By JOHN LIKANJE
Ryan Lewin and Cosimo Ragionieri both posted a pair of goals as Charles G. Finney rolled to a 6-1 victory over division rival, Northstar Christian, in the Class D2 sectional semifinals.
Ragionieri scored a nifty goal in each half. The junior attacker netted the first point of the contest in the 14th minute by stealing the ball away from a Knights’ defender and slipping it left of the goalkeeper and down the middle for the goal. Less than two minutes into the second period, Ragionieri ignited a breakaway on the far left side, turned a few degrees towards his right and launched the ball into the upper right post to extend the lead to 3-0.
After the Knights finally got on the board in the 46th minute, Lewin restored order with back-to-back goals from close range in a 14-minute span. The eighth-grade midfielder extended the Falcons’ edge back to three goals in the 49th minute. Then Lewin snuck a chopper past the goalkeeper into the lower left post for a commanding 5-1 advantage.
“We’ve been saying for several games that their time was coming,” Falcons head coach Steve Merritt said about Lewin and Ragionieri. “Those two usually have the most opportunities. These guys took advantage of their chances today. Ryan is coming off the bench as an eighth-grader. It’s tough to play at this level and he showed that he’s got great talent.”
Martin Helguera and Gianni Minneccia rounded out the scoring. Minnecia struck from the left side of the box on an assist by senior attacker Harry Ngo in the 29th minute. Helguera took a chance on a breakaway and launched a ball into the back of the net to cap off the game’s scoring with 13 minutes remaining. Overall, the Falcons accumulated 20 shots, including 13 on goal.
“We exposed some things,” Merritt said. “We got lucky with a couple of bounces, but we took advantage of our chances. This is our first game on turf, so I was a little worried about how the boys would respond playing on a surface like this when it’s wet. But they played well. We got five seniors, guys with a lot of experience.”
Not only did the Falcons’ defense pitch a shutout in the first 45 minutes of the match, they didn’t allow a single shot in the entire first period. Goalkeeper Jadon Maus finished with six saves.
“I’ve had David (Crandall) for four years,” Merritt said when praising his defense. “I’ve had No. 23 (Nick Pasquentonio) for three years. Those two know each other well and they’re just dialed in. It’s a rivalry game, so it always makes us a little more focused, but I can’t say how well enough they adapted to the game plan that we needed to shut them down.”
.@SecVBoysSoccer D2 semifinals: @FinneySchool vs. @NCA1972 – Jadon Maus with the save. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/OlmpdW8QTc
— John Mitchell Likanje Junior (@jml5798) October 27, 2021
For the Knights, senior defender Josh Copeland rebounded a bounce and headed the ball into the top right post of the goal.
.@SecVBoysSoccer D2 semifinals: @FinneySchool vs. @NCA1972 – Josh Copeland plays the rebound and heads the ball past the keeper to put the Knights on the board. 46′ Charles G. Finney 3 Northstar Christian 1. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/Vq3GrnCqOT
— John Mitchell Likanje Junior (@jml5798) October 27, 2021
Charles G. Finney advances to the Class D2 sectional final and will take on No. 4 seed Scio on Friday. Scio took down top-seeded Hinsdale, 4-1, in the other semifinal game at Bolivar-Richburg High School.
“Scio is a good team,” Merritt said. “I’ve heard a lot about them as we’ve been playing. So I expect a really tight contest. It’s the sectional final, so everyone always steps up another gear there. We’re just going to do our own preparation. Definitely got to talk to some people who have played them, get a little bit of a scouting report in and prep for them.”
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