One side enters play looking to book its ninth trip to the state quarterfinals and second this decade. The other seeks its eighth regional appearance and first in Class A. It’s Pittsford Sutherland and Lewiston-Porter for a spot in the round of eight. Here’s the breakdown:
PITTSFORD SUTHERLAND KNIGHTS
(13-4-0/Monroe County Division III)
vs.
LEWISTON-PORTER LANCERS
(18-1-1/Niagara Frontier League)
How they arrived here: Lewiston-Porter (No. 7 NYSSWA Class A) entered sectional play as the No. 1 seed and took down No. 8 Amherst 9-0 in quarterfinals followed by a 3-0 victory in the semi-finals against No. 5 Williamsville South. In the finals, the Lancers defeated No. 2 International Prep 8-0 to claim their 17th all-time sectional title. In the Class A qualifier, Lewiston-Porter took down Lackawanna 2-0 to advance to reach Wednesday’s matchup. Coming into sectionals as the No. 1 seed, Pittsford Sutherland (No. 14 NYSSWA Class A) took down Vertus 11-0 in the quarterfinals as seven players recorded a goal, including a hat trick from Max Morgenstern. In the semi-finals, Morgenstern netted four as the Knights defeated No. 5 Greece Olympia, 6-0. The Knights then took down No. 3 HF-L 5-0 behind five different scorers to advance to the NYS tournament.
Total Goals Scored: Pittsford Sutherland (59), Lewiston-Porter (126)
Total Goals Allowed: Pittsford Sutherland (15) , Lewiston-Porter (4)
Trends: Pittsford Sutherland enters as winners in five of its last six, scoring 31 goals and giving up six during that stretch. Offensively, the Knights have scored at least three goals on 10 occasions, including four games with at least six. Sutherland has recorded 10 shutouts this year. Lewiston-Porter enters winners of four in a row, outscoring opponents 22-0. The Lancers have scored at least four goals in 16 games, including reaching nine goals on five occasions, and have earned 16 shutouts.
Players to watch:
Pittsford Sutherland: Max Morgenstern Sr. M (22 G, 7 A); Ronan Mulligan Sr. D/M (4 G, 5 A); Frank Mazzarella IV. Jr. M (6 G, 3 A); Jahyden Maiorani Sr. F (7 G); Teddy Winter Sr. D (4 G, 7 A); Zephyr Garigen Sr. M (1 G, 7 A); Joe Derisi Sr. G (8 shutouts)
Lewiston-Porter: Luke Leardini Sr. M (55 G, 8 A); Chase Burnham Sr. M (10 G, 40 A); Wyatt Leardini So. M (11 G, 14 A); James Scully Sr. F (19 G, 16 A); Tyler Birmingham Jr. M (10 G, 7 A); John Wright So. M (4 G, 5 A); Liam Dunn Sr. F (8 G)
Head Coaches: CJ Knapp (Pittsford Sutherland), Marc Niccola (Lewiston-Porter)
History 101: Pittsford Sutherland is to make its ninth appearance in the state quarterfinals and first since 2021. Lewiston-Porter has made seven quarterfinal appearances, all in Class B including three straight from 1990 to 1992. The Lancers most recent regional appearance came in 2022.
What’s at stake: The winner will take on either Honeoye Falls-Lima (V) or Maine-Endwell (IV) in the NYS Class A quarterfinals.
Kickoff is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4th at 7:30 p.m. at Geneseo High School.
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