By STEVE BRICKLER
SPENCERPORT, N.Y. — Top-seeded Aquinas used two second-half goals, one on an own goal and the other by Ali Shabani, to get past second-seeded Pittsford Sutherland to win the 2023 Section V Class A Boys’ Soccer title at Spencerport High School. It was the first title for the Li’l Irish since 2006.
“We were knocking on the door in the first half, had a lot of opportunities in the first half that we didn’t convert,” said Aquinas head coach Josh Gleason. “The halftime speech you can get mad or really upset but we said to stay patient, stay relaxed in front of the goal. It was more like staying the course, stay with it.”
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A huge reason Aquinas stayed off the board until about midway through the second half was the spectacular play of Sutherland goalie Seth Rozen who repeatedly denied Aquinas of quality goal-scoring opportunities.
The first half was played at a frenetic pace with both teams creating great chances for themselves throughout. Sutherland had the first two solid chances as a free kick from Will Hanford was flicked just over the bar by Joseph Arikkat. Hanford then found Zach Bennett at the back post on a cross but his shot was handled cleanly by Aquinas keeper LJ Gleason.
In the twelfth minute, Shabani cut the ball on to his left foot inside the box for an open shot but Rozen was able to steer the ball away. Moments later, Shabani found Tin Tin Pasia cutting towards goal at the top of the box. Pasia was able to elude Rozen but was unable to get a clean shot off and the shot trickled wide.
In the 22nd minute, Sutherland got two more near miss opportunities as Bennett dribbled free at the edge of the box and served it to the far post just out of reach of the back-post runner. Sutherland won the ensuing ball off the goal kick at midfield and found Bennett, who took a left footed blast that sailed just wide.
Rozen may have had his best sequence just one minute later. Aquinas forward Alfonso Vito had an open rip from the left side of the 18-yard box that Rozen made a diving stop on, the rebound went right to Pasia at point-blank range but Rozen was able to get back on his feet and block the rebound off his shin to keep the game scoreless. Both teams continued to make threatening forays into the offensive third for the remainder of the half but both Gleason and Rozen were up to the task.
“I thought we came out in the first half and gave them all they could handle,” said Sutherland head coach Sean Hopkins. “As the half went along, they got some good opportunities on us but our goalie Seth Rozen was phenomenal. We had some chances to score and we didn’t. They’re a really good team so if you can’t take advantage of those opportunities, eventually they’re going to put a couple in. Congratulations to them”
Aquinas came out in the second half and created more goal-scoring opportunities. JB Leary and Vito both had shots sail just over the bar and Leary missed the far post just wide all in the first five minutes of the second half. In the 49th minute, Leary played the ball over the top of a Sutherland defender to Vito who struck a clean volley towards the far post which Rozen turned away with another diving save.
Aquinas finally broke through in the 54th minute when Miciah Benjamin-Castle played an in-swinging corner kick from the right side to the far post. The ball deflected off a Sutherland player into the net. A Sutherland field player tried to slap the ball out of the net but it had already crossed the goal line, preventing that player from getting an automatic red card ejection.
Sutherland found goal scoring opportunities much harder to come by in the second half as Aquinas was able to win 50/50 balls and step in front of Sutherland passes at midfield. They did, however, have a solid chance about five minutes after the Li’l Irish took the lead when Naveen Bansal dribbled down the end line along the right side and delivered an entry pass to Bennett who redirected the pass just wide of the net. Bennett then found Santiago Castillo on a similar play from the other side with just over 11 minutes to play, that also was shot just wide.
Aquinas got the clincher with 10:04 left to play when Vito gathered the ball on the left flank and drove a cross into the box where Shabani headed the ball from around 12 yards out off the post and in for the final margin.
“Ali has been playing hurt for the last three games on his left side, for him to find a way to score and help us out, it’s just a special, special team”, said Gleason. “Charlie Sorensen locked it down in the back for us. He made a huge sacrifice for the team because he is not a center back. For him to go back there and help us out is pretty awesome.”
Aquinas beat Sutherland 5-2 on September 19th but Sutherland had won 11 straight games since then.
“Sean’s team played phenomenal. I agree with him that they are a much better team than the first time we played them. He’s good at figuring things out, he’s been here before, I haven’t. I was nervous all day.”
For Gleason, it is life coming full circle. He was the starting goalie as a junior on the 1992 Aquinas sectional champion team, just as his son is the starting goalie as a junior for this team. That 1992 squad also beat Sutherland for the title at Spencerport.
“It’s been 31 years since I’ve been able to see that moment again. I thought it was going to be lot different than it was but it was a lot more emotional for sure as a coach. To win one as a player was amazing, to win one as a coach was even better because you want the kids to experience that. I’m a big advocate of letting the kids have their moment and I’m glad they got to experience the same thing I did in 1992 as a player.”
Aquinas (17-0-2) moves on to play the Section VI representative next weekend in Buffalo while Sutherland finishes at 13-5-1 on the season.
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