My colleague Justin Jones was at both games. Here’s his take, first on Hastings, then on Byram.

“I know it’s hard to lose a game but it’s even more difficult in
the closing minutes. I watched Hastings come together after the loss and while they were disappointed, nobody acted out or started throwing things and it’s was refreshing to see them take their losses like men. Coach Fred Sandhop was encouraging the team with hugs and pats on the back and although it obviously wasn’t the way they wanted it to end they showed class and pride. They made school history with this season and the Yellow Jackets have nothing to hang their heads about. They played right down to the final minutes with one of the best teams in the state and almost pulled it off.

A simple analogy for the Byram Hills game against Cornwall would be a boxing match. In this match you had Byram Hills which was the champion who had tons of power and was regarded as the heavy favorite meanwhile Cornwall was known as the counter puncher and underdog. Early on Cornwall gave Byram Hills some fits with it’s countering ability. They kept Byram Hills missing with solid defense and they frustrated the champs. But just watching you knew it was only a matter of time before Byram Hills would pick up on what Cornwall was doing and score the knockout and that’s exactly what they did in the second half. Byram Hills made some adjustments, and Will Ogden was clearly the beneficiary of them with his hat trick performance and after about the second goal you could see that Cornwall no longer wanted continue. Byram Hills is a very talented team and they’re back in Oneonta as they set out before the start of the season.”

For those who didn’t read the previous post, I was in Milton covering the girls today with no internet, which is why I didn’t update scores.

Byram Hills and Blind Brook won and will travel to Oneonta for Saturday state semifinals. I’ll get back to you on the times for those games. Section 1 put two teams in the final four last year too, Byram being one of them. Will Ogden is a familiar name, and he was at it again yesterday, scoring a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Cornwall. Hastings lost 2-1 to Spackenkill. Justin Jones will have accounts of those games later.

For more on Blind Brook’s 2-1 win over Southold, here’s Eric Lebowitz:

“I was out in Coram on Long Island yesterday to watch Blind Brook win the Class C New York State Southeast region by beating section 11 champion Southold 2-1. The Trojans now advance to the final four in Oneonta next weekend.

     Blind Brook took a few minutes to settle in, but when they did, the Trojans dominated the game.

     They took a 1-0 lead into halftime on a goal by Brett Paterno and extended that lead to 2-0 just over a minute into the second half on a 45-yard free kick goal by David Levinson.

     Probably the only negative Blind Brook has to address is that it has let teams back into recent games after taking early leads.

     In the sectional final against Valhalla the Trojans led 2-0 before surrending a late goal. Valhalla also missed a late penalty kick in that game. They allowed Millbrook to tie the regional semifinal at 2-2 after leading 2-0 but would go on to win that game as well.

     And against Southold, the section 11 champs, Blind Brook surrendered a goal just a minute after going up 2-0.

     Nevertheless, this is a team with 15 returning seniors and experience playing in big games. Blind Brook has not allowed any of the goals it has given up shake its confidence, and I actually never felt they were in any real danger of losing the game against Southold.

     Just two wins from a state championship, Blind Brook has to make sure it doesn’t let down if it gets a lead in Oneonta. After all, the Trojans will be taking on the best Class C has to offer in New York State. If they can avoid that one pitfall, the Trojans might just win the whole thing.”

Sorry for the lack of updates on the blog. I was up in Milton (it’s near New Paltz) without internet access. I had to plug my laptop into a phone jack behind an ATM to file my game stories. Some guy gave me a funny look; I think he thought I was hotwiring the machine to spit out $20s. Unfortunately I couldn’t figure out how to do that so I’m still working at The Journal News for the forseeable future.

For those who haven’t heard, both Briarcliff and Greeley won and advanced to next weekend’s final four at SUNY Cortland. The semifinals are Friday—Greeley is 9:30 a.m. (ugh) and B’cliff is 12:30 p.m.—and finals, if they make it, are Saturday. Why make the first game so early? Some ref got a hot lunch date to keep?

Both teams deserved to win today, with Briarcliff looking especially good. The Bears have state title written all over them. They throttled Burke Catholic, which came in with one loss. The 2-1 final didn’t tell the story at all. Danielle Christiano scored twice in the first nine minutes and they cruised from there even though they didn’t put another goal in. Burke probably spent 15 of 80 minutes in the wrong half of the field. Chelsea Bodansky, the Bears keeper, should have brought homework to fill the time. She faced three shots—barely—while her Burke counterpart saw 13.

The only thing that can stop them are occasional defensive lapses that have popped up a couple times this year. Twice they’ve allowed four goals in a game, something last year’s team never would have done. They let Burke and Lansing get within a goal in the second half of their state games despite killing both opponents. If you want to give them a little pass for today’s goal because Katie Underwood was out, fine. So far those hiccups haven’t hurt because the D is so good otherwise and the offense murders people (look at the game at Westlake where they fell behind then proceeded to score seven in the second half; it’s almost like they were punishing Westlake for daring to threaten them). But their next two foes are going to be too good to mess around with. Concentrate for 80 minutes and they’ll be fine.

Greeley, meanwhile, had its worst scoring output of the season but still beat Monroe-Woodbury 1-0. It was the Quakers’ fourth shutout of the postseason after just six in the regular season. It was good to see them challenged after the massacre of Corning that had General Custer wincing. We knew Monroe was solid because it beat North Rockland 4-1 this year. A couple Crusaders were pretty intimidating, especially their huge center middie.  Striker Jackie Frey made some scary runs too. They kept Greeley keeper Kristen Guernier on her toes but never broke through.

With maybe nine minutes left they started amping up the pressure. Then Sydney Rutman, who’d left minutes before with a nose bleed (she was still holding her nose after the game), re-entered and immediately made a run to force a corner kick. That started the tide turning back. Yet Monroe got one last unfettered look with seven minutes to go, by far its greatest chance, a point blank view with no defender in sight. But the shooter waited too long, allowing Liz Novenstern to make a miraculous play. I describe it in detail in the game story, so I won’t go into it here. Suffice it to say no one saw Novenstern coming. And everyone wondered why the shooter hadn’t unloaded already. Sometimes it’s bad to have that much time. You start thinking. Thog say: thinking bad. (Thog is my imaginary caveman. I like to break him out whenever I get tired of verbs. I’m sort of surprised he’s getting introduced so late in the season. I’ll have to get him into every blog post from now on.)

A few more random observations: 1) The unsung hero for Greeley was midfelder Kelsey Hill. She used her blend of physicality and speed really effectively, carrying the ball from defensive third to offensive third on several occasions. 2) The sign for the HV Sports Dome on Route 9W needs to be bigger. And the counter guy at the Sunoco station three miles down the road needs to know where the turnoff is once I pass it. 3) The more I watch them, the more I think Briarcliff could have won the Class A sectionals. 4) I don’t know what kind of confidence juice Taylor Jackson is drinking, but that girl has become a great interview. Not good—great. Last year she was very shy, which isn’t uncommon, but this year it’s like a different person. Of course now that I’ve singled her out she’ll probably get all shy again. Man I’m a jerk.

OK, Thog tired. Thog go sleep.

I wanted to give the all-section players their day before I released the all-league team. Keep in mind when you scan the list, all-league includes all-section, so this list is twice as long. 

All-league:
Albertus Magnus: Caroline Burke, Caitlin Hoffer, Caitlin Frawley, Ashley Huber, Christine Kennelly; Ardsley: Sika Gasinu, Jen Fields; Blind Brook: Amanda Lois, Jillian Forbes, Chelsea Lois; Brewster: Anna Spannaus; Briarcliff: Amy Wagner, Katie Underwood, Jane Wallis, Savina Reid, Liana Cornacchio, Danielle Christiano, Megan Hewett, Chelsea Bodansky, Maddie Kittay; Bronxville: Christie Gietl, Maggie Pyle, Meghan Bond, Liz Jones, Jessica Palfrey, Christie Bonfiglio;  Byram Hills: Carly Roth, Liza Falk, Regan Marin, Ellie Kantor, Michelle Fuerst; Carmel: Kim Broccoli, Jenna Gilbert; Clarkstown North: Samantha Stein, Dana DeJesus, Ilyse Schwartz, Abby Leiberman; Clarkstown South: Jessica Silva, Meghan Hayes, Jackie Barry, Taylor Quilty; Croton-Harmon: Maggie St. Leger; Dobbs Ferry: Nicoleta Hardesty, Emily Rosenbloom; Eastchester: Samantha Fleischman, Delia Hughes, Alexandra Paolucci, Emily McMahon; Edgemont: Molly Orden, Nicole Shifteh, Melanie DeFiore, Chrissy Kozera, Angela Napoletano; Fox Lane: Kelsey Wilkes, Madeline Stain; Gorton: Arlene Brodrick, Pamela Soriano, Rubi Hernandez, Ashley Molina; Haldane: Alex Milner, Faye Rice, Emily Marsh, Lily Rubino, Juliana Dorr, Ally LeBron, Karolina Alves;  Harrison: Daniela Madaloni, Liz Gordon, Lydia Lulkin; Hastings: Margot Klepetko, Andrea Stephens; Hen Hud: Kelly Hanly, Leanne Benson, Kayla Mancusi, Deanna Peterson, Liz Paese, Nicole Ciabocchi, Kerri Russo; Horace Greeley: Sydney Rutman, Taylor Jackson, Erin Jackson, Courtney Miller, Becca Kaplan, Kelsey Hill;  Irvington: Emily Braun, Anna Blum; John Jay: Christina McLoughlin, Zoe Boyd, Mary Corelli, Laura Olsen; Keio: Yuuri Yamanaka, Mikako Arita; Kennedy: Theresa Tolan; Lakeland: Kristen Reiche, Meghan Tremblay; Mahopac: Carly Villanova, Lauren Cihanek, Chrissy Scardera, Sarah DeMarzo; Mamaroneck: Phoebe Hanley, Stephanie Velez, Amanda Tuck, Emma Mintzer, Erika Romagnoli, Anna Carroll, Emily Wilson; Nanuet: Kelly Fanshawe, Brittany Farsetta, Lauren Kahn, Jen Gonos, Michaelle Kelly, Becky Torres, Courtney McGrath; New Rochelle: Nora Haney, Sara Meisler, Debbie Gilwit; North Rockland: Megan Lavecchia, Nicole Landes, Jenna Angelucci, Loryn Ginley, Katherina Dapolito, Olivia Panepinto, Kelsey Fisher; North Salem: Cate Crenson, Erica Nagi, Ashley Nussbaum, Elyana Genovese, Stacy Buzzetto, Alexia Shea, Heather Pensabene, Jamie Bocchino, Elizabeth Ruggi; Nyack: Kristina Miehle, Elizabeth Gronwoldt, Caroline Chesterman, Pamela Samoylo; Ossining: Kelsey Vallach, Natalie Finn, Vanessa Henry; Panas: Tiara Johnson, Erin Donahue; Pearl River: Brittany Egan, Maria Kunzmann, Samantha Payne, Christine Willock; Pelham: Jules Carfora, Laura Davis, Rashida Sherman, Kerry Davis, Sarah Stiefvater, Christina Palmieri; Pleasantville: Alexa Woolley, Danielle Minerva; Putnam Valley: Tara Gleason; Rye: Tatiana Saunders, Lia Bellizzi, Alexandra Rimmer, Caroline Feeley, Erin McCarty; Rye Neck: Rosina Calisto, Lona Speidell, Jodi Rosenzweig, Jessica Wright, Brittany Ciardello, Elena Solazzo; Saunders: Christine Terlecky, Jessica Negron, Tatiana Queliz, Shiela Reyes, Jessica Gallego, Patricia Villate, Megan Olivera; Scarsdale: Ashlyn Hlawitschka, Christine Yankou, Nicole Rafajac, Alex Tartell, Christine Hart, Shelby Schrier; Solomon Schechter: Nicole Fleishman, Naomi Pollack, Adina Goldman; Somers: Shona Craig, Teadie Becker, Michelle Iannacchino, Melissa Guglielmo; Sleepy Hollow: Allaire Primiano, Cathy Garro; Suffern: Catrina Del Gais, Alanna Fisher, Stephanie Reimer, Sasha Clynes, Besarta Tanushaj, Katie Wolfe, Cara Goldman;  Tappan Zee: Jennifer Trinkoff, Jamie Kimak, Dezre Diers, Deanna Amoia, Allie Reale; Tuckahoe: Tess Meyer, Gabriella Severaino, Diana Ottamanelli;  Ursuline: Kerry Ann O’Connor, Taylor Cordy, Kelly Reilly, Megan Englert, Sophie Pexioto, Elia Francis, Alaina Colluta; Valhalla: Krista Everett, Katie Giberson, Katie Griffin, Katie Rozanski, Alexa Piccoli; Westlake: Amy Marron, Alexis Pardo, Suzanne Farrell; White Plains: Renee Jensen, Marisa Caldarola, Janay Brunson, Hannah Reiss, Shelby Fields, Allison Rainone; Yonkers: Guadalupe Maceda, Megan Kenn, Daniela Sorrentino, Diana Ramirez, Rosa Reyna, Mildres Menou; Yorktown: Samantha Russo, Kathryn Donatelli, Gabrielle Lawrence, Noelle Lombardo.

For those seniors who aren’t aware, Section 1 hosts an annual senior showcase. It’s coming up soon—Nov. 19. The sign-up deadline is even sooner—Nov. 12. It’ll be at Yorktown High, former site of sectional championships, at 5 p.m. Malcolm Brown, the Ursuline coach, is organizing it. He’d probably be the person to contact with questions. His email is malcolm@klassicsoccer.com. You can print a copy of the entry sheet here

The showcase is a way to get players noticed by local colleges. For that reason I believe, and don’t quote me on this, but I believe it’s only open to seniors who haven’t picked a school yet. The organizers invite dozens of college coaches to attend in hopes that they’ll have a roster spot to offer. Last year the game format I think was big schools vs. small schools, which it’ll probably be again. The level of play will obviously be tremendous. Not every senior is invited, only those who have a real chance of playing at the next level.

Justin Jones was at Hastings’s 3-1 regional semifinal win over Lansing, the same Section 4 team that Briarcliff beat in the girls draw. Here’s what Justin had to add:

“First off I give both teams credit for even playing soccer in the freezing cold and snow. They definitely have my respect. Just from watching the game I could see that Hastings was more focused and flat out the better team. They were faster than Lansing and their communication on the field was pretty impressive. Lansing tried at times to imitate Hastings by being overly physical but it really had no effect on the Yellow Jackets. Even when Lansing tied things up you could hear the Hastings players gearing each other up and saying lets score another one. After the game when I interviewed guys like Aaron Markowitz and Ante Lozina you could just see how relaxed they were and how confident they are in their team by their answers. The rest of the guys gathered around us and shouted out random things which was pretty funny but it’s definitely cool to see a team that has as much fun as they do.”

A couple coaches last night asked me to hold off on putting the all-section team in the blog right away. Because they were big and scary, I agreed. If you didn’t see the team in this morning’s newspaper, here it is.

All-section:
Albertus Magnus: Caroline Burke, Caitlin Hoffer, Caitlin Frawley; Blind Brook: Amanda Lois, Jillian Forbes; Briarcliff: Amy Wagner, Katie Underwood, Jane Wallis, Savina Reid, Liana Cornacchio, Danielle Christiano; Bronxville: Christie Gietl, Maggie Pyle, Meghan Bond;  Byram Hills: Carly Roth, Liza Falk, Regan Marin; Carmel: Kim Broccoli; Clarkstown North: Samantha Stein, Dana DeJesus; Clarkstown South: Jessica Silva, Meghan Hayes; Dobbs Ferry: Nicoleta Hardesty, Emily Rosenbloom; Eastchester: Samantha Fleischman, Delia Hughes, Alexandra Paolucci; Edgemont: Molly Orden, Nicole Shifteh, Melanie DeFiore; Fox Lane: Kelsey Wilkes; Gorton: Arlene Brodrick; Haldane: Alex Milner, Faye Rice, Emily Marsh, Lily Rubino;  Harrison: Daniela Madaloni; Hastings: Margot Klepetko; Hen Hud: Kelly Hanly, Leanne Benson, Kayla Mancusi, Deanna Peterson; Horace Greeley: Sydney Rutman, Taylor Jackson, Erin Jackson, Courtney Miller;  Irvington: Emily Braun; John Jay: Christina McLoughlin, Zoe Boyd; Keio: Yuuri Yamanaka; Lakeland: Kristen Reiche; Mahopac: Carly Villanova, Lauren Cihanek; Mamaroneck: Phoebe Hanley, Stephanie Velez, Amanda Tuck, Emma Mintzer, Erika Romagnoli; Nanuet: Kelly Fanshawe, Brittany Farsetta, Lauren Kahn, Jen Gonos, Michaelle Kelly; New Rochelle: Nora Haney; North Rockland: Megan Lavecchia, Nicole Landes, Jenna Angelucci, Loryn Ginley, Katherina Dapolito; North Salem: Cate Crenson, Erica Nagi, Ashley Nussbaum, Elyana Genovese, Stacy Buzzetto; Nyack: Kristina Miehle, Elizabeth Gronwoldt, Caroline Chesterman; Ossining: Kelsey Vallach; Panas: Tiara Johnson; Pearl River: Brittany Egan, Maria Kunzmann; Pelham: Jules Carfora, Laura Davis, Rashida Sherman; Pleasantville: Alexa Woolley; Rye: Tatiana Saunders, Lia Bellizzi, Alexandra Rimmer; Rye Neck: Rosina Calisto, Lona Speidell, Jodi Rosenzweig, Jessica Wright; Saunders: Christine Terlecky, Jessica Negron; Scarsdale: Ashlyn Hlawitschka, Christine Yankou, Nicole Rafajac; Solomon Schechter: Nicole Fleishman, Naomi Pollack, Adina Goldman; Somers: Shona Craig, Teadie Becker; Suffern: Catrina Del Gais, Alanna Fisher, Stephanie Reimer;  Tappan Zee: Jennifer Trinkoff, Jamie Kimak, Dezre Diers; Tuckahoe: Tess Meyer, Gabriella Severaino, Diana Ottamanelli;  Ursuline: Kerry Ann O’Connor, Taylor Cordy, Kelly Reilly, Megan Englert; Valhalla: Krista Everett, Katie Giberson; Westlake: Amy Marron, Alexis Pardo; White Plains: Renee Jensen, Marisa Caldarola, Janay Brunson; Yonkers: Guadalupe Maceda, Megan Kenn; Yorktown: Samantha Russo, Kathryn Donatelli.League I-A
Player of the Year: Stephanie Velez (Mamaroneck)
Coach of the Year: Ron Blain (Mamaroneck)
League I-B
Player of the Year: Megan Lavecchia (North Rockland)
Coach of the Year: Darren Hawks (Clarkstown North)
League I-C
Player of the Year: Colleen Barry (Arlington)
Coach of the Year: Darryl Sullivan (John Jay-East Fishkill)
League I-D
Player of the Year: Christine Terlecky (Saunders)
Coach of the Year: Carlo Mitrione (Saunders)
League II-Central
Player of the Year: Courtney Miller (Horace Greeley)
Coach of the Year: Erin Tracy (Horace Greeley)
League II-North
Player of the Year: Sarah Porco (Our Lady of Lourdes)
Coach of the Year: Dave Seipps (Our Lady of Lourdes)
League II-South
Player of the Year: Kerry Ann O’Connor (Ursuline)
Coach of the Year: Malcolm Brown (Ursuline)
League III-A
Player of the Year: Katie Underwood (Briarcliff) and Amy Marron (Westlake)
Coach of the Year: Owen Scully (Briarcliff)
League III-B
Player of the Year: Jules Carfora (Pelham)
Coach of the Year: Nicole Kocalnes (Pelham)
League III-C
Player of the Year: Kelly Fanshawe (Nanuet)
Coach of the Year: Michael Henderson (Nanuet)
League IV-North
Player of the Year: Cate Crenson (North Salem) and Alex Milner (Haldane)
Coach of the Year: Bob Martin (North Salem)
League IV-Central
Player of the Year: Rosina Calisto (Rye Neck)

Here’s a report from Kristin Noonan on Byram Hills’s win over Owego: 

“Despite the drop in temperature and snow scurring down, Byam Hills walked away with a 4-1 win over Section 4’s Owego in the Class A regional semifinals yesterday at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. From opening kick-off the Bobcats (20-1-1) came out on fire and wanted to prove they can come out on top, but Owego came out first scoring on a direct kick from about 30 yards out with five minutes into the half. But the Bobcats answered right back rwo minutes later by Will Shaheen goal off of a direct kick at midfield by Stephen Paresi. After that point during the first half, the Bobcats held possession and had many opportunities to put the ball in the net. Some bounced off the post, some went wide, and some the keeper saved, until Mike D’Angelo scored with eight minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the half to break the tie. Once again, Paresi got the assist.

The Bobcats continued to play like it was still 0-0 throughtout the second half. Senior Will Ogden, the team’s leading scorer, walked away with two goals in the second half, giving him 20 goals this season so far. Paresi having all four assists is proud to walk away with 14 this season.

‘It is just the best feeling knowing you have practice they next day and that the season is not over,’ Paresi said.”

 Thanks for that report Kristin. Kristin was up in Oneonta for two days after covering the girls game on Tuesday. Now here’s Eric Lebowitz on Greeley’s loss to Vestal:

“Although Horace Greeley fell 3-2 to Section IV champion Vestal in a boys soccer Class AA state semifinals, the Quakers showed tremendous heart in rallying from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game late in the second half.     Part of the reason Vestal was able to jump out to that 2-0 lead was its ability to capitalize on the field conditions. Light rain and snow fell before and during the game, making for a slick field. Twice Vestal was able to use the fast conditions to play passes through to forward speedy forward Brian Rose, who scored both first half goals.     

     Greeley forward Stephen Reisert almost scored a truly remarkable goal midway through the first half with the score 1-0 Vestal.  Reisert was in position to receive a cross near the top of the 18-yard box, but as the ball arched in his direction it seemed destined to sail over his head. In a stunning display of instinct and skill, Reisert backpedaled, turned around and struck a bicycle kick perfectly. Vestal goalie Mike Economou was frozen, and only an unfortunate bounce of the inside of the left post cost Reisert his goal. 

      Despite giving up three goals, Greeley goalie Dan Thau was a big factor in keeping the game close. He made 10 saves in all, including several from point blank range.

      Greeley got the tying goal from senior Scott Scheine with just 4:23 left in the game, and all the momentum seemed to be with the Section 1 champs. But Vestal is a three-time section champion with 16 seniors, and all that experience paid off.

     Rather than panicking or even playing defensively and settling for overtime, Vestal came right back at Greeley and got the game-winner with just under three minutes left in the game.” 

Hey folks, this is Jake Thomases. You may know me from such blogs as “Baking with Jakey” and “I’m telling you, I saw Elvis working at Hot Topic in the Palisades Mall.” Or from the other half of this soccer blog. With Rod departed for Newsday, I’ll be taking over the boys half through the end of the season. A few reporters will cover the boys state games, and they’ll report back to me on what happened. Hopefully the readers can contribute too, especially with background info our reporters may not know.

Our first boys blog entry comes from last night’s Class C game, where Blind Brook advanced 4-2 past Millbrook. Here’s Alex Myers with the report.

“Blind Brook was able to walk away with a regional semifinal win over Section 9’s Millbrook last night at the Hudson Valley Sportsdome in Milton in what was truly an incredible game. While six goals were scored, they all occurred in two stretches of about three minutes.

In the first half, the Trojans (14-2-2) went ahead 2-0 quickly on goals by Jordan Silverman and Brett Novick. Millbrook responded 23 seconds after Novick’s goal with one of its own to make it 2-1 with nearly 33 minutes left in the first half.

Amazingly, no one would score again until the game took an unexpected and sad turn. Millbrook’s Aiden Little suffered a severe leg injury just below his right leg on a play near the sideline. No one seemed to notice for awhile, but when they finally did, it was determined that an ambulance was needed. Since they didn’t want to move him at all (several players said they saw a bone popping out) everyone waited for the ambulance to arrive. When it finally did, the delay had lasted approximately 30 minutes. Because of the action in previous game’s this kickoff had been nearly an hour after the 7 p.m. scheduled time, so when the play resumed, it was nearly 10 o’clock.

But the craziness was just beginning. Blind Brook tried to stay focused during the break with its 2-1 lead, but Millbrook almost immediately scored to tie the game. While the delay may have had something to do with it, I don’t know how anyone could have stopped the Blazers’ Justin Williams long shot that managed to sneak just under the crossbar 15 seconds after play resumed.

Blind Brook, an experienced team with 15 seniors from last year’s squad that also defeated Millbrook in the regional semifinal, wasted little time responding. Novick scored 33 seconds later on a beautiful long pass from David Levinson and Scott Kaufman added a clinching goal less than two minutes after that to make it 4-2.

What a wild game. I was particularly impressed with Blind Brook’s response following having the game tied. They could have sulked about how the injury delay caused them to lose their momentum, but they didn’t and they pulled out an incredible win.

Novick, the team’s leading scorer all year was great with two goals, but Harris Brett also played well in goal with eight saves, most of which came in the second half. Levinson, who made the assist on the winning goal, also played a superb defensive game, including saving a second half goal with a clear right near the goal line.”

Plato, Nietzsche, Meatloaf—these are the great philosophers of Western thought.

The Lower Hudson Valley ain’t bad, not after taking two out of three state playoff games today. The victors didn’t just win either. Horace Greeley and Briarcliff combined to beat Section 4’s champions 10-2. The scores—Greeley 5-0 over Corning in AA and Briarcliff 5-2 over Lansing in B—were indicative of how little danger the locals were ever in.

Corning played even for about 10 minutes before the Quakers realized how small the Hawks were and blasted them. Before eight minutes were gone in the second half the Quakers led 5-0. Coach Tracy spent the last 25 minutes yanking her starters one by one until only Erin Jackson remained. Tracy pulled her fullback with five minutes left. In my four years on the job I’ve never witnessed that much gar-baj time in a state tournament game. I could have done my laundry and been back for postgame interviews. At least it wasn’t that cold. There was wind at the beginning but it quieted down. (Probably had money on Corning.) It ended up being a lot more pleasant than Saturday night.

Around the time that game shifted into autopilot, Briarcliff was wrapping up its game, which started 20 minutes earlier. At one point in the second half Lansing cut the lead to 3-2, but it was never that even. The Bears were in Lansing’s end all day. Halfway through the first half they’d already taken six corner kicks. Lansing had been ranked second in the state, which either means Briarcliff is No. 1 or the state rankings take the “shoot” out of “crapshoot.” I said before the sectional finals that the Class B winner would go far in states and I didn’t see any evidence to the contrary today. Liana Cornacchio’s hat trick is more proof that these crazy-skilled freshmen are as driven as the Megan Hewetts and Kira Pancottis, the upperclassmen who got bumped early last year.

OK, now the bad news. Solomon Schechter took S.S. Seward into OT but couldn’t advance past the Section 9 champ. The Lions fell 2-1 to close one of the best stories of the year. They went from Class D nobody to Class C champ in a year, using a lot of the same crew that slogged through all those 2-10 seasons. After the game, Talia Prince said, “We’re bringing 800 more kids into the school and playing in AA next year. Watch your backs, Greeley!” OK that’s a lie. But they should feel great about moving up a class and thriving. For the sake of competitiveness I hope they stay there; Class C is shrinking rapidly in Section 1 and can use as many schools as it can get.

As for the game itself, I didn’t see any of it because it was in Milton while I was in Oneonta. Dan Marra gave me the lowdown, which he can describe better than me in tomorrow’s game story. Basically the first 65 minutes were dead, followed by an action-packed final 15 and overtime. There were clutch plays, controversial yellow cards, and a second-varsity-ever-in-her life goal from Nicole Fleishman, who you may recall scored her first on Saturday. Bottom line, Dan confided, Seward’s girls were twice as big so Schechter was fighting uphill all day.

Just so you guys can go ahead and still comment on the state playoffs (for however long that might be), don’t worry I didn’t forget about you. You can post your comments on this thread.

Have at it and good luck to all the teams that are still alive.

Guys,

Today is my final day at The Journal News after two-plus years. I would like to thank each and everyone from the bottom of my heart for the heartfelt e-mails and phone calls regarding my writing and coverage during my time here. I’ll never forget it.

I’m leaving to take a great opportunity at my hometown paper, Newsday. It’s something I never dreamed I’d be doing, but here I am and the only reason it’s happening is because of the way you guys responded to my work. Whether it’s the ridiculous blog traffic I’ve helped generate on the soccer and lacrosse blogs, or the great positive feedback on my stories, you the reader/fan/athlete have been very gracious. And for that I am thoroughly thankful.

For my lacrosse heads out there, I won’t be too far away come spring. There’s a good chance I’ll be covering Hofstra men’s lax and I know how many of you follow the Pride very closely. There are plenty of players from the Lower Hudson Valley on the Hofstra lax team, so I look forward to writing about them as well.

Once again, thank you for all the love you showed me here at The Journal News/LoHud.com. It will always be appreciated.

My man Jake called to tell me about the goings on up there in beautiful Oneonta. Here’s the latest:

In Class B, Briarcliff led Lansing 2-1 at the half. Liana Cornacchio has both goals for the Bears, who increased their lead with another goal in the second half and are up 3-1.

In Class AA, Greeley led Corning 1-0 midway through the first half on a Becca Kaplan goal. Goals by Taylor Jackson and Sydney Rutman have extended Greeley’s lead to 3-0 at the half.

Both teams are dominating play and it should be only a matter of time before they punctuate these wins and move onto the state regional finals, AKA the state quarterfinals.

Check back here later for more updates.

Tuesday’s regional semifinals are as follows:

Horace Greeley vs Corning (Section 4) at Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, 1:15 p.m.

Briarcliff vs Lansing (Section 4) at Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, 12:45 p.m.

Solomon Schechter vs S.S. Seward (Section 9) at Hudson Valley Sports Dome in Milton, 5 p.m.

I won’t have computer access out on the frozen tundra of Oneonta, but I’ll call a coworker periodically to place score updates on the blog. If you’re following at home or work, check in starting at 1.

By the way, does anyone know why the Soccer Hall of Fame is in Oneonta? I’m pretty sure soccer wasn’t invented there…

Phew, what a weekend huh? I’m still exhausted from all the great games. Did that Scarsdale-Greeley game end yet?

Anyway, I have a bit of news to share with you, so here goes:

Ladies and gentlemen, below is the entire list of this year’s Section 1 honorees. Congrats to all of those who made it. You guys, as always, can feel free to leave your thoughts and tell me what you think.

Brad Jacobsen (Mamaroneck); Rob Mancino (Mamaroneck); Akeeba Marshal (Mount Vernon); Brian Cabrera (New Rochelle); Jonathan DosReis (New Rochelle); Daniel Espinoza (New Rochelle), Caleb Duncansen (Scarsdale); Eric Frieman (Scarsdale); Robbie Oliverio (Scarsdale); Henry Acosta (White Plains); J.P. Arenas (White Plains); Jhojan Restrepo (White Plains); Mike Barbetto (Clarkstown North); Eric Gioseffi (Clarkstown North); Matt Mahoney (Clarkstown North); Ryan Moroni (Clarkstown North); Stephen Maliszewski (North Rockland); Loucas Nesteros (North Rockland); Eric Garcia (Suffern); Evan Kwilecki (Suffern); Charlie Pirc (Suffern); Evan Shreck (Suffern); Matt Trauner (Suffern); Edgar Barragan (Yonkers); Evan Callahal (Brewster); Eli Duarte (Fox Lane); Harrison Lewin (Greeley); David Reison (Greeley); Scott Scheine (Greeley); Dan Thau (Greeley); Bucky Illingworth (John Jay); Andrew Snell (John Jay); Lukas Wear (John Jay); Lou DeMello (Lakeland); Mike Malan (Lakeland): Adam Purdy (Lakeland); Chris Coppolechia (Somers); Allen Mata (Yorktown); Joe Maloney (Beacon); Dan Vegrincic(Beacon); Martin Rodriguez (Hen Hud); Dan Wexler (Hen Hud)l Michael DaFont (Ossining); Sebastian Forero (Ossining); Zack Gabor (Ossining); Jorge Herrera (Ossining); Joey Dalleo (Our Lady of Lourdes); Rich Edwards (Lourdes); Tomo Oldiges (Lourdes); Anthony Rozmus (Lourdes); Kabiru Dere (Peekskill); Dan Edwards (Poughkeepsie); Gianpiero Torres (Harrison); Gian Luca Territo (Harrison); Nozomu Miyazaki (Keio); Shun Okamoto (Keio); Yuma Soga (Keio); Rui Tsutsumi (Keio); Kevin McCabe (Nyack); Luis Barajas (Port Chester); Mauricio Paiva (Port Chester); Chris Holihan (Tappan Zee); Spencer Martin (Tappan Zee); Joe Missale (Tappan Zee); Max Effron (Briarcliff); Michael Robinson (Briarcliff); Brian Myers (Byram Hills); Will Ogden (Byram Hills); Stephen Paresi (Byram Hills); Michael Szczesniak (Byram Hills); Eric Shum (Kennedy); William Brown (Pleasantville); David Hyman (Pleasantville); Billy Elliott (Pleasantville), John Bello (Westlake); Stefano Silvestri (Westlake); Colin Powers (Westlake); Anthony Capparelli (Eastchester); Aaron Sokol (Eastchester); Kenta Yamazoe (Eastchester); Kaito Komatsu (Edgemont); Justin Orden (Edgemont); Andrew Mandelbaum (Edgemont); Andrew Walmsley (Pelham); Badir Sherman (Pelham); Luke Byrnes (Rye); Andrew Klokiw (Rye); Matt O’Neill (Rye); Brian Whiston (Rye); Andrew Tartara (Albertus Magnus); Donny Mimnaugh (Albertus Magnus); Aaron Markowitz (Hastings); Cameron McNeil (Hastings); Savi Tober (Hastings); Matt Forster (Irvington); Daniel Davrew (Nanuet); Nick Capogrosso (Pearl River); Rob Ferreira (Pearl River); Carlos Gomez (Sleepy Hollow); Eric Waldman (Sleepy Hollow); Jason Ruivo (Sleepy Hollow); Harris Brett (Blind Brook); Brett Novick (Blind Brook); Rodrigo Amboss (Bronxville); Chris Dennen (Bronxville); Leighton Welch (Bronxville); Andre Ingenito (Valhalla); Paolo Luciano (Valhalla); John Michala (Hamilton); Jorge Vera (Hamilton); Gerson Felipe (Dobbs Ferry); Adam Fleishman (Solomon Schechter); Max Wein (Solomon Schechter); John Mulhearn (Tuckahoe); Alessandro Persampieri (Tuckahoe); Domenick Villano (Tuckahoe); Jorge Aldano (Dover); Nick Esposito (Dover); Eric Kelly (Dover); Adam Rohan (Haldane); Tom Kruze (North Salem); Dan Loftus (North Salem); Brian Span (North Salem); Greg Shea (North Salem)

Honorable mention
Mike Corenthal (Mamaroneck), John Henry (Mount Vernon), Santiago Rigby (Scarsdale), Adam Rose (Scarsdale), Andre Young (White Plains); Ari Nutovits (Clarkstown North); Cody Bovino (North Rockland); Jorge Mera (Ramapo); Steben Mathews (Suffern); Forest Valow-Picarello (Suffern); Seby Trotta (Suffern); Carlos Gamboa (Fox Lane); Dan Diorio (Greeley); Billy Epstein (John Jay); Anthony Femia (John Jay); Dan Foci (Lakeland); Bryan pacchiana (Lakeland); Ben Brenner (Somers); Tejorn Davis (Beacon); Jarrelle Joseph (Beacon); Gino Gallo (Hen Hud); Kenvick Gordon (Ossining); Nick Grant (Lourdes); Kevin Hummel (Lourdes); Michael Parish (Panas); Hank Rubenstein (Harrison); Makoto Sano (Harrison); Tomohiro Yatsumonji (Keio); Francis Moran (Nyack); Christian Castillo (Port Chester); Danny Kane (Tappan Zee); Gabe Bender (Briarcliff); Pat Vierengel (Byram Hills); Mike LaGreca (Kennedy); Adrain Vallejo (Pleasantville); Sebastian Munoz (Putnam Valley); Wiliam Reis (Putnam Valley); Darwin Gramajo (Westlake); Kiyota Gomi (Ardsley); Anthony Maiorano (Ardsley); Felipe Diaz (Eastchester); Curtis Trueb (Eastchester); Dan Weinstein (Edgemont); Juan Chang (Rye); Michael Lincoln (Albertus Magnus; Mike Pacheo (Hastings); Jackson Kerr (Irvington); Evan Ostrow (Nanuet); Chris Relihan (Pearl River); Chris Coronel (Sleepy Hollow); David Levinson (Blind Brook); Marcos Coto-Batres (Rye Neck); Peter Reca (Rye Neck); P.J. Flynn (Valhalla); Jairo Larios (Hamilton); Greg Klassen (Dobbs Ferry); Evan Marchand (Dobbe Ferry); Adam Leffell (Solomon Schechter); Scott Garcia (Dover); Matt O’Neill (Dover); Mike Cuzzi (North Salem); Tom Schumann (North Salem)

1) It occured to me, around the time Pelham tied its game with Lourdes, how few shutouts there were in the late rounds of sectionals. Nanuet was the only finals shutout victim. There were three more in eight semifinals. Usually the pressure of championship battles makes players tight, especially in the second half. When they’re tight they can’t run an offense and miss open looks. They get less precise. It didn’t happen this time.

2) Because I didn’t cover the AA game, I watched it among the fans in front of the stands. Minutes before the shootout began, while the teams gathered at midfield, Fishkill’s goalie ran over to where I was standing. “Where’s Kevin,” she yelled to the JJEF crowd. A kid I presumed to be Kevin stepped forward. “What do I do?” she asked with a shrug. The crowd laughed, but I wasn’t sure she was joking. She and Kevin huddled for a minute before she ran off. I didn’t think much of it at the time. But when Greeley scored on all four of its penalty kicks, I flashed back to that moment. Then I read Kristen Guernier’s comments in the game story, about how she works on stopping PKs every practice, how she felt comfortable in a tense extra session. Quite a contrast.

3) If you want a lesson on how to encourage your players/employees/children, watch Kim Saxton coach. Her Solomon Schechter team must have self-esteem coming out their ears. She praises them so much I was starting to feel bad about my outfit because she hadn’t said anything nice about it yet. At one point Maya Moskowitz made a nice dribbling move before losing the ball. Saxton got her attention as she jogged back upfield. “Maya! Hey Maya! I couldn’t ask for anything more, Maya!” After their comeback win she had tears streaking her face. When I approached her I half expected her to be filing adoption papers for all 20-something of her girls.

4) Got to tip my cap to Fishkill, which brought a big crowd of parents and students despite having the second-farthest to travel. Might have outnumbered Greeley’s fans. Good job by them coming out in support.

5) Speaking of travel, I wonder how many people are going to make the trek to Oneonta for the next round. Think it’s too far? Maybe, but at least it’s freezing cold. Weather reports says 43 degrees with 18 mph winds. Always seemed funny to me how the girls play a whole season in 60-75 degree sun, then when the most important games come it’s sub zero. A couple years ago in Oneonta the fields had to be snowplowed before the games could go on. New York State should annex one of the Virgin Islands and play its regionals there.

Two months of toil and we finally have our sectional champions. The four teams that won today have had stellar seasons and can’t complain about whatever happens from here on out. Most players tell me they have two preseason goals — league and sectional title. All four of these teams did both. Everything from here on out is gravy.

Just to recap, your champions are Greeley in AA, Lourdes in A, Briarcliff in B, and Schechter in C. The first three will travel on Tuesday to the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta to take on Section 4’s champs, all at 1 p.m. That’d be Corning in AA, Maine-Endwell in A, and Lansing in B. Only Maine-Endwell is ranked in the state. Schechter stays a little closer to home. It’ll face Section 9 winner S.S. Seward in the Hudson Valley Sports Dome in Milton at 5 p.m.

Greeley beats John Jay-East Fishkill in PKs. Greeley hit all four kicks it took. Pelham lost 2-1 to Lourdes, whose speed up front was unbelievable.

More later.

Well gang, the day most of us have been waiting for since the ball bags were officially opened in the preseason has arrived. In less than 12 hours, we will have champions crowned in each class. The Class A (1:30 p.m.), B (4 p.m.) and AA (6:30 p.m.) games are at Suffern Middle School while the Class C finale is at Bronxville High School at 2 p.m.

First up is No. 1 Byram Hills and No. 2 Lakeland meeting in a rematch of last year’s scintillating Class A championship game under the lights up in Cross River at John Jay. This should be one of the best—if not the most physical and exciting—game of the four. And we won’t have to wait long to see who the winner is. This is one of those games where you won’t want to fall behind becaise both teams are stingy defensively and the pressure will begin to mount as each second ticks off the clock.

Second comes top-seeded Valhalla and No. 2 Blind Brook meeting for the Class C crown. Blind Brook got the best of the Vikings in their Oct. 25 meeting, but don’t read too much into that because the Vikings rested four of their top players so they would be fresh for the postseason. I dont think these two teams like each other too much, so this should be an all out you know what.

Next up will be No. 3 Bronxville meeting top-seeded Hastings. The Yellow Jackets and Broncos haven’t met this season, so there’s nothing to gauge how this one will go. If nothing else, the Broncos do have more postseason experience since they played for the title last year, losing to Albertus Magnus in the championship game. But Hastings has silenced the doubters so far, so anyone who doesn’t think they have a legitimate shot isn’t thinking too claerl.

Lastly, there’s the game everyone predicted: No. 5 Greeley and No. 10 Scarsdale playing for the Class AA title at 6:30 p.m. If you thought this was going to be the matchup, please raise your hand. For those raising your hand, put them down quickly before they are struck by lightening. You have to give it to Greeley coach Bob Oddo and Scarsdale coach Joe Cipriano. Both have done a great job beating the odds to get their respective teams here and they are each one win away from the big dance, AKA the state tournament. Each team is loaded with seniors, so it will come down to the team that takes serious advantage of any good scoring opportunities they can get.

If for some reason you can’t make it to either of the two sites, have no feat. The Just Kickin’ It blog crew is here. I will do my best to provide you with instantaneous updates as the games go along. I will be at Suffern and my man Eric Lebowitz will be at Bronxville. So keep it right here if you have a prior engagement that won’t allow you to be there in person.

Check back early and often. In the meantime, I want you guys to weigh in with your predictions. Who ya got?

Seems like Fordham Prep is playing for a CHSAA city and state championship every year. Why should this year be any different?

I just talked to Rams coach Pete McNamara. He’s preparing for Fordham Prep’s game tomorrow against St. Francis. The teams are playing for the CHSAA A city title at 3 p.m. at St. John’s University and this is the fourth straight year the Rams are in position to win the city championship.

“It’s been a good run,” McNamara said.

The Rams are led by senior goalie Ryan Meara and senior Mike Mazzullo, a natural midfielder who made the switch to sweeper to help the team shore up its defense. Win or lose tomorrow, they have their eyes set on the CHSAA A state championship. They will play the Long Island champ, whih hasn’t been determined yet, at either 5 or 7 p.m. next Friday at Fordham University.

Should they win their semifinal game, they’d play for the state title on Sunday.