deficit in half when Andrew Cusack crossed a feed to freshman Travis Walsh, who promptly headed one past Mahopac junior goalkeeper Connor Sterbens.
It stayed that way until the intermission when Mahopac came out guns blazing to open the second half.
Junior defender Evan Paris-Devane set up junior midfielder Ramsey Canafe for a 3-1 lead at 31:35. Before anyone could catch their breath, Mejia finished another long ball from Paris-Devane at 30:27 to make it 4-1.
Yorktown made it 4-2 when the Huskers scored on a rebound after Sterbens initially saved a penalty kick, only to see Mejia net another from senior forward Justin Beberman with 3:56 remaining for the final margin.
As he has all season, Mahopac junior Nick Portanova (15G, 10A this season) did a solid job of controlling the midfield.
"It was a tough game but we rose to the occasion," Portanova said. "Connor (Sterbens) made a lot of good saves. Our attack was very good and we kept their defense always under pressure. The back line was also just challenging every ball and not letting them get anything going."
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