By PAUL GOTHAM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Less than six minutes remained in the first half of Tuesday’s Section V Class AAA Boys’ Soccer championship game.
On the strength of an Oliver Aguirre goal to level the match, the McQuaid Jesuit Knights looked ready to take momentum into halftime.
That is until Fairport’s Francesco Maniscalco made his mark.
The junior attacker connected on the go-ahead goal with 5:55 remaining before the break.
“It was huge because it gave us the lead right before halftime,” said head coach Bill Teasdale.
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The Red Raiders (15-0-0) went on to score three unanswered and claimed the program’s third straight title with a 4-1 win.
With Fairport in a high press, teammate Brock Stephany won a head ball off a throw-in along the left side and directed it into the middle of the 18-yard box.
Maniscalco left his feet and followed with a nod of his own that he tucked under the crossbar.
“I knew as soon as I hit it,” Maniscalco said. “I just watched that and knew it was going in.”
The goal was his fifth of the season and first of sectionals.
“It was left up in the air and I followed through on it,” he said. “That gave us the momentum to score the third goal and the fourth goals. It was a really good team effort. It was big on everybody.”
Fairport became the first Section V team since Webster Schroeder (2010-2012) to win three straight titles at the largest classification.
The reigning state champions and currently ranked No. 1 in the state, the Red Raiders have methodically gone unbeaten in 35 straight games. Teasdale credited his team’s ability to prepare for each game.
“Our preparation is always about who’s next,” said the sixth-year head coach. “We don’t look beyond because that’s when you become vulnerable.”
McQuaid (8-7-1) had its chances. The Jesuit Knights worked for a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box then followed with a pair of corner kicks in the 15-minute mark of the match. They followed with another free kick, this one from 30 yards out. That attempt was just wide of frame.
“To their credit, they came at us in the first half,” Teasdale said. “There was a span of 15 to 20 minutes where they kept coming at us. They had some opportunities.”
Fairport’s Jackson Piacitelli started the scoring when the senior midfielder converted off a rebound from just outside the 6-yard box with 10:55 remaining in the first half.
Piacitelli’s goal touched off a flurry of action.
Aguirre took advantage of a second-chance on a corner kick opportunity 90 seconds later and scored his eighth goal of the season. Less than four minutes after Aguirre connected on the equalizer, Maniscalco gave the Red Raiders a lead they didn’t surrender.
“It gave us that boost,” Teasdale said of Maniscalco’s goal. “It helped our confidence in the second half.”
Sandwiched between a pair of defenders inside the 18-yard box, Sean Griffin managed to tap in the third goal of the night with just under 29 minutes remaining.
“In the second half, we showed more composure,” Teasdale said. “We played with more confidence.”
The highlight of the night came on Fairport’s fourth goal. Brock Stephany played a ball out of the back to Trevor Scoppa running the left wing. Scoppa served a cross into the 18-yard box that found Justin Burton on the back post. Burton went airborne and finished the play with a head ball for an upper 90 strike.
“With each goal we became more and more confident,” Teasdale said. “I thought we just got better and better as the game went on.”
Fairport had a three-goal lead with 11:03 left on the clock.
“After that it was just managing the clock. Playing simple, playing big out of the back, not taking chances in the back third. To the kids’ credit, that’s good game management. They’re the ones on the field doing it.”
Evan Furciniti made three saves for the win. Fairport’s backline of Alex Grejda, Preston Richards, Tim Donner and Andrew Kohl limited McQuaid to two shots over the final 40 minutes of play.
“It was nice to have the defining win be a three-goal difference,” said Grejda. “We have great squad but so does McQuaid. I knew it was going to be a battle which is was for pretty much the whole game. We were able to capitalize on our chances.”
The sectional title is the 13th in program history.
“These guys put a lot of time in year round,” Teasdale said. They work hard in the off-season. Last year, we won the state championship and then that weekend guys had club games. We played a state championship game on Sunday and some of these guys had club practice on Monday and tournaments the next weekend.
“They put the time in. They’re coachable. They work hard. They prepare. It’s a great group.”
Fairport will play Section VI champion, Lancaster (14-4-0) in the Far West Regional. Saturday’s matchup will mark the third straight year the two teams have met in the state quarterfinals. Fairport took a 5-3 decision last season. Lancaster is the last team to hand Fairport a loss, a 1-0 game in the 2023. A 5 p.m. kickoff is scheduled at West Seneca West.
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