Reigning state champs will face Commack of Section XI in Sunday’s final.
By PAUL GOTHAM
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. — There was no need for a second-half rally this time.
Fairport boys’ soccer (18-0-0) took a 1-nil lead into halftime and cruised to a 4-0 win over Guilderland (12-6-3) of Section II in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class AAA semifinal from Middletown High School, Saturday afternoon.
Senior attack Sean Griffin finished with a hat trick and added an assist in the win.
“That’s just how it is sometimes,” Griffin said. “I couldn’t do it without my team. I have a great team around me. I owe it all to them.”
Teammate Justin Burton won a ball in the air inside the 18-yard box that he played to Griffin’s feet. Griffin took advantage of being unmarked and toe-tapped a shot past Guilderland keeper Colin Chapman.
Fairport led 1-nil with 12:36 remaining in the first half.
The front-line duo combined again less than 11 minutes into the second half when they double-teamed an unsuspecting Guilderland back for a takeaway. Griffin went in 1v1 on Chapman, cut to his left and finished into an open net.
He then converted a PK to put the game out of reach with 15:47 left on the clock.
The pair finished their work on the fourth and final goal with Burton finding the back of the net off Griffin’s service from the left corner flag.
“Me and Justin love to work together. He gives me the ball. I give him the ball. We try to set each other up to score. It’s not one person trying to score. It’s a team effort. That’s what our mentality is.”
Guilderland, making its second trip to the state semifinals in three years, opened the season 0-3-3 before rattling off seven straight wins.
The Flying Dutchmen had played four straight overtime games including two decided on penalty kicks heading into Saturday’s action.
“They’re a very good team,” said Fairport head coach Billy Teasdale. “They got a lot of size. They’re dangerous on long throw-ins and restarts, a very good team. We were fortunate as the game went on the more we switched the ball, the more we opened gaps and were able to penetrate.”
The Red Raiders were patient and deliberate early on against Guilderland’s 3-5-2 alignment.
“We started off a little slow, but as the first half went on we got more and more comfortable,” Teasdale said. “We were changing the point of attack a lot based on the shape that they play. We had prepared for that.”
Last week in the state quarterfinals, the Red Raiders trailed Lancaster 2-1 with less than 20 minutes remaining in regulation before Alex Grejda and Jackson Piacitelli scored a goal apiece.
On Saturday, Fairport did not allow a shot on goal in the first half. And other than a Guilderland flurry (a corner kick followed by a second-ball chance) with 10 minutes remaining in the match, the Red Raiders dictated play.
With the win, the reigning state champs clinched back-to-back appearances in the final.
“A lot of the guys that were on the field for this game, were on the field last year,” Teasdale said. “We’re very comfortable and confident.”
Fairport will face Commack (19-1-1) of Section XI in Sunday’s championship game. The Cougars are coming off their first Long Island championship since 2014. A 12:30 p.m. kickoff is scheduled At Middletown’s Faller Field.
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