By PAUL GOTHAM
WEBSTER, N.Y. — Julian Distant insists it was a shot.
With 16:55 remaining in the second half of Tuesday’s Section V Class A Boys’ first-round match-up, Distant took a pass from teammate Adam Holt and unleashed a shot from 45 yards away along the right flank.
The blast proved to be the difference as No. 14 seed Aquinas knocked off third-seeded Webster Thomas, 2-1.
The junior outside back’s first goal of the season was true to his name as it left in its wake eight different opponents who could only watch as the ball traveled from Distant’s right foot over their heads and into the opposite side netting.
“I’ve been looking for that shot all season,” he said. “I feel like that’s my range, my shot. I saw space, an opening. Just decided to trust my shot and try it.”
With the win, Aquinas advanced to play No. 6 Spencerport in Friday’s quarter-final round.
64’ Julian Distant pushes up from the backline and unleashes this blast into the opposite side netting to give Aquinas a 2-1 lead over Thomas. pic.twitter.com/uutqXzUPaU
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 11, 2020
“Julian is known in practice for taking these ill-advised shots,” Aquinas head coach Josh Gleason said laughing. “He blasts them over the top. He hits them into the woods, whatever.
“We had a game plan in the back to not play with the ball too much, use two-touches in the back. He was playing a lot of good balls. He got up into the attack and took advantage.”
The victory was the first in sectional play for Aquinas since 2017 when the Li’l Irish (then a No. 4 seed) beat fifth-seeded East. Tuesday’s win was the first over a three-seed or higher since AQ beat No. 3 Arcadia in the quarter-finals of the 2013 Class A tournament.
“Proud of the kids,” Gleason said. “It’s unbelievable for them. This is for all the teams before that couldn’t get over that hump. These guys found a way.”
It didn’t look that way early.
Webster Thomas pushed forward off the opening kickoff and earned a corner kick that center back Isaac Buckley converted for a 1-nil lead.
4’ Isaac Buckley moves up from his center back spot and converts on the early corner kick opportunity to give @ThomasAthletics a 1-0 lead over Aquinas in Boys’ Class A action. pic.twitter.com/qyg6sOCENG
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 11, 2020
Eight days earlier, Aquinas surrendered three goals in less than six minutes in a loss to Arcadia. It looked for a few moments like history might repeat.
But the Li’l Irish steadied the ship.
“They came at us pretty fierce, but I feel like we had a drive in us to win this game,” Distant said. “Coming in as a 14-seed, we wanted to pull off the upset and put on a demo.”
Freshman Alphonso Vito leveled the match with 7:33 to go in the first half.
“The last 10 minutes of that first half I felt us get momentum,” junior Tyler Wegman said. “We just kept going and going. I just don’t think Thomas could catch up with us.”
Gleason used a last-minute lineup change to neutralize the Titans’ leading scorer, Zach Wolfe.
“Last night, Jack Clark wasn’t even in our game plan,” Gleason admitted. “I woke up this morning and talked to a couple buddies in the community and took a shot on Jack.”
Wolfe came into the game scoring 12 goals in 11 games.
“We knew he was going to be tough,” Gleason of the senior attacker. “We were going to try and win with nine guys on the field, basically. Just try to follow him all over the place. We just wanted Jack to stay with that kid and disrupt him.”
Aquinas narrowly missed the go-ahead tally earlier when Liam Clifford nodded an Ali Shabani corner kick just wide of frame.
Liam Clifford came this close to giving Aquinas the lead. pic.twitter.com/MjAeUhQFSf
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 11, 2020
Distant was right on target.
“I was calling for the ball,” said Wegman who was along the touch line on the right side. “When I saw him take it, I was thinking ‘oh, is he crossing it?’ Then I looked at it and was, Oh, my God, that’s going in the goal. I saw it drop in. I was like wow!”
Aquinas improved to 4-8-1 on the season.
“A lot of the boys are very good soccer players, but they’re young,” Gleason noted. “A lot of the games this year they go into it and they’re not sure. They don’t know if they can beat the opponent for that day. They don’t know that they’re on the same level as other teams. I attribute a lot of it to their youth. They’re young kids.”
Wegman earned the assist on Vito’s goal.
Kevin Howse with the 🤛 out. pic.twitter.com/OBe2OOyD24
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 11, 2020
Taner Goren assisted on the lone Webster Thomas (8-3-1) tally. The Titans had won four of five coming into the game.
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