Two teams looking to reach a state championship game for the first time in program history will meet Friday in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class AA semifinals. Churchville-Chili will take on Cornwall of Section IX with a spot in Saturday’s final on the line. Here’s the breakdown:
CLASS AA
CHURCHVILLE-CHILI SAINTS
(17-1-2 / Monroe County II)
vs.
CORNWALL DRAGONS
(16-1-1 / Section IX)
Middletown HS, Friday, Nov. 14, 3:15 p.m.
How they arrived here: Top-seeded Churchville-Chili (No. 4 NYSSWA) kicked off its postseason with a 6-nil victory over No. 16 Victor. In the quarterfinals, the Saints edged out No. 8 Webster Schroeder 2-1 to advance to the semis where Churchville shut out No. 5 Brockport 6-0. The Saints went on win via shutout again in the sectional finals 2-0 over No. 6 Penfield. In the regional against Clarence, the Saints secured a 2-1 win to advance to the semifinals.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM LAURA ACCIAIO.
Cornwall (No. 3 NYSSWA), which received an at-large bid, took down Binghamton 4-1 in the regional to advance to the semifinals.
Total goals scored: Churchville-Chili (66), Cornwall (75)
Total goals allowed: Churchville-Chili (9), Cornwall (11)
Trends: Churchville-Chili enters the semifinals on a five-game win streak with three shutout victories, outscoring opponents 18-2 in that stretch. On the season, the Saints have 13 shutout victories and have allowed two goals or more twice. The Saints have also scored three or more goals on 11 different occasions this year. Churchville’s only loss on the season came at the hands of Class AAA No. 1 NYSSWA Fairport, 2-0.
Players to watch for Churchville-Chili: Lucas Cariola Jr. F (15 G, 13 A); Braeden Naujokas Sr. M (11 G, 11 A); Chris Keller Sr. M (12 G, 8 A); Eli Klewicki Sr. F (9 G, 3 A); Bryce Wolf Jr. F (7 G, 12 A); Avery Ewell Jr. M (5 G, 5 A); Mason Simmons Sr. GK (85 saves, 9 GA); Ryan Vujanovic Sr. D (1 G, 2 A).
Players to watch for Cornwall: Kaiden Petruzzi Sr. D/Mid/Striker (10 G/16 A); Aaron Schulman Jr. Mid (22 G/ 13 A); Carlo Vallejo So. Mid/Striker (17 G/9 A); Brett Zimmer Sr. GK (10 shutouts).
Coaches: John Mahoney (Churchville-Chili), Matt Quick (Cornwall)
History 101: Churchville-Chili is making its first state semifinal appearance in program history. Cornwall hasn’t appeared in the state final four since the 1990s. Neither program has won a state title.
Section V Boys’ Soccer is 3-5-1 all-time against Section IX in the state tournament. The last win at the AA level came in 2011 when Webster Schroeder beat Newburgh 3-1.
What’s at stake: A spot in the Class AA NYS championship on Saturday against either Harrison (I) or Garden City (VIII).
More history: Since the inception of the NYSPHSAA Boys’ Soccer Tournament in 1978, Section V sides have won 47 of the 204 titles (23 percent) contested. Of those, 35 have been outright. Pittsford Mendon leads the way with six such NYS titles followed by Red Creek (4) and Aquinas (4). Holley, Naples, Penfield and Pittsford Sutherland have all won two titles apiece with another 12 schools bringing home one outright state crown: Bath-Haverling, Bloomfield, Cardinal Mooney, Fillmore, Fairport, Gates-Chili, Greece Arcadia, Greece Athena, Hilton, Jasper-Troupsburg, Marion, McQuaid Jesuit and Northstar Christian. Pittsford Mendon (3), Red Creek (2), Gates Chili, Greece Arcadia, Jasper-Troupsburg, Livonia, Marion, Penfield and Pittsford Sutherland have all shared at least one title.
Cornell University hosted the first NYS tournament that was competed at three classifications (A, B and C). Class D was added in 1980, AA in 2004 and AAA in 2023. Fairport took the AAA title in its second year in its existence. Two Section V teams (Penfield ’04 and McQuaid ’17) have won outright Class AA titles while Section V teams have combined to win 11 Class A championships, 14 Class B, 11 Class C and seven Class D titles.
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