By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Webster Thomas boys soccer team ended the regular season with two straight losses. They entered play Thursday night down two starters including their goalie. Less than six minutes into the contest, the Titans found themselves trailing.
And somehow the conditions seemed just right.
Senior Ryan Cullen netted a pair of goals as the No. 7 Titans rallied to defeat No. 6 Webster Schroeder, 2-1 to advance to Tuesday’s Section Five Class AA final against Fairport.
The win was the second straight for Thomas over their crosstown rival after dropping the first meeting of the season between the two.
“It feels really good,” Cullen said of the win. “I wanted to finish. We had lost to them earlier in the season. I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again.”
Cullen took advantage of a give away near the midstripe and beat three Schroeder defenders to tie the game just before halftime. He put the Titans ahead in the 55th minute when he followed teammate Cuneyt Vardar’s blast from 35 yards.
“He’s got an extra gear when he gets going,” Thomas head coach Steve Grosse said of his player. “He’s not going to be a winner of the ball in the air. He’s going to run past you with quick feet.”
Cullen had a chance to tie the game earlier, but his header off a Danny Charleton cross bounced wide of frame.
“I knew it wasn’t over for me,” Cullen said “That early in the game. I knew I was going to get more opportunities.
With starting goalkeeper Andrew Kennedy on the bench because of a concussion suffered in the sectional opener against Edison/Monroe, Jake Witte stepped in and held down the fort for the Titans.
“Jake has been solid,” Grosse said. “He is a scrappy kind of kid.”
The junior goalkeeper denied Ryan Delaney an opportunity to tie the game in the 71st minute. Delaney used a spin move in the box to deliver a shot that looked like it would get in under the crossbar. That is until Witte tracked it down.
“He was able to keep the ball out of the net,” Grosse added. “He did a great job tonight.”
Schroeder beat Thomas 2-1 in the first meeting between the two teams on September 29th. The Titans returned the favor five days later.
“You know, it’s always a dog fight,” Grosse noted. “The first one was real emotional as the first half was tonight. Second one was a delayed game because of lightning. We came out on top in that one. Tonight to go down one-nothing early on and then to come back. We’ve come back several times like that over the course of the year. Our signature is hustle and work. Our kids run hard. They put a lot of pressure on the ball. They work hard and generate goals out of their pressure.”
Thomas will play Fairport in the Class AA final. The Red Raiders won the only meeting of the season between the two.
“That game was kind of a debacle of a game on both sides of the field for us,” Grosse explained. “Bunch of injuries and things like that occurred. Looking forward to having a different style to go against them. They’re used to something a little bit different. We’ve been playing really well recently in this sectional run – three in a row. We’re looking forward to playing them and seeing what we got. Let it all hang out.”
Thomas last won a sectional title in 2008, the last of three straight championship victories for the school.
“We’re very excited to have the opportunity,” Grosse said. “Our goal was to get through to the finals and see what happens there.”
Colin Merkey gave Schroeder the lead in the sixth minute with a volley from the right side of the 18-yard box.
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