Westhill’s soccer teams have both made it back to state championship weekend, two wins away from the biggest prize they can attain.
The boys soccer Warriors got there Saturday with a dramatic late-game comeback to upend Section IV champion Oneonta 3-2 in the Class B regional final, while the Westhill girls, who rallied past Schalmont 2-1 earlier in the week, pounded Section X champion Potsdam 5-0 to claim its regional title.
For Westhill’s boys, prevailing over Oneonta would require overcoming a second-half deficit, just like the Warriors did when it toppled Cazenovia in overtime in the Section III final.
Here, the Warriors got an early 1-0 lead when David McPeak hammered home a rebound of a shot off a corner kick. But just before halftime, Oneonta pulled even when Tanner Beang’s long throw turned into a shot converted by Brad Morell.
Just past the midway point of the second half, the Yellowjackets used another strong throw-in by Beang to set up a chance that Eamon Geraghty converted, his shot glancing off John Geer’s shoulder and tumbling into the net.
Altering its alignment to bring forward more attackers, Westhill, trailing 2-1, forced pressure, and gained its own goal off a set piece with seven minutes left when Charlie Bolesh directed his throw to Jack Grooms, who redirected it past Morrell to tie it.
Three minutes later, Westhill was attacking again, Bolesh taking Brad Zell’s pass down the left side and waiting to cross to the middle. When he did, Bo BenYehuda was ready, the freshman deftly beating a defender and, from 15 yards out, pounding the ball inside the far post.
That proved the game-winner, Westhill ending up the only Section III boys soccer champion to survive the regional round as Fayetteville-Manlius (Class AA), Watertown (Class A), Sauquoit Valley (Class C) and Poland (Class D) all bowed out.
Having seen all this, the Westhill girls vowed not to have things get as tense against Potsdam.
The Sandstoners had needed penalty kicks just to get past Northeast Clinton in its regional opener Wednesday. That long battle took a toll, and Potsdam had no answer for the Warriors’ massive surge late in the first half.
Westhill got in front in the 33rd minute as Sophia Caron got another playoff goal, a left-footed strike past Potsdam keeper Makenzie Martin. Just 45 seconds later, the Warriors attacked again and Erica Gangemi found the net off Karleski’s corner kick.
When Katelyn Karleski, parked near the net, converted Hannah Dorfman’s long throw-in into a goal that made it 3-0, the Warriors had converted three goals in a span of less than three minutes. The Sandstoners never recovered.
Gangemi assisted on Lauren Holstein’s goal early in the second half, with Caron getting a second goal off Lauren Marshall’s feed midway through the half to account for the final margin.
So now it’s the state final four, with Westhill pursuing a third state title and first since its back-to-back crowns in 1995 and ’96. The Warriors face Section I champion Albertus Magnus Saturday at 3 p.m. at Cortland High School, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s 12:30 state final at that same venue.
Meanwhile, Westhill’s boys are heading back to Middletown High School, where on Saturday at 12:30 it faces Long Island champion Center Moriches in the state semifinals, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s 10 a.m. title game against Ichabod Crane (Section II) or Lackawanna (Section VI).
