By PAUL GOTHAM
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Taha Ahmed redirected a Kenny Suen cross with 14:34 to go in regulation, and the Clarence Red Devils held on to beat the Hilton Cadets, 1-0 in the New York State Class A Far West Regional at Sweet Home High School, Saturday night.
Suen started the play along the left wing with a rush of 25 yards to the end line before he found Ahmed in the middle of the 18-yard box.
After Clarence dictated play earlier in the second half, it appeared Hilton had started to put together momentum before Ahmed struck.
“We had them in a good place for a long period of time and unfortunately just one little situation didn’t quite work out the way we wanted it to,” Hilton head coach Mike Ellicott said. “It was a great battle. We knew in the first half from the get go they were going to be a tough team.”
The Cadets had a pair of opportunities late in the game but could not beat Clarence goalkeeper Spencer Gatalano.
“You’ve got a good solid back four, that is no-nonsense and clears the lines well and puts the ball into dangerous places,” Ellicott added. “It’s purposeful, but it’s not intricate.
“Their front four, five or six guys are pretty silky on the ball. I can see how they’re going to make a good run. They’ve got some talent.”
The loss ended a season in which Hilton opened going undefeated in the first 13 games. They claimed their second straight Monroe County Division title for the first time in program history and were looking to reach the state semifinals for the second time in four years.
“The one thing that they’ve done that can’t be taken away: they’ve left a footprint on this program that has set the standard now,” Ellicott said referring to his senior class. “This group of 13 seniors, many of which didn’t play tons of minutes, were so influential in this program. The way that they conducted themselves. They way that they’ve led. They set the tone and set the standard for the future of our program.”
The Cadets (15-3-2) have reached the Section V finals four times since 2014.
Clarence will play the Port Washington (IIX) vs. Walt Whitman (XI) in next weekend’s NYS semifinal. A 1:30 PM start time is scheduled at Middletown High School.
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