By BILLY HEYEN
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — McQuaid’s campus hosted a varsity athletic home game for the first time in more than seven months when its soccer team took the field Wednesday night.
“You know, just a blessing to be out here,” McQuaid head coach Nino Pilato said.
The Knights (1-0-0) made their return to the pitch count, winning 6-1 over Aquinas (0-1-1) on Wednesday night at McQuaid Jesuit High School. Andrew O’Hern led the way for the Knights with two goals, while Adam Holt had the Li’l Irish’s lone goal in defeat. For a McQuaid team looking to contend in Class AA, it was the start the Knights wanted.
“Hopefully it’s a little confidence boost,” Pilato said.
Like all other fall-sport athletes, McQuaid’s players waited out a long summer of uncertainty, wondering whether there’d be a chance to put their uniforms back on in the fall. The return to the field came about a month later than usual by the time the Knights opened practice on Sept. 21.
The logistics around the game were different, too. An adult on each sideline grabbed the ball when it went out of play and sprayed sanitizer on it. The stands were sparsely filled, with only two spectators allowed per player. Some players wore masks, and instead of sitting on benches, the reserves sat spread out in individual folding chairs on the sideline.
By the time Wednesday’s season-opener rolled around, though, the Knights would’ve played anyone.
“The boys were excited,” Pilato said. “Chomping at the bit to get out on the field again.”
Everyone was a bit rusty. The Knights couldn’t agree on when to switch from passing to shooting during their warmups. The game’s first score came via an Aquinas own goal on a tricky free kick in the wind, and a McQuaid penalty kick hit the bar.
McQuaid also showed the moments of quality that can make it a contender again in 2020. Striker Wilson Brauer slotted the Knights’ second goal home into the left corner to open his senior-year scoring account. O’Hern’s first goal was a half volley with his weaker left foot as he flashed across the penalty area — just “muscle memory,” he called it.
“When you get the confidence to put the ball in the back of the net, things start to flow a little bit differently,” Pilato said. “Actually, their three goals were all legit.”
McQuaid Goal: 2-0 Knights after Wilson Brauer slots it into the left corner after an initial attempt was blocked. About 23 until half. @PickinSplinters @mcquaidjesuit @wilsonbrauer pic.twitter.com/zEL0Ez3CbF
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) October 7, 2020
O’Hern’s second again came from intelligent movement off the ball, something he said he’s been working on for the last few years. This time, O’Hern slipped in behind the defense to beat Aquinas to a through ball and finish into the left corner.
“He’s fast and he reads the game real well,” Pilato said. “So he can capitalize on through balls or capitalize on mistakes. He’s a good finisher, hard to stop him.”
For all but one sequence, McQuaid’s defense kept Aquinas from any serious chances on Niyen Ruffin in goal. The Li’l Irish looked to attack down the right flank for the entirety of the first half, but the Knights’ John Palermo jumped a couple passing lanes and stuck his foot in to win a few more balls back, too.
The lone Aquinas goal came down the left side in the second half. After Ali Shabani initiated a counter attack with slick footwork, he fed Mello Cancellieri, who swung the ball back out wide to Adam Holt on the left wing. Holt cut inside to his right foot before unleashing a curler from deep that found the upper-right corner.
“I thought Aquinas really played a good game,” Pilato said. “They had a couple mistakes that led to a couple goals. But overall I thought they played well. Well-coached team.”
Aquinas goal: Impressive build-up from Ali Shabani sets up a wonder goal from distance by Adam Holt. McQuaid leads 3-1 midway through second half. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/M999MHZwX3
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) October 7, 2020
McQuaid scored twice more in the game’s closing stages, first off a deflection that might’ve been a second own goal, and then via the knee of Knights midfielder Henry McDonald.
Henry McDonald uses his knee (?) to great effect and it’s 6-1 McQuaid. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/Wk0GQvgen4
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) October 8, 2020
The final scoreline in a season-opener in this year was always going to mean something a little different. After the game, O’Hern summed up the bigger picture, “We weren’t even sure we were going to have a season.”
But the season has finally arrived, and the Knights are off and running.
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