Avon rolls into regional

By PAUL GOTHAM

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — Trevor Stroud connected on an early goal, and the Avon Braves (20-0-0) continued their undefeated run with a 2-0 victory over Red Creek in the New York State Class C regional qualifier, Tuesday night at Canandaigua Academy.

Stroud ran on to an Evan Masten cross in the fourth minute of the contest and nodded in his fifth goal of the season.

“That was huge,” Avon head coach Tony Patti said. “We were playing well. We knew that we just needed to keep doing what we were doing.”

The play started on the right side of the field where Masten stepped in front of a clearing attempt. The senior outside back needed two touches to loft a ball far post. Stroud slipped behind a pair of Red Creek defenders and finished far side netting.

4’ Magnificent combination. Evan Masten cross. Trevor Stroud nods it home. ⁦@avon_central⁩ 1-0 pic.twitter.com/qg1A4QrYGS

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 3, 2022

With 16 straight shutouts coming into the match, the one goal looked enough.

“We were controlling the pace,” Patti noted. “We certainly created plenty of chances. We needed to finish a little bit better in the first half. We knew if we put in another one we’d be in really good shape.”

Hudson Volpe doubled the advantage midway through the second half. The senior midfielder climbed the ladder to finish off an Austin Lattuca corner kick from the right flag.

The goal was Volpe’s sixth of the season, and Lattuca collected his team-leading 14th assist.

Avon finished the game with a 21-3 advantage in shots. The Braves’ backline of Cael Driscoll, Jack Ruter and Masten again frustrated an opponent in the final third of the field.

“You’re talking about a center back who is an amazing leader and so steady,” Patti said of Driscoll. “Our two outside backs are elite athletes, tenacious, just fearless. As a group of three, just really hard to deal with.”

57’ BEAUTY! Hudson Volpe with the nod. ⁦@avon_central⁩ 2-0 pic.twitter.com/iIM5nQkkhl

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 3, 2022

The win added another in a season of firsts for the Avon boys’ soccer program. The Braves, which claimed their first sectional title in program history this past weekend, will now continue this run into the final eight.

“It’s an honor to be coaching this team. This group is very special. They’ve played together since they were third and fourth graders with me coaching them. We’ve been together a long time. We have very close relationships. To see the young ball boys tonight, they want to be part of that moving forward. They are building a legacy that people want to be a part of.”

Wednesday’s win came against a Red Creek program that has made eight trips to the state quarterfinals.

Avon (No. 1 NYSSWA Class C) will face Section VI champion, Portville (14-3-1/No. 7 NYSSWA Class C) in the New York State Far West Regional. A 5 p.m. start time is scheduled Friday at Spencerport High School.