By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It should come as no surprise that McQuaid’s Jesuit Knights handed the Clarence Red Devils their second defeat and shutout of the season in this past weekend’s New York State Class AA Far West Regional championship. The Jesuit Knights, after all, have been frustrating opposing offenses all season long.
But lost in the mix of gaudy offensive numbers and discussions as to whether their schedule warranted lofty rankings, the Jesuit Knights have played a defense stingy enough to make ol’ Ebenezer blush.
It’s a defense that’s as much about a mentality as it is system.
“A lot of it is just grit and attitude to win the ball,” senior midfielder Adriano Margiotta said. “I feel like we have a lot of that in our defensive line.”
To date, the Knights have allowed just six goals through 20 games. When starting goalkeeper Tommy Gallina mans the area between the pipes, McQuaid has surrendered only two tallies – both via penalty kick.
VIEW MORE CHRISTOPHER CECERE PHOTOS HERE.
“One of the things we preach is intensity in getting to the ball first,” second-year coach Nino Pilato said. “The 50/50 balls change momentum so if we can continue to win those throughout the game obviously the momentum is in our favor.”
McQuaid has turned a 50/50 chance into an advantage all season long.
“It’s the combination of a couple things,” Pilato added referring his squad’s defensive shape. “We have several great athletes who can play defense for us. They all do the job quite well.”
Leading the way is Alex Reale. The senior stopper, who plays in tandem with sweeper and fellow classmate Quinn Minich.
“Alex is a stud,” Pilato said. “He’s one of the staples of the defense. He’s tall. He’s fast. He’s got good ball skills too. He can win the 50/50 balls and then settle a play and control the ball for us.”
Reale spearheads an experienced defensive corps including outside backs Dylan Duffy and Mike Riedman along with Andy LoCicero.
“My job is to be angry,” Reale said with a smile. “I got to be hungry. I just got to have the mentality that I’m going to win every ball.”
From there Reale admits the rest of the responsibility is on Minich.
“He basically cleans up our garbage when we mess up. It works. We’re marking, the three of us me and the outside two. Quinn basically picks up what we leave behind.”
With that approach, McQuaid has allowed one goal through four post-season contests – a first-half penalty kick conversion to Hilton in a 2-1 win in the Section V Class AA final.
Clarence entered play Saturday night averaging 3.947 goals per game. The Red Devils romped through Section VI outscoring opponents 14-1 in three postseason matches leading up to Saturday. The then No. 2 ranked team in the NYSSWA poll managed nine shots on goal – the most Gallina had seen all season. Many of those proved to be easy saves.
“We know a big part of the game is if you win 50/50s,” Reale said. “It doesn’t allow the other team to build well. If you win, it disrupts the play.”
Etching their Spot in History
McQuaid will be making the soccer program’s second state final four appearance in the school’s history when they take the field Saturday in Middletown, New York. The Jesuit Knights play Ithaca (IV) in the semi-finals. See the complete state bracket here. The 2005 Jesuit Knights won the Far West Region and advanced to the state finals before losing to Shenendehowa (II), 1-0.
“It’s so special,” Reale said. “We have a chance to make history, and I think that’s amazing. We’re just all so excited to go and hopefully win.”
Postseason Production
Dan Malloy has scored in three of McQuaid’s four postseason contests. The only non-senior in the starting lineup, Malloy had the eventual game winner in Saturday’s tilt. He tallied less than one minute into the Knights win over Hilton and provided the first goal in McQuaid’s 6-0 quarter-final win over Gates-Chili. Just don’t think think the junior attacker is solely focused on offensive numbers.
“Dan’s a hard worker,” Pilato said. “He’s a guy who plays up top, but he also tracks back and wins some of those 50/50 balls in the midfield and then turns around and attacks. He’s a kid who’s got a knack for the goal. He’s a finisher.”
Key Additions to the Lineup
McQuaid’s returns eight starters from last season. Gallina and the backline all played those roles a year ago as well Malloy up front with Margiotta and Justin LaFountain in the midfield. Brennan Brown moved into the first 11 from last year. Dominic Duncan and Nick Pierleoni round out McQuaid’s 11-man gang. Duncan sat out last season after transferring from Gates-Chili High School. He leads the Knights with 16 goals, but the senior attacker has drawn considerable attention from opposing defenses during the postseason and has taken the opportunity to become a facilitator for the Knights.
Pierleoni, a student at McQuaid since seventh grade, played the previous three seasons with Empire United. The midfielder made the move from the academy this season to join his classmates. He admitted that he received some good-natured needling in previous years encouraging him to wear the Black and Gold, but ultimately it was the possibility of being part of something special that lured him back.
“Guys were always saying stuff,” Pierleoni said. “You know ‘Play for McQuaid, blah, blah, blah.’ But it was always what I wanted to do. I always wanted to win with my team once.”
“He’s just a steady leader,” Pilato said of Pierleoni. “He understands the game. He processes the game very well. He’s able to slow the play down for us.”
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find Out What It Means to Me
McQuaid has held the top spot in the state since September 25th – a stretch that includes seven weeks at No. 1. But it wasn’t until recently that the Knights garnered local attention as the top team. Critics have pointed to McQuaid’s play in the RCAC where the Knights finished 6-0-0 but one of their wins included a 5-0 handling of World of Inquiry – a Far West Region finalist for Class B.
“We use their doubt as a motivation to keep pushing that extra mile to make sure that we prove them wrong,” Gallina said.
Early Risers
McQuaid and Ithaca (13-3-0) kick off Saturday at 8:45 a.m in one NYS Class AA semifinal.
Leave a Reply