By PAUL GOTHAM
EAST ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Frustration came early and often for Ian Szemcsak Wednesday night.
For the first 105-plus minutes of game time, the leading scorer of East Rochester’s boys’ soccer team could not capitalize on his opportunities to find the back of the net.
The senior attacker, though, regained his shooting touch just in time.
Szemcsak took a pass from teammate Perry Francis along the left wing, beat one defender and connected on the game winner in the 109th minute.
“So many thoughts were going through my head because I had two of those opportunities already, and I couldn’t bury them,” he said after East Rochester’s 2-1 win over Holley in the opening round of the 2021 Section V Class C1 playoffs. “I needed to bury that one. It was very intense.”
Szemcsak’s 15th tally of the season clinched a spot in the quarter-finals against league rival Williamson.
“He’s an absolute work horse,” first-year ER head coach Mike Yacuzzo said. “He knows he had an off night tonight. We just told him to keep his head high. At halftime, he figured it out, and he didn’t beat himself up. Came out and buried that one for us. It was huge.”
Ian Szemcsak connects on the Golden Goal late in the second overtime. @ERBombers advance to the C1 quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Holley. pic.twitter.com/Xm0R22SYKZ
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 21, 2021
Holley’s defensive game plan was simple and effective: surround Szemcask and limit the opportunities for ER speedster Jalen McCoy (12 goals). The chances the Bombers had in the first half came via set pieces and counterattack situations. When breakdowns occurred, Holley keeper Broek Ostrom thwarted the Bombers’ offense with a series of saves.
“It was probably the worst day of finishing I want to say I’ve ever had,” Szemcsak stated. “It was rough. They definitely had two, three guys on me at all times. I heard them talking about it, too. It’s rough when you got people man-marking you.”
Ostrom comes up big again for Holley. pic.twitter.com/QdHJFzI2Ge
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 20, 2021
ER’s first tally goes in the book as an own goal. Szemcsak’s pressure, though, forced a rushed clearing from a Hawks’ defender. The ball bounced off a teammate and into the Holley net.
The game winner came as the result of a rare one-on-one situation Szemcsak had with a defender.
“It was a perfect ball,” he said. “The ball was already past them (the backline of Holley’s defense), so I had an opening. The goalie was always going low to his right, so I shot it to my right. It felt amazing.”
A junior on ER’s 2020 squad that won the program’s second straight sectional, Szemcsak is the lone 12th grader on this year’s team.
“He was so hyped for this game,” Yacuzzo said. “The only senior, all his best friends are supporting him. He feels the weight of the world which we’re trying to take off him a little bit. This win will hopefully help him with that. He’s an all-star. He really is.”
Big save from Broek Ostrom keeps the game scoreless. pic.twitter.com/nObTrpyAW8
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 20, 2021
Jesse Patterson connected on an unassisted goal to give Holley a 1-nil lead with 5:42 remaining in the first half.
Holley’s Jesse Patterson starts the scoring with a strike from the corner of the 18. pic.twitter.com/JozXddfLxJ
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 20, 2021
With its sixth win in seven games, ER (9-7-1) will travel to Williamson (No. 19 NYSSWA Class C) for a 6:30 p.m. start on Saturday. The Bombers are unbeaten against the Marauders this season having taken the Wayne County opener for both teams, 2-1 before playing to one-all tie on September 29th.
“You can look at the records,” Yacuzzo said. “You can look at the goals. Whoever shows up is going to win the game. Consistently we get these guys showing up and getting the results.”
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