By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — John Harrison-Mtete netted a pair of goals including the game winner in the 73rd minute as No. 6 Pittsford Mendon (12-6-1) rallied to beat host No. 3 Greece Arcadia (15-3-0), 3-2 in Section V Class AA Boys’ Soccer action, Friday night.
Harrison-Mtete took a pass from teammate Seb Thompson along the right flank and finished near post to snap a two-all tie.
“I know the keeper expects me to go far post, try to tuck it away safely, but, I just wanted to go against the flow,” the sophomore said. “Trying to catch him off guard a little bit, and it worked.”
The goal was his eighth of the season.
“I knew it was going in,” he said. “The second it left my foot, I knew it was going in.”
Harrison-Mtete’s first goal shifted the game’s momentum.
Less than five minutes after Arcadia had taken its first lead of the night, Harrison-Mtete reenergized the Vikings.
“I was coming off the bench at the time, and I just looked at my teammates, I was like, ‘we gotta pick it up here. We can’t let it drop now. As I’m going back on, I looked to my boys, and I was like, you know, I gotta get on the field and make a difference, make an impact.”
He combined with Thompson again. This time Thompson’s service was deflected by an Arcadia defender before Harrison-Mtete redirected it.
“It got deflected a little bit, and it threw me off my run,” said Harrison-Mtete who was running far post. “I knew I just had to dive for that. And then, you know, it’s a little bit of luck, but it was nice.
“We’ve talked a lot about getting into the box and making our runs. Me, being the striker, I have to get to that post. So, me being there, it’s just showing growth a little bit.”
The rally seemed unlikely as Arcadia came out of halftime and found the back of the net twice within 19 minutes of the break.
Shaun Laffin leveled the match with 25:03 remaining in regulation. Four minutes later, Parker Coleman converted off a corner kick to give the Titans a 2-1 edge.
Arcadia took a 2-1 decision when the teams met on October 10th, and it looked like Titans were on their way to a second straight win in head-to-head action.
“Never gave up,” Mendon head coach Mark Hurley said of his squad. “I was just so proud of them for not doing that, ’cause it’s way easier said than done.
“You could say, oh, we don’t quit, we dig deep. But to do it, when you’re a guest, and you’re tired, and you’re getting pinged around, the balls just getting pinged around you. You gotta figure it out and dig deep. They did that, and it just shows so much character.”
Naveen Sidhu redirected a Colden Forney pass in the ninth minute to give Mendon an early lead.
Miles Rae made six saves to register the win.
Mendon will face No. 2 Spencerport in the semifinals. The Rangers topped Hilton, 1-0 in other action, Friday night.
Late save from Miles Rae preserves a 3-2 win for @VikingsSoccer9 https://t.co/3A15kFrJsr
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 23, 2026
73’ John Harrison-Mtete goes near post for his second goal to give @VikingsSoccer9 a 3-2 lead. https://t.co/yNjmsT9LbF
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 23, 2026
59’ Parker Coleman converts off a corner to give @GCSDATathletics a 2-1 lead. https://t.co/bDf9cFkJ9f
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 23, 2026
Second of back-to-back saves from Wyatt Pilgrim. @GCSDATathletics https://t.co/DtyCa1Z8tA
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 23, 2026
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