By PAUL GOTHAM
MENDON, N.Y. — A sectional championship wasn’t on the line Tuesday night at Thornell Farm Park.
Just don’t tell Mark Hurley and his Pittsford Mendon boys’ soccer team that.
Given the chance to avenge a season-ending loss from a year ago, the Vikings took full advantage.
Naveen Sidhu struck for a pair of goals while Colin Krohn and Ben Burrows both found the back of the net as Mendon (6-0) defeated Brockport (5-1), 4-1 in Monroe County Division III action.
After falling behind early, the Vikings scored on a trio of occasions to take a 3-1 lead into halftime.
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“We showed some resilience,” Hurley said. “That’s the first time we’ve been down yet this year. Curious how we’d respond to something like that. We came back and did well. I was happy with the resilience, the way we stuck together and didn’t point fingers and kept it rolling.”
Krohn converted off a corner kick in the ninth minute to level the match. Sidhu then scored on goals 10 minutes apart to make it a two-goal game heading to the break.
“We got some quality guys and some quality leaders here,” Hurley said. “I was just proud of them.”
When they met last November in the Class A final, Mendon was the top seed, Brockport the two-seed. Mendon was looking to end an 11-year title drought. Brockport was looking for its first championship since 2017.
Cash Rosado netted a hat trick, and the Blue Devils clinched the Class A crown with a 4-3 victory.
It was Rosado who started the scoring Tuesday night. The senior forward slipped behind the Mendon backline and scored exactly five minutes into the match.
“Some of the guys who were on the team last year could have been like ‘here we go again,'” Hurley said. “Especially being that kid Rosado. He’s a tough player. He torched us last year in sectionals.
“A mistake like that and that early, I was real proud of them to not point fingers. We can’t call a timeout, so they just had to figure it out on the field in that moment. They got a better balance, got more talking and created a better strategy against a kid like that who’s fast.”
The New York State Sportswriters’ Association (NYSSWA) released its first set of rankings earlier in the day on Tuesday with Mendon atop Class A.
The Vikings looked the part on Tuesday night.
“It was definitely in the group chat,” Krohn said of the rankings. “Definitely talked about it, but you got to put it out of mind and focus on the game in front of you. We were all hyped, but a lot people were like ‘forget about it and focus on Brockport. We can be excited about it after.’”
It’s been a while since Mendon has shouldered the responsibility of being No. 1 in the state. Winners of 21 sectional titles and eight state championships, the Mendon boys haven’t raised a trophy since 2013.
“It’s reminding the kids of the tradition of this program,” Hurley said. “We play as a family. We’re as good as the lowest guy on the totem pole. We bring that energy every day. After last year’s final to have a goal of winning every game and doing the best we can to get back in that situation and get a chance to win it this year.”
For Krohn it’s feeling of belonging that is contributing to Mendon’s success.
“We’re a tight-knit family. You see the boys on the bench. They’re all standing up. They’re all cheering for us. Even if you’re not on the field, they’re rallying for us. They’re loud and it gets us going. Everyone on this team has a part, and everyone plays a role.”
The same two teams will meet again on October 8th. Unlike last year, though, they will not see each other in the post-season with Brockport now placed in Class AA.
“Hopefully, we give them a better look when they come to Brockport,” said Blue Devils head coach Jeff Phillips. “We knew we were going to be in for a battle. Every time you come here it’s a battle.”
The Blue Devils came into the game ranked No. 2 NYSSWA Class AA.
“We’re a young team,” Phillips said. “We’ve kinda exceeded expectations here early in the year. We knew it was going to take a little time. Three freshmen (Samuel Hammer, Luke LaForce and Andrew Phillips) are playing a ton of minutes for us.
Evan Zavalo and Tyler Hurley had an assist apiece for Mendon.
Drew Nichols set up Rosado for the Brockport goal.
Brockport will travel to Greece Arcadia for a divisional game on Thursday. A 5:30 p.m. kickoff is scheduled.
Mendon travels crosstown for a battle with Pittsford Sutherland on Thursday. A 7:00 p.m. start time is slated.
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