One side is making its second state quarterfinal appearance in five years. The other is returning for a fourth straight trip. It’s McQuaid and Lancaster in the Class AAA Far West Regional. Here’s the breakdown:
LANCASTER LEGENDS
(14-3-1/ ECIC Division 1)
vs.
MCQUAID JESUIT KNIGHTS
(11-5-2/ Rochester City Athletic Conference)
How they arrived here: McQuaid entered sectionals as the No. 4 seed and took down No. 5 Rush-Henrietta 4-1 in the opening round with Adam McLaren netting two. In the semis, McQuaid knocked off No. 1 Penfield 1-0 in overtime off a goal from TJ Parr, avenging a 1-0 loss at Penfield in the first game of the season. In the finals McQuaid took a 3-0 lead over Fairport before the Red Raiders stormed back in the final eight minutes of regulation to tie the game. In the second overtime period Adam McLaren converted a free-kick to win McQuaid its first title since 2022 and break a streak of three straight losses in the final. Lancaster was the No. 1 seed in their tournament and took down No. 5 Niagara Falls 5-0 in the semi-finals, followed by another 5-0 victory over No. 3 Jamestown in the finals to advance to the NYS Tournament.
Total goals scored: McQuaid (42), Lancaster (60)
Total goals allowed: McQuaid (18), Lancaster (12)
Trends: McQuaid enters winners in eight of their last nine, with their only loss being to Section VI Class AA champion Clarence. The Knights are on a four game win streak in which they have scored at least four goals in each game. The Knights have recorded five shutouts and have netted at least three goals on seven occasions. Lancaster has won seven of its last eight games, outscoring opponents 32-5 in that stretch. The Legends have recorded 10 shutouts and scored at least three goals in 10 outings.
Players to watch:
McQuaid: Adam McLaren Jr. M (6 G, 3 A); TJ Parr Jr. M (5 G, 3 A); Chase Kurz Sr. F (4 G, 2 A); Dom Astuto Sr. M (3 G); Sawyer Damon Jr. G (1.22 GAA, 3 shutouts); Pierre Baraka Sr. F (2 G, 1 A)
Lancaster: Anthony Sirianni Sr. F (21 G, 11 A); Nikola Nikolov Sr. F (15 G, 11 A); Liam Gladstone (9 G, 7 A); Anthony Defelice Jr. D (4 G, 7 A); Dominic Cinelli Sr. D (2 G, 6 A); Landon Gladstone So. M (2 G, 6 A)
Coaches: Jeff Oliver (McQuaid), Luciano Gallo (Lancaster)
History 101: On the back of their sixth sectional title all-time, McQuaid is in the NYS Tournament for the first time since 2022. The Knights are making their third regional appearance and are 3-0 in their previous trips. Lancaster won its 11th sectional title in program history and is making its fourth straight and eighth overall state quarterfinal appearance. The Legends have one regional win coming in 2023. This will be the first postseason meeting between the two programs.
What’s at stake: The winner will advance to the NYS semi-finals where they will face either Cicero-North Syracuse (III) or Shaker (2).
Kickoff is scheduled for Friday, November 6th at 7:30 p.m. at Geneseo High School.
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