I hope every had a chance to see what Bryan Horn, the coach of Byram Hills, wrote about the ending of the Rye-Byram game.

Here it is again for your convenience:

“Rye played a wonderful game against our team today. They played great team defense and Alex Rimmer, as a senior, put the team on her back when she needed to. After the game, the Rye team was as classy as can be by cheering our team as we had our last talk on the field as an active team. I am forever grateful for the class that Rich Savage and his girls displayed this afternoon.”

At Byram Hills on Friday, two teams played with the expected intensity and tenacity that one would expect in a sectional semifinal. The play was high quality, the effort was constant and the desire was relentless. The emotion was there from both teams after the game, not just from Byram Hills players who were trying to come to grips with the end of their season/high school career for seniors.

It was there from Rye too, a team that had the utmost respect for its opponent and was genuinely thrilled to win a game that had been such a battle from the opening whistle to the final one 80 minutes later.

Forget inane cliches like “Who wants it more?” Both teams wanted it…badly, equally. The results of the game had zero to do with Rye “wanting it more” and I’ve yet to figure out how that can even be determined. Rather, Rye won because it executed better than Byram Hills at a few key moments, and that led to two goals and preventing one.

That’s what all these soccer games come down to between even teams that are familiar with each other and can’t really pull any tricks: executing well and being opportunistic.

All games at Arlington High School. To get there take the Taconic North. Get off on Route 55 West. The school is half a mile on the right. If you hit my lovely alma mater, Vassar, you’ve gone too far.

Class AA
No. 6 Scarsdale vs. No. 1 John Jay-East Fishkill, 4:30 p.m.

Class A
No. 5 Harrison vs. No. 7 Keio, 2:30 p.m.

Class B
No. 1 Bronxville vs. No. 3 Rye Neck, 2:30 p.m.

Class C
No. 1 North Salem vs. No. 2 Valhalla, 6:30 p.m..

Sunday, Nov. 2

All games at Yorktown.

Class AA – No. 7 Arlington vs. No. 1 John Jay-East Fishkill, 11 a.m.

Class A – No. 4 Lourdes vs. No. 3 Ry, 1:30 p.m.

Class B – No. 3 Briarcliff vs. No. 1 Nanuet, 4 p.m.

Class C – No. 4 Valhalla vs. No. 2 North Salem, 6 :30 p.m.

I’ll have a preview out tomorrow on the blog.

Class  AA

John Jay-East Fishkill 3, Mamaroneck 0

Arlington 2, North Rockland 1, OT

Class A

Lourdes 2, Somers 0

Rye 2, Bryam Hills 0

Class B

Nanuet 1, Bronxville 0

Briarcliff 2, Albertus Magnus 0

Class C

North Salem 2, Haldane 0

Valhalla 3, Solomon Schechter 3 (Valhalla advances 4-3 on penalty kicks)

More coming later…

What did we learn in the sectional semifinals?

– We learned that although it’s good to be on top, no one is invincible. Three of the four No. 1 seeds will get a chance at a championship. The fourth, Byram Hills, was stunned by Harrison in penalty kicks. Technically Byram Hills’ unbeaten streak against Section 1 is still alive, as this goes into the books as a tie. No one won or lost; Harrison merely “advanced.” Try telling that to the disappointed Bobcats who spent the year building an undefeated record and an aura of perfection. They had to watch Harrison celebrate their demise on their home field. – We learned that Class A was probably the deepest of all the classes. The number of teams in Class A that could rightly call themselves championship contenders was huge. Look at the two vying for it now, a No. 5 and a No. 7 seed. There were the top seeds in Byram, Lourdes, Pearl River, and Rye. Hen Hud made the semifinals. Throw Pelham in the mix too. That’s eight teams. – We learned that being hot can be more important than anything else. One of the mantras of hockey is that a hot goalie can carry a middling team on his back for several playoff series. One player in soccer doesn’t have quite that much influence, but a whole roster can get hot collectively, vaulting itself into championship status. The two prime examples are Scarsdale and Harrison. Both have a lot of talent, and it wouldn’t have been a stretch to call either one a contender before the playoffs. But both have reached that next level because they’re playing out of their minds at the right time. Scarsdale would Read more of this entry »

You know how you usually have to take the state rankings with a grain of salt? Well, the latest rankings should be taken with a whole salt mine.

It’s impossible to get an accurate measure of anyone while the playoffs are going on. As soon as a team gets beat once, their season is over and they look silly on a list of the state’s best. That’s the case for seven of the 10 Section 1 teams listed here. Fishkill, Bronxville, and North Salem are the only ones still standing.

With state playoffs getting closer, the rankings could be useful for getting a sense of who your local team could be playing next if it wins the section. For reference, all four classes face Section 9 in the first round of states.

I’ll have the wrapup first, then come back later today with predictions.

In retrospect, I wish I would have been at Byram Hills. Before the semis I tabbed Byram-Harrison and Scarsdale-New Ro as the two best matchups. We (as in The Journal News) were going to cover both but we’re understaffed this fall and my editor couldn’t free up another reporter. So I gambled that the AA game would be the better one. I was wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, Scarsdale made for a good story with its 3-0 win over New Rochelle. The Raiders completely took New Ro out of its element in a way no team has this season. It’s just that they were too effective. They scored twice in the first 12 minutes and from then on the defense held serve.

Meanwhile things were cooking at Byram Hills. Harrison took an early lead, gave it up in the second half, and eventually took the undefeated state champs to a shootout. The Huskies prevailed there, 4-3, stunning the Bobcats. I can only imagine the scene on the Harrison sideline. What a tense game.

Oh well, no use crying over spilled PKs. It was a pleasure to watch a sterling defensive club in Scarsdale. They disrupted New Ro in a way I didn’t think anyone could. Think about what the Huguenots did this year. They led the section in scoring, both total and per game. They put up at least two goals in EVERY game. Scarsdale actually beat New Ro twice before yesterday, and even in those games the Huguenots put up a pair. They had a bevy of good shooters.

Scarsdale’s D took care of them. The star was junior Daniel Ben-Ami, who covered Arturo Barajas like a glove. It was funny to watch him follow New Ro’s talented scorer like a puppy dog, never letting him get more than 10 feet away. It was clear that the Ben-Ami’s gameplan was to stick him every minute and not worry about the other aspects. Senior Greg Wizeman also did a nice job in the back.

Keeper Daniel Kelly (right) was spectacular when tested. Francesco Sandoval got free at one point and unleashed a low shot that looked like a stone skipping on a pond. How Kelly got a fist on it, laid out on the ground, I’ll never know.

Read more of this entry »

Please post all score updates here.

Hard to believe, but I just watched New Rochelle get shut out. Scarsdale is absolutely rolling, having blanked five straight opponents. As a result, the No. 6 Raiders are back in the sectional finals. They demoralized No. 7 New Ro 3-0 today and will meet either Greeley or Fishkill in the Class AA championship.

UPDATE: 6:59 p.m. The results are coming in fast and furious. The Class C final is set after Valhalla beat Schechter 2-1 and North Salem beat Blind Brook 2-0. Valhalla got down 1-0 four minutes in, then moved a third player up to forward to come back. Paolo Luciano scored both Viking goals. Not much notable about North Salem’s win.

UPDATE: 7:06 p.m. At least one 7-seed is in the finals after Keio beat Hen Hud 4-2. Kazumasa Ikenaga scored twice. This result was expected by most. Keio has a chance to add a Class A title to its collection of Class C titles.

UPDATE: 7:12 p.m. Biggest upset of the day. Biggest upset of the playoffs. Could it be the biggest upset of the season? Byram Hills is out of the Class A playoffs after losing a shootout to Harrison. It came down to the last penalty kick, which Andres Prieto deflected off diving Byram goalie Jesse Stoopler. The shootout score was 4-3. I have no idea whether Stoopler played well in PKs or not, but it’s a fair question to wonder whether the injured Josh Weiner would have made a difference. As for the game itself, Harrison coach Pete Loughran said his teams controlled the midfield through most of regulation and overtime. He singled out Prieto and Ivan Cabrera. The win sets up a familiar matchup between Harrison and Keio, two excellent clubs, in the finals.

UPDATE: 7:21 p.m. Bronxville wins big again, 3-0 over Edgemont. The No. 1 seed in Class B has outscored its two opponents 9-0. Brian Rogers followed his hat trick with two more goals. We’re still waiting on the Rye Neck/Albertus result to know who it’ll meet in the final.

UPDATE: 7:40 p.m. There will be no Class AA finals rematch. Greeley fell to John Jay-East Fishkill 1-0 today despite 15 saves from Greg Waller. Fishkill, still undefeated, will take on Scarsdale and its shutout streak in nearby Arlington. You know the Raiders are disappointed that they won’t get payback.

Can’t predict one of the Class AA semifinals, since it hasn’t been determined. But if it’s Mamaroneck- John Jay-East Fishkill, I’m predicting JJEF, and if it’s Mamaroneck-R.C. Ketcham I’m going with Mamaroneck.As for the other games:No. 7 Arlington (14-6) at No. 3 North Rockland (15-3), 2 p.m. Friday: The Arlington upset over Horace Greeley wasn’t a shock. A surprise? Yes. But not a big one. North Rockland and Arlington played during the regular season and North Rockland won 2-1. So expect another close game with so much on the line. In that game, Francesca Kentimenos and Andrea Curcio had goals for North Rockland and Nicole Landes and Ashley Carrington had assists. The pick: North RocklandClass ANo. 4 Lourdes (12-4-1) at No. 1 Somers (12-1-4), 2:30 p.m. Friday: Somers narrowly escaped its quarterfinal over Eastchester, winning 2-1 just minutes before the game was headed into overtime. That’s Somers’ typical style, finding a way to win even if it looks in doubt for much of the game. Ashley Manning was a threat throughout that game and it wouldn’t surprise me if she scored in this one. The pick: SomersNo. 3 Rye (13-4-1) at No. 2 Bryam Hills (13-2-2), 3 p.m. Friday: They meet again…with the stakes significantly higher than their two regular season meetings, when they tied in the first matchup and Rye won the second, 3-1. An appearance in the sectional final is on the line with these two familiar opponents. Both teams have had solid seasons against strong schedules. Anything but a one-goal game would surprise me. The pick: Byram HillsClass BNo. 4 Bronxville (16-1-2) at No. 1 Nanuet (19-0), 2 p.m. Friday: So often in soccer, the final score is 1-0 and the game can become dull at moments with teams protecting a lead at all costs. This game actually has a chance for significant scoring. Nanuet has scored three or more goals in 17 of its 19 games (wins) and Bronxville has scored three or more in 12 games. The pick: NanuetNo. 7 Albertus Magnus (11-6-3) at No. 3 Briarcliff (18-1), 2:45 p.m. Friday: They played during the season and Briarcliff won 1-0. Desiree Horecky scored. The Bears just seem like they are on such a roll right now and headed toward a sectional final rematch with Nanuet, the only team to beat them this season. Albertus Magnus’ win over Rye Neck was huge, but it might be tough to pull off a second straight upset. The pick: BriarcliffClass CNo. 4 Valhalla (7-12) at No. 1 Solomon Schechter (10-3-1) , 12:30 p.m. Friday: Schechter won the regular season matchup 6-1, is the top seed, and the defending sectional champion. An appearance in the sectional final seems likely. The pick: Solomon SchechterNo. 3 Haldane (8-11) at No. 2 North Salem (11-5-2), 1 p.m. Friday: They played twice during the season. North Salem won by scores of 3-0 and 10-0. The matchup heavily favors the Tigers. The pick: North Salem

While you wait for tonight’s results to flow in, check out our new poll. I want to know which of the four No. 1 boys seeds will be the last one alive. As we learned yesterday when three No. 2s got knocked out, a high seed doesn’t guarantee anything.

Class AA

No. 5 Mamaroneck at No. 1 John Jay-East Fishkill (TBD)/No. 8 R.C. Ketcham at No. 5 Mamaroneck (TBD)

No. 7 Arlington at No. 3 North Rockland, 2 p.m. Friday

Class A

No. 4 Lourdes at No. 1 Somers, 2:30 p.m. Friday

No. 3 Rye at No. 2 Bryam Hills, 3 p.m. Friday

Class B

No. 4 Bronxville at No. 1 Nanuet, 2 p.m. Friday

No. 7 Albertus Magnus at No. 2 Briarcliff, 2:45 p.m. Friday

Class C

No. 4 Valhalla at No. 1 Solomon Schechter, 12:30 p.m, Friday

No. 3 Haldane at No. 2 North Salem, 1 p.m. Friday

Note: JJEF and R.C. Ketcham are playing today at 1 p.m.

I covered the great game between Somers and Eastcheste, won by Somers 2-1 with just under three minutes left in the fourth overtime period. Here is my story.

As for the rest of the games, here are the recaps:

Class AA

North Rockland 2, Mahopac 1, OT: In a Class AA quarterfinal at North Rockland, Andrea Curcio scored the go-ahead goal 27 minutes into overtime. Monica D’Ippolito made 17 saves for No. 11 Mahopac. The third-seeded Red Raiders allowed just three shots on goal.

Mamaroneck 3, Suffern 0: In a Class AA quarterfinal at Mamaroneck, Stephanie Velez  scored  twice for the No. 5 Tigers.  Phoebe Hanley made 10 saves for  the shutout. Stephanie Reimer had 11 for the No. 12 Mounties. Mamaroneck will play the winner of today’s Ketcham-John Jay (East Fishkill) game.

Arlington 2, Horace Greeley 0: In a Class AA quarterfinal at Greeley, Katye Gallardo made five saves for the second-seeded Quakers.

Class A

Byram Hills 2, Hen Hud 1, OT: In a Class A quarterfinal at Byram Hills, Liza Falk scored five minutes into overtime. Teammate Michelle Fuerst had seven saves. Sarah Tubbs had 18 saves for No. 10 Hen Hud.

Rye 5, Beacon 0: In a Class A quarterfinal at Rye, Alexandra Rimmer had three goals and an assist. Lia Bellizzi had two goals and two assists. Tatiana Saunders and Lauren McRedmond combined for 10 saves in the shutout.

Lourdes 1, Pearl River 0: In a Class A quarterfinal at Lourdes, Maddie Wilson had eight saves for No. 5 Pearl River.

Nanuet 4, Pleasantville 0: In a Class B quarterfinal at Nanuet, Lauren Kahn had two goals and one assist. Ariane Prache had nine saves for the Panthers. The Golden Knights allowed just three shots on goal.

Class B

Bronxville 6, Westlake 2: In a Class B quarterfinal at Bronxville,  Christie Bonfiglio had two goals and three assists. Maggie Pyle had two goals and two assists. Amy Marron scored twice for No. 5 Westlake.

Albertus Magnus 1, Rye Neck 0:  In a Class B quarterfinal at Rye Neck, Kelly O’Brien scored off an assist from Erin Harding with eight minutes left as the seventh-seeded Falcons upset the No. 2 Panthers. Caitlin Hoffer made eight saves for the shutout. Jessica Wright had eight saves. Albertus Magnus visits third-seeded Briarcliff tomorrow at 2:45 p.m.

Briarcliff 8, Dobbs Ferry 2:  In a Class B quarterfinal at Briarcliff, Savina Reid had a hat trick. Liana Cornacchio had two goals and two assists for the third-seeded Bears. Teammate Kelly Wall made eight saves. Marguax Malekian had a goal and an assist for the sixth-seeded Eagles. Taylor Sherman (16 saves) and Christa Capelli combined to make 17 saves.

Class C

Haldane 6, Tuckahoe 1:  In a Class C quarterfinal at St. Basil’s Academy, Meghan Rohan scored all six goals or the third-seeded Blue Devils. Teammate Katelyn Mastrantone made 10 saves. Lauren Mitchell scored for the sixth-seeded Tigers.

Valhalla 2, Blind Brook 1:  In a Class C quarterfinal at Westchester Community College, Alexa Picolli and Lucy Wedge scored for the fourth-seeded Vikings. Teammate Jeanie Einhorn made nine saves. Jessica Silfen scored for the fifth-seeded Trojans. Nora Fisher had 17 saves.

Non-Section 1
Harvey 4, Chase Collegiate 1:  At Chase Collegiate, Madison Haller had two goals and two assists. Teammate Molly Hord had eight saves.

Class B

No. 4 Edgemont at No. 1 Bronxville: No one in Section 1 beside Byram Hills has outscored opponents more than Bronxville, whose overall advantage is 70-12. Edgemont will be one of its biggest challenges. The Panthers got a goal from sophomore Jason Adler, just his second of the year, to beat Irvington 1-0. They played a much tougher schedule than Bronxville, so there is an advantage in battle-testedness, which I’m pretty sure is not a word, but you know what I mean. However, as I pointed out on Tuesday, they didn’t win many of those test games. Bronxville is on a mission. In a down year for Class B, the Broncos know it’s within their grasp. Bronxville 3, Edgemont 2

No. 7 Albertus Magnus at No. 3 Rye Neck: How many teams get stomped 5-0 and win the rematch? Round of applause to Albertus for doing just that. Of course the 5-0 game was a rematch of a game Hastings was angry about, so maybe it’s just cyclical. In any case, the Falcons won the big one and get a chance to play for an appearance in the championship. No one was more delighted at the Albertus win than Rye Neck, which gets to stay at home instead of hitting the road. The Panthers are 8-1 at home, 3-3-1 on the road. All signs point to them winning this one. They’re hotter, they have a better record, they’re confident, they have a go-to scorer, and they haven’t been letting up goals in bunches like Albertus. But I can’t shake the feeling that somehow Albertus pulls this out. Do I go with my gut or my brain? My gut says go with the gut. Albertus 3, Rye Neck 2, OT

Class C

No. 4 Blind Brook at No. 1 North Salem: North Salem beat Blind Brook 1-0 on a Rob Recine goal in late September, and then 3-0 two games later. You all know by now how confident I am in North Salem to win sections. Blind Brook, which just halted a seven-game losing streak, isn’t the one to halt the steamroller. Rust might slow North Salem in the first half following a nine-day layoff. But the defending champs still go down. North Salem 3, Blind Brook 0

No. 3 Solomon Schechter vs. No. 2 Valhalla: Valhalla already beat Schechter 7-1. Yeah, you read that right. The Vikings are playing good soccer right now and they’re hungry for another tussle with North Salem. Valhalla 3, Schechter 1

Class AA

No. 4 Horace Greeley vs No. 1 John Jay-East Fishkill at Hudson Valley Sports Dome, 3 p.m.

No. 7 New Rochelle at No. 6 Scarsdale,2:30 p.m.

Class A

No. 7 Keio at No. 6 Hen Hud, 2 p.m.

No. 5 Harrison at No. 1 Byram Hills, 3 p.m.

Class B

No. 4 Edgemont at No. 1 Bronxville,2:45 p.m.

No. 7 Albertus Magnus at No. 3 Rye Neck, 2:30 p.m.

Class C

No. 4 Blind Brook at No. 1 North Salem, 2:30 p.m.

No. 3 Solomon Schechter vs. No. 2 Valhalla at Westchester Community College, 2 p.m.

I wish we had more time to digest Wednesday’s games before jumping into the semifinals.  The turnaround is too quick. I’ve been doing quarterfinal stuff all night, and now here I sit at 4 in the morning debating whether to go to bed or bang out my semifinal preview so you guys will have it Thursday morning. Wish there was a day in between to breathe. But Tuesday’s crummy weather eliminated that. So I have joined Milli Vanilli’s support group, which chooses to blame it on the rain.

We’ll skip an in-depth quarterfinal wrapup. The basics you need to know are:

-It was not a good day to be No. 2. Three of the four No. 2 seeds failed to make it out alive. Arlington lost to New Ro in AA, Pearl River lost to Keio in A, and Hastings lost to Albertus in B. The latter two came in shootouts. Only Valhalla in C survived.

- Keio’s Kazumasa Ikenaga thinks he’s better than Bronxville’s Brian Rogers. It’s true, he told me after the game. Is he? Beats me. Scouts, you want to weigh in on this one?

- Teams are a lot more bunched together in the upper echelon. After a first round of mostly blowouts, nine quarterfinal games were decided by one or zero goals. Five of those went to overtime. Two went to shootouts. Only three teams—Bronxville, Valhalla, and Byram—won by more than two goals. Hopefully the semis will be just as exciting.

- Jake earlier referenced a pop group of his youth that broke up before most current high schoolers were born. Jake suddenly feels old. Senility must be setting in because Jake is referring to himself in the third person.

Now for the much-anticipated predictions. I did OK on my quarterfinal picks. Not great. My biggest triumph was picking New Ro to upset Arlington. But I whiffed on Edgemont, Harrison, and Albertus. I’ll try to do better.

Class AA

No. 4 Horace Greeley vs No. 1 John Jay-East Fishkill: Whether Fishkill advances or not, at least we know it won’t be an all-Dutchess final. Not after New Ro bumped Arlington. Can Greeley bump Dutchess from the tournament entirely? After today’s shutout of John Jay the Quakers reduced their goals-allowed per game to 0.67. Over their last eight games that number is 0.38. They’ll need that kind of defense to keep the game close and try to pull something out of teh hat like they did against John Jay. Fishkill has been the best all season, though, and until I see troubling signs of slippage I can’t pick against it. Fishkill 1, Greeley 0

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Girls soccer
Section 1 quarterfinals

Class AA

Arlington 2, Horace Greeley 0
North Rockland 2, Mahopac 1, OT
Mamaroneck 3, Suffern 0

Class A
Rye 5, Beacon 0
Somers 2, Eastchester 1, OT
Byram Hills 2, Hen Hud 1, OT
Lourdes 1, Pearl River 0

Class B
Albertus Magnus 1, Rye Neck 0
Briarcliff 8, Dobbs Ferry 2
Bronxville 6, Westlake 2
Nanuet 4, Pleasantville 0

Class C
Haldane 6, Tuckahoe 1
Valhalla 2, Blind Brook 1

We’re looking for the JJEF-Ketcham score…

Tomorrow, we will have a recap of the quarterfinals and a preview of the semis.

(If the time is listed, the result is not in yet.)

Girls soccer
Section 1 quarterfinals
Class AA
Arlington 2, Horace Greeley 0
North Rockland 2, Mahopac 1
Mamaroneck 3, Suffern 0
Class A
Rye 5, Beacon 0
Somers 2, Eastchester 1, OT
Byram Hills 2, Hen Hud 1

No. 5 Pearl River vs. No. 4 Lourdes at Stringham Field, 3 p.m.
Class B
Albertus Magnus 1, Rye Neck 0
Briarcliff 8, Dobbs Ferry 2
No. 8 Pleasantville at No. 1 Nanuet, 2 p.m.
No. 5 Westlake at No. 4 Bronxville, 2:45 p.m.
Class C
Haldane 6, Tuckahoe 1
Valhalla 2, Blind Brook 1

Please post all score updates here.

Just got back from the marathon at Pearl River, where No. 7 Keio beat the second-seeded Pirates in penalty kicks. Kaz Ikenaga tied the game at 2-2 with three minutes left and no one scored in two overtimes. Keio won the shootout 4-1 when Pearl River missed one shot and hit another post. Keio will play the Hen Hud-Beacon winner in the semifinals.

Schechter beat Hamilton 2-1 in Class C. Sam Jablansky and Max Wein scored the goals. It’ll face Valhalla at Westchester Community College tomorrow at 2.

No. 4 Edgemont beat No. 5 Irvington 1-0 when Jason Adler scored with four minutes left off a loose ball. Ben Gottesdiener made seven saves. Edgemont plays No. 1 Bronxville next.

No. 2 Valhalla advanced past No. 7 Tuckahoe 3-0 in Class C. Thomas Hart scored twice. Valhalla hosts No. 3 Schechter at WCC.

Ivan Martinez scored the winning goal four minutes into overtime to advance No. 3 Rye Neck past No. 6 Dobbs Ferry 1-0. Martinez took a Doyoon Kim pass and beat two defenders. Marcos Coto-Batres had eight saves in the shutout. Rohtas Wadera had 12 saves in the loss. The Panthers face the Albertus/Hastings winner tomorrow.

In one of the most anticipated games, Greeley needed 98 minutes to get the upper hand on rival John Jay. Greg Palazzo’s header three minutes into the second OT gave the Quakers a 1-0 victory at SUNY Purchase. The Wall, Greg Waller, stopped 20 John Jay shots. Luke Butcher was just as good with 21 saves for the Indians. Sounds like a wild one. It only gets tougher for Greeley, which travels to No. 1 Fishkill tomorrow at 3 p.m. The game will be at the Hudson Valley Sports Dome in Milton.

Another 2-seed has been upset by a 7 in penalty kicks. With the game on the line Tim Mendez nailed the final kick, giving Albertus a 4-3 shootout win over Hastings in Class B. The teams were tied 2-2 in regulation time. John Spadaro had one goal and one assist for the Falcons. Cameron and Carter McNeil each had one goal and one assist for the Yellow Jackets. Albertus travels to No. 3 Rye Neck in the semis.

In Class A, Byram Hills goalie Jessie Stoopler passed his first test. Top seed Byram beat No. 8 Pelham 4-1. Greg Shaheen and Stephen Goldring each had a goal and an assist. The Bobcats host the Beacon/Hen Hud winner at 3 p.m.

Blind Brook finally ended its losing streak with a 2-0 win over Haldane in Class C. Scott Kaufman scored both. Ryan Seguljic had five saves in the shutout. No. 4 Blind Brook travels to No. 1 North Salem at 2:30 p.m.

Brian Rogers had a hat trick as Class B No. 1 Bronxville beat No. 8 Briarcliff 6-0. The Broncos next host Edgemont.

No. 6 Hen Hud needed overtime to shake off No. 14 Beacon, 4-3. Andre Desa scored his third goal on a header off a pass from T.J. Olesczuk five minutes into the extra session. The Sailors have a big test in No. 7 Keio.

The rumors are true, Harrison upset Rye in Class A. The much anticipated Rye-Byram semifinal won’t happen. It was scoreless until Andre Fonseca broke the tie with five minutes to go. Hank the Tank made eight saves. So now it’s Harrison, not Rye, that will try to unseat the top-seeded Bobcats tomorrow at 2 p.m.

The No. 1 seed in Class AA scored only once, but it was enough to beat No. 8 White Plains 1-0. Fishkill will host Greeley at the Hudson Valley Sports Dome at 2 p.m.

I know Scarsdale beat Ossining 2-0 too, though I don’t have any details.

Bronxville will look to Christie Bonfiglio to get its playoff run going against Westlake.

Class AA

No. 8 R.C. Ketcham at No. 1 John Jay-East Fishkill: Two teams out of Journal News coverage area. JJEF has outscored opponents 58-2 this season. There is no chance I am ever picking JJEF to lose any game this season. It’s really that simple. The pick: JJEF

No. 7 Arlington (13-6) at No. 2 Horace Greeley (15-1-1), 2:30 p.m.: Very dangerous game for Greeley, which got the toughest matchup of any of the home teams in the quarterfinals. Arlington has lost by a goal to top teams like JJEF, North Rockland and Mamaroneck. Greeley will need to be at its absolute best to win this game. Look for the usual trio of Sophia Orlander, Kelsey Hill and Sydney Rutman to do the scoring with Liz Novemstern and Yanna Jackson in the back. The pick: Greeley

No. 11 Mahopac (11-7-1) at No. 3 North Rockland (14-3), 2 p.m: North Rockland handled a pretty strong No. 14 seed in Ursuline, 3-1, in the first round, thanks in large to sophomore star Francesca Kentimenos’ hat trick. Top to bottom, North Rockland has skilled players and has proved itself time and time again facing the best competition. Mahopac’s Carly Villanova and Mary Lynch are a formidable combo but this is a tough task. The pick: North Rockland

No. 13 Suffern (9-7-3) at No. 5 Mamaroneck (12-4-2), 2 p.m.: Can Suffern pull off another shocker? To do so, it will need to use the same formula it did against John Jay in the first round. Play conservative and try to get into a shootout. Tough chore against Mamaroneck, one of the most prolific offenses in the section. The pick: Mamaroneck

Class A

No. 8 Eastchester (10-6) at No. 1 Somers (11-1-4), 3 p.m.: Eastchester comes into this game on a four-game winning streak in which it has outscored opponents 16-2. The streak includes a fantastic 2-0 win over Rye. Somers just hasn’t had any slip-ups the entire year, however. Its lone loss is to Greeley, arguably the top team in the area and it has earned every bit of its No. 1 seed. Interesting game, and a solid matchup for a 1-8 game. The pick: Somers

No. 10 Hen Hud (9-7-1) at No. 2 Byram Hills (12-2-2), 1 p.m.: Hen Hud had a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Pelham to reach this game, and the task is tough, going against Byram Hills, one of the most balanced teams in the section. It’s a lot to ask of Hen Hud to pull of two straight upsets. Byram Hills has so many different weapons with five players with 14 or more points. The pick: Byram Hills

No. 6 Beacon (12-6) at No. 3 Rye (12-4-1), 2:30 p.m.: Rye needs a strong result after losing to Eastchester in the season finale. A good start would be key. The Garnets are capable of winning the section or losing in this game. Just a week ago, they beat Byram Hills 3-1, so don’t underestimate Rye. The pick: Rye

No. 5 Pearl River (11-4-2) at No. 4 Lourdes (11-4-1), 3 p.m.: Pearl River is an exceptionally young team that has been tremendous after a rough start. After going 3-3 in its first six, Pearl River is 8-1-2 since. Neither team has really had a win against an elite opponent. Close game expected. The pick: Pearl River

Class B

No. 8 Pleasantville (9-9) at No. 1 Nanuet (18-0): Obviously, if Pleasantville were to win this game, it would be a total shocker. Anything of course can happen but it would take a monumental effort and then some. Nanuet has outscored opponents 101-12 and has won only two of its 18 games by one goal. The pick: Nanuet

No. 7 Albertus Magnus (10-6-3) at No. 2 Rye Neck (15-0-1), 2:30 p.m.: Rye Neck’s reward for going undefeated? Play a very dangerous No. 7 seed in Albertus Magnus, a team that by only a goal to both Briarcliff and Nanuet. Rye Neck ended its season with an impressive 4-1 over Bronxville and seems to just know how to win. The pick: Rye Neck

No. 6 Dobbs Ferry (12-4-1) at No. 3 Briarcliff (17-1), 2:45 p.m.: The teams played last week and Briarcliff won 8-0. Dobbs Ferry had a great season, but this just doesn’t seem like a good matchup for the Eagles. Briarcliff is the defending state champion. The pick: Briarcliff

No. 5 Westlake (12-4) at No. 4 Bronxville (15-1-2): After a season of dominating opponents, Bronxville lost its regular-season finale 4-1 to Rye Neck. It needs to bounce back right away because one more bad game and the season ends. Two of the best players in the section will be counted on in Westlake’s Amy Marron (30 goals) and Bronxville’s Christie Bonfiglio (26 goals). The pick: Bronxville

Class C

No. 5 Blind Brook (2-13) at No. 4 Valhalla (6-12), 2:30 p.m.: Teams met twice during regular season and Valhalla won both. Christine Mitarotunda had three goals in the games so Blind Brook needs to do a better job slowing her down. The pick: Valhalla

No. 6 Tuckahoe (2-13) at No. 3 Haldane (7-11), 2 p.m.: Haldane has not been playing its best of late, losing its last six. Still, its a team that can score it did beat Tuckahoe 4-2 on Sept. 26, getting two goals apiece from Liz Milner and Meghan Rohan. The pick: Haldane.