BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
Mineola's Nuno Rodrigues played so much soccer over the summer that coach Paul Pereira thought he needed some time to rest. Rodrigues was held out of Mineola's first three games this season, including a, 1-0, Conference ABC-I loss to Garden City on Sept. 11.
But so far it looks like the move is paying off as Rodrigues look pretty refreshed Wednesday.
Rodrigues, who possess an extremely accurate shot, had a hand in all four of Mineola's goals.
He scored three times in a 4-2 win over Roslyn. His third goal, and fourth of the season, came on a penalty kick to give Mineola a 4-1 lead with 12 minutes left.
The senior also sent a perfectly placed 35-yard through ball to Marco Oliveira, who chipped it over the goalie to give Mineola (3-2-0, 2-1-0) a 2-0 lead in the 22nd minute.
The All-Long Island and All-Region selection had 15 goals and five assists last season and looks like he is on his way to another stellar year.
Next up for Mineola is Jericho on Friday. Conference ABC-I has been extremely competitive so far. Mineola, Jericho, Cold Spring Harbor and Garden City all have two league wins. No team will be running away with this one.