By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Sam Fagan connected on a golden goal in the 91st minute, and Pittsford Sutherland defeated host Greece Arcadia, 1-0 in Section V Boys’ Soccer action, Thursday night.
Fagan used a pair of touches to create space in the middle third of the field and unleashed a right-footed strike from 30 yards out that bounded inside the left post.
“I got one touch past a defender,” the senior midfielder said. “I saw an opening. I just had to shoot it.
“We had the ball the whole game. We were working hard. We just couldn’t find the back of the net, and I had to do something about it.”
The goal was Fagan’s first of the season.
“He got that ball, and you could tell he was motivated to get forward,” said Sutherland head coach Sean Hopkins. “He’s our holding mid. He wins a lot of 50-50 balls, and I always tell him, ‘Take those two or three chances a half and go.’ I knew it was coming. He hit it low and hard in the corner. Great goal. The boys deserved it. They deserved to win.”
91’ Sam Fagan connects. FT @SHSsoccersquad 1 Arcadia 0 pic.twitter.com/Hujp12IYjW
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) September 20, 2024
With the victory, Sutherland (4-1-1) stayed unbeaten in its past four games.
“I loved our team’s energy tonight,” said Hopkins. “We won 80 percent of the 50-50 balls. The kids really wanted it. It’s something that we’ve been talking about a lot – that hard work, that grit that past Sutherland teams have had. We want to get to that point. I felt like tonight was the best we’ve played this season. I’m hoping that we continue that on to our next game.
The goal ended a game that saw Sutherland be denied throughout the contest. The Knights worked for 11 corner kicks and finished with 14 shots on goal before finally registering a score.
“I wasn’t even thinking,” Fagan said recalling his mindset at the moment of the goal. “I just saw the opportunity and let it go.”
Arcadia’s Kasey Conrow finished with 13 saves in the contest.
Save Kasey Conrow. pic.twitter.com/2TxfN9nav4
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) September 19, 2024
The loss was the first of the season for Arcadia (5-1-0).
The same two teams will face each other again on October 10th.
Sutherland travels to play at Aquinas on Saturday. A 1 p.m. kickoff is scheduled.
Arcadia will play at Rush-Henrietta on Saturday. An 11 a.m. start time is slated.
Seven undefeated teams remain in Section V Boys’ Soccer: Fairport (4-0-1), Brockport (7-0-0), Livonia (6-0-1), Hornell (3-0-1), Campbell-Savona (3-0-0), Northstar Christian (5-0-0) and Avoca-Prattsburgh (6-0-1).
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