By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Call it a case of giving the third degree.
Senior Dan Rooney netted three goals, and the McQuaid Jesuit Knights defeated the Aquinas Li’l Irish, 6-0 in non-league action at the Wegmans Sports Complex Thursday. The win was the third for McQuaid this season over its long-time rival.
Rooney gave the Knights a commanding lead with three straight tallies beginning in the latter stages of the first half.
“It feels pretty good,” Rooney said. “Obviously it’s a great team win. For me personally in my last game against Aquinas it’s bittersweet, but it’s really nice to come out here and be able to do that.”
With Knights leading 1-0, Rooney one-timed a pass from from Brennan Brown in the 36th minute.
“Dylan (Duffy) played a quick free kick out wide,” Rooney explained. “Brown got it to the end line. It just kinda trickled across. It wasn’t a great finish, but it got the job done.”
One minute later, Justin LaFountain led Rooney into the open field for a 3-0 McQuaid going into halftime.
Dom DiMonda assisted on Rooney’s third goal of the night and 22nd of the season.
“Finishing is one thing, but he is just a great leader,” first-year McQuaid coach Nino Pilato said. “He keeps the boys grounded. He’s there for his teammates.”
The Knights topped Aquinas, 2-0 in the consolation match of the 2016 Catholic Cup held at the Wegmans Sports Complex earlier this season. McQuaid erased a one-goal deficit to beat the Li’l Irish 4-1 nine days ago on Tom Seymour Field.
“Obviously it’s huge,” Rooney said of the season sweep. “They’re a good team and to come in and beat them twice on their home turf that says a lot about how we play and what kind of momentum we’re bringing forward into the sectionals.”
“We knew they were going to give us a tough game, and they were going to come out hard,” Pilato said. “Three times in a season against the same team. We talked earlier about keeping focus and being ready. The boys responded.”
Senior defender Alessandro Margiotta got the Knights on the scoreboard with his first goal of the season.
“It was a nice shot,” Pilato said. “It was nice to see him get on the score sheet.”
Aquinas threatened late in the first half. Sophomore defender Aidan Kopacz stopped a three on one break. At the other end of the field, Justin Pumputis attempted to level the match, but he sent a header just over the bar.
“Our energy level was good; our execution was not,” Aquinas coach Josh Gleason stated. “We played hard. We just didn’t come out and do what we needed.”
Mark Croop and Brown added late goals for McQuaid.
The win was the seventh straight for McQuaid (14-2-0) which will wait eight days before it takes to the pitch in the sectionals.
“First day of the second season starts tomorrow for us,” Rooney stated. “We’re right back at it tomorrow. It’s a new season for us. Coach said from the beginning ‘first season is the regular season; second is sectionals, and third season is beyond that.’ We’re looking to play until…whatever it is November 13th – the state finals.”
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