Top-seeded Avoca (No. 12 NYSSWA) and Bradford meet in one semifinal while Belfast and Scio kick off in the second matchup of the D2 final four. Spots in the final are up for grabs. Here’s the breakdown:
No. 1 seed Avoca Tigers (17-0-0) vs. No. 4 seed Bradford Braves (12-5-0)
How they got here: Avoca defeated No. 9 Hinsdale 3-0 in the quarterfinals while Bradford took down the No. 5 seed Houghton to advance.
Season matchup: The Steuben County Division II rivals met twice this season; Avoca took both 2-1.
Names to know: Avoca – LaDre Stanford (35 goals, three assists), Devin Stowe (nine goals, 22 assists), Kade Slayton (four goals, seven assists) and AJ Peterson (57 saves, 11 goals against).
Bradford – Hector Gracia (20 goals, four assists), Joseph Miller (eight goals, one assist), Andrea Marangoni (six goals, four assists), Caleb Wakeman (two goals, six assists) and Tyler Spina (92 saves, 17 goals against).
Coaches: John Stamets (Avoca), Steven Spina (Bradford)
History 101: Bradford advanced to the finals last season as the No. 1 seed, where the Braves fell to Belfast. Avoca has remained in the top half of D2 since 2016, but have yet to advance past the semifinals.
The teams’ third matchup of the season is set to begin at 7 p.m. at Cohocton on Tuesday.
No. 2 seed Belfast Bulldogs (14-2-1) vs. No. 3 seed Scio Tigers (12-4-1)
How they got here: Belfast advanced after defeating No. 7 Andover 3-0 while Scio defeated No. 6 Prattsburgh 2-0 to move on.
Season matchup: Scio won 3-2 against Belfast in a non-league, regular season game.
Names to know: Belfast – Adam Enders (33 goals, 15 assists), McKenzie Cox (seven goals, one assist), Hunter Enders (seven goals, four assists) and Matt Weaver (six goals, five assists).
Scio – Petro Kattan (16 goals, one assist), Vitor Casagrande (nine goals, six assists), Arthur Sivade (six goals, nine assists), Carter Scholla (five goals, 13 assists) and Seth Porter (70 saves, 15 goals against).
Coaches: Mark Sullivan (Belfast), Dennis Karns (Scio)
History 101: Belfast is the reigning sectional champion, defeating Houghton, Avoca, and Bradford along the way.
The two will meet for a 6:30 PM start at Genesee Valley, Tuesday.
Leave a Reply