Perhaps it’s now time to make it official and say the Hamilton boys soccer team is a dynasty.
The Emerald Knights’ 1-0 victory over Cincinnatus in Saturday night’s Section III Class D final at nearby Morrisville State College marked the team’s third consecutive sectional championship.
Having knocked off rival Poland in the title games of both 2008 and 2009, Hamilton found out that Cincinnatus, who rallied to upset the top-seeded Tornadoes 3-2 in the semifinals, would prove just as tough to conquer.
Chilly conditions meant that both teams had to run hard just to warm up. The Emerald Knights and Lions both would struggle through a 0-0 first half, the defenses assuming control and not letting much take place.
As the second half started, though, Hamilton began to assume some control, pushing into Cincy’s end on a more regular basis. Those probes didn’t lead to immediate results, but it laid the foundation for how it would end.
The Lions held on, hoping to force overtime. But with 4:07 to play, Drew Thompson, who already had 14 assists on the season, used deft dribbling to move past a Cincy defender, then feed it to Dan Kraynak, who beat goalie Shea Feehan for his 16th goal of the season (set up by Thompson’s 15th assist) to put Hamilton ahead for good.
Hamilton (17-1-1) will face Section IV champion South Kortright this Saturday in the Class D regional finals at the Wright National Sports Complex in Oneonta (formerly the National Soccer Hall of Fame). The winner advances to the state final four in Middletown, southwest of Poughkeepsie.
