By PAUL GOTHAM
IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — Top-seeded McQuaid continued its undefeated march through the 2022 season with a 2-0 victory over No. 6 Brighton in the Section V Class AA championship game, Tuesday night at Eastridge High School.
Dylan Bucci and Kevin Miller netted a goal apiece as the Jesuit Knights claimed their third title under seventh-year head coach, Nino Pilato.
“It’s just a testament to the boys and how hard they’ve worked all year,” Pilato said. “They set a goal last year to get past the semifinal round, get to the championship and bring a brick back to McQuaid. There you have it.”
Bucci pushed forward from his center back spot and scored in the 17th minute as McQuaid took a one-goal advantage into halftime. Miller found the back of the on a blast from 25 yards out midway through the second half.
The shutout was the 14th of the season for McQuaid. Pilato credited senior goalkeeper Niyen Ruffin along with the defensive corps of Bucci, Iain Bird, Evan Kopacz, Trey Leo and Nick Marangola.
“As a defender myself, I pride my teams on defense,” said the former Rochester Rhino who also played at Monroe Community College and Canisius College. “You only need one to win, don’t let any in and you’re good. Those boys in the back give their all every game.”
A point of emphasis for the McQuaid defense was Brighton midfielder Chase Alexandre.
“You do the stats,” Pilato said. “They’ve got 25 goals. He had 18 of them.”
McQuaid limited Alexandre’s touches and forced the 6-foot senior to receive the ball at or near midfield. The Jesuit Knights collapsed on Alexandre and forced him distribute the ball.
“He’s a heckuva player. Not to take anything away from the other guys because they all work hard.”
“Their offense gets a lot of accolades and they score a lot of goals, but their defense is solid, really, really solid,” Brighton head coach Adam Hiller said. “We couldn’t break through. We had a couple of chances but could get nothing to go.”
Hiller’s Brighton side opened the 2022 season with one win in its first seven games. The Bruins (8-9-2) were looking for their fourth title under Hiller.
“They played well, and we didn’t play well,” Hiller said of the game. “They made us not play well with their pressure. We couldn’t handle it. It seemed like every time we would turn, they would be there. Hats off to them. They’re a good team. They will do well.”
The Bruins (8-9-2) closed the regular season with back-to-back wins before avenging a pair of losses with a 1-nil victory over league rival Penfield in the quarterfinals.
Brighton then outlasted Fairport on PKs to reach Tuesday’s final. The Bruins struggled, though, to find a consistent rhythm against McQuaid.
“They totally transformed themselves,” Pilato said of Brighton “They are a totally different team the second half of the season. That’s a testament to coach. He recognized some things and put some things together that has brought them that far.
“They’re disciplined. They’re a good team. They follow a game plan. That just tells you how well they’re coached.”
McQuaid (16-0-2) will play Section VI champion Clarence (17-1-1). McQuaid defeated Clarence, 3-0 when the two teams met on October 14th.
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