By PAUL GOTHAM
PENFIELD, N.Y. — Ryan Lewin and Alfonso Vito combined for a pair of first-half goals and top-seeded Aquinas went on to defeat No. 4 Wayne, 4-1 in Section V Class A Boys’ Soccer action, Tuesday night.
Aquinas will play No. 2 Pittsford Sutherland in Friday’s championship game.
“For us it was just coming out, executing and not starting slow,” Aquinas head coach Josh Gleason said. “The biggest thing with us the past few games we’ve started out a little bit slow, not having the energy or intensity that I think is required. Today, we made it a goal, we wanted to get a few early. That helped us a lot. It helped the kids settled down mentally.”
Lewin took advantage of an empty net to start the scoring. Tin Tin Pasia beat Wayne keeper Matthew Chelini to a 50-50 ball at the edge of the 18-yard box and served a cross to Lewin running near post for a head ball and the lead with 21:56 remaining in the first half.
19’ Ryan Lewin redirects a cross from Tin Tin Pasia to give Aquinas a 1-nil lead. Class A semis. pic.twitter.com/50x5jNRriA
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 24, 2023
Vito scored 11 minutes later when Nicola Costa played a ball forward that led Vito into the open field. The senior went near post between a pair of Wayne defenders for a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
“We wanted to match their energy, but then add the technical side to that,” Gleason said. “We wanted to do our best to keep the ball. For us, it was moving the ball quickly, one or two touches.”
Aquinas defeated Wayne, 2-0 when the two teams met in late September.
31’ Alfonso Vito goes near post to give Aquinas a 2-nil lead. Class A semis. pic.twitter.com/OwNkS7lzcQ
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 24, 2023
“It’s hard to play a team twice in the season,” Gleason said. “It’s challenging to get yourself up for it. You’ve sort of done the scouting for them when you already played once. They know what we have. We know what they have as well.”
Micaiah Benjamin-Castle ran on to an Ali Shabani through ball and scored for a 3-0 lead with 15:22 remaining in the game.
Costa set up JB Leary for the fourth Aquinas goal.
65’ LJ Gleason starts the counter at one end. Ali Shabani threads a pass through the Wayne backline to Micaiah Benjamin-Castle for a 3-nil Aquinas lead. pic.twitter.com/cRHv6vgCqD
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 24, 2023
Wayne’s Evan Fosdick converted on a free kick deep in the Aquinas end to get Wayne on the scoreboard. PJ Treasure picked up the assist on the play.
“Scoring with five minutes to go, that’s what defines these guys,” Wayne head coach Jay Marino said. “They just play hard until the end. They wanted it. We ran into a great Aquinas team. That team is a great team. We kept playing and kept digging. Unfortunately, we weren’t on the right side of it tonight.”
77’ Beauty of a goal to get @Wayne_soccer21 on the scoreboard. Evan Fosdick on the finishing end of a service from PJ Treasure. Aquinas 4-1. pic.twitter.com/Hz4dBPfT6r
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 24, 2023
Wayne (14-4-0) had won four straight including a dramatic victory in double overtime against Greece Olympia on Saturday.
“They play hard,” Gleason said of Wayne. “To the end, they played hard. They had a goal at the end, crashing the box. That shows the pride they have.”
Aquinas (16-0-2) advanced to the finals for the first time since 2011.
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