By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Matt Vergamini wanted to see his squad shrug off some late-season struggles.
The 18th-year head coach of Greece Arcadia boys’ soccer received his wish.
Anthony DiMaggio netted a pair of goals, and the third-seeded Titans advanced to the Section V Class A quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over No. 14 Webster Thomas.
“Our focus was to get ourselves back up to where we were playing earlier in the season,” Vergamini said. “I was very happy with how we played tonight.”
A quick start had a lot to do with Arcadia’s success, Thursday night.
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“That was one of our focuses coming into the game,” he stated. “We wanted to have a strong start. The last week, week and a half of the season we weren’t having good starts. Kinda took a dip down.”
Less than three minutes into the match, Arcadia’s pressure created a corner kick. Two minutes later, Julian Silva blasted a shot that sailed just over the crossbar.
“We really focused this week on switching our point of attack and looking to play quick, looking to play two-touch soccer,” he explained.
Two more corner kicks followed before Arcadia found the back of the net.
DiMaggio redirected a an Aidan Lewandowski cross from the left wing for the first marker of the night. The pair combined early in the second half for the final margin of victory.
Buildup rewarded: Anthony DiMaggio on the finishing end of an Aidan Lewandowski cross. @SoccerArcadia 1-0 pic.twitter.com/w7fUEca8re
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 21, 2021
“The combination play with me and him, it’s a connection we have,” Lewandowski said. “We’re always confident with each other. We know how each other plays.”
Lewandowski’s two assists on the night ran his team-high total to 12 helpers on the season. The midfielder’s impact was felt throughout the game.
“He’s a very dynamic player on the ball,” Vergamini said. “He’s someone who puts excellent services in for us. He can really put a ball right on a guy’s foot, can drive a ball across on a corner kick. He’s someone who’s an unselfish player, likes to set up other players to score. You saw it tonight. We went through him a lot.”
Aidan Lewandowski and @SoccerArcadia keeping on the pressure. pic.twitter.com/crZUrAC3iu
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 21, 2021
Thursday’s game had added importance for Lewandowski, a senior.
“We came into this game, the seniors were a little nervous,” Lewandowski said. “Sectionals, we didn’t want this to be our last game, but we didn’t let that affect us. We came in, had our game plan set and achieved our game plan. Got the win.”
Aidan Lewandowski doing it on both ends – nodding out this Thomas attempt on the corner. pic.twitter.com/fAAvaKub9m
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 21, 2021
Webster Thomas keeper Jason Riek made nine saves.
Arcadia’s Gabe Taylor stopped three shots.
Arcadia will host the Honeoye Falls-Lima — Pittsford Mendon winner in Tuesday’s quarter-final. Arcadia took the only meeting of the season with HF-L while playing to a in one game with Mendon and beating the Vikings later in the season.
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