By PAUL GOTHAM
So father does know best.
Dylan Rice entered Friday’s Class A1 quarter-final with four goals in the previous 16 games. The Greece Athena freshman equalled his season output in the Trojans 4-0 victory over the Pittsford-Mendon Vikings Friday afternoon.
Rice gave the credit to one person.
“My dad always tells me to shoot,” he noted. “He has been telling me this entire year to shoot because I haven’t been shooting enough.”
The proof was on the scoreboard.
Rice stung Mendon early and often with a quartet of lasers, and the Trojans (9-6-2) beat their divisional rival for the third time this season.
“Coming into this game we knew Mendon would be much different than the Mendon we played last time. I just knew that we had to step it up.”
The freshman midfielder let fly with a blast from 20 yards away for his first goal of the day.
“The first goal was my favorite.”
Teammate CJ Takatch gathered the ball along the left side of the 18-yard box and found Rice at the top.
“I just got the ball and he told me to take it easy, to calm down,” Rice said of his teammate. “I was like ‘no, I’m hitting it.’”
Three minutes later, Rice intercepted a clearing attempt inside the 18-yard box and beat Mendon goalkeeper Ian Schmitt.
Rice added an insurance goal eight minutes into the second half when teammate Mike Tracy led him along the right side of the 18-yard box. Rice split a pair of defenders with a spin move and found the opposite side netting for a 3-0 advantage.
“We knew that they man-marked on defense, and I saw him take the defender away,” he said of his teammate. “I just turned and had one.”
Rice put the game out of reach when he converted a penalty kick in the 65th minute.
FINAL: Dylan Rice nets 4. Michael Monti makes 14 saves. @athena_soccer 4 Mendon 0 Class A1 quarterfinal pic.twitter.com/uqP4KV6a8w
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 20, 2017
Michael Monti was spectacular in goal for the Trojans. The senior goalkeeper made 14 saves on the day including three from close range opportunities in the final 10 minutes. He made a save on a point blank attempt as the horn sounded to end the game. It was Monti’s third shutout against Mendon (7-9-1) on the season, as the Trojans outscored their counterparts, 10-0 in the three contests.
Michael Monti gets the punch out for @athena_soccer pic.twitter.com/erbWhLYDUQ
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 20, 2017
Fourth-seeded Athena moves on to play No. 1 seed Brighton for a spot in the finals. The time and location of next Tuesday’s Class A1 semi-finals are to be announced.
Athena has won the last three A1 titles.
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