The CHSAA season wrapped with yesterday’s A and B-Division championship games at Adelphi. We almost had a local team in both but Iona Prep fell to city champ Molloy in the state semifinals. So only Salesian was representing the LoHud. The New Rochelle school was 18-0 heading into the B title game and had been, relative to its competition, the most dominant CHSAA soccer team of the year.

In the end the Eagles got their championship and their perfect record. But it was a lot tougher than anybody expected.

It wasn’t until Steven Merino converted the last penalty kick of a second shootout that they could celebrate. They’d played one of their shakiest games—probably their worst first half of the season—yet somehow forced overtime. They missed their first three PKs yet somehow forced a second shootout, which they captured on the tenth shooter.

No one seemed to mind. In a way it was a better way to end the year. Finally having to work for something, having nervous sweat join the tired sweat, having to chase after people like their lives depended on it. It’s been so easy for them in most of these games, including the previous playoff rounds. To have to really earn the title sat well with them.

Queens-based McClancy scored three minutes into the game. Over the next 37 minutes it could have gotten much worse. Salesian was very sloppy. Lot of kickball. Perhaps it was nerves. Keeper Nick Camacho alluded to his team getting tight the few times they’ve been in close games. Somehow they avoided further damage. The play was about even in the second half. Josh Zumbado tied the score with 20 minutes left.

Despite the shrieking encouragement of a couple McClancy moms behind me, McClancy could not knock in another. The game went to OT, then another. Finally it came down to a shootout. The CHSAA doesn’t crown co-champs when there’s a tie, so this was for the actual victory.

Camacho blocked McClancy’s first two shots. Between shots, when Salesian was shooting, he would kneel on the endline and pray. He told me later he was praying all game. I’ve never seen a goalie actually get on his knees during PKs. He’d go on to hit one of Salesian’s PKs.

Congratulations to first-year co-coaches Danny Romero and Stephen Kane. They weren’t brought on until late summer and had little time to get the program together. Because the former coach was popular, they were met with some skepticism. Not much skepticism now as the first perfect season in team history ends in triumph.