BALDWINSVILLE – When the Section III Class AA boys soccer championship game gets underway Monday night in Phoenix, Christian Brothers Academy is on one side, which is something close to everyone expected.
Far less expected is the presence of East Syracuse Minoa on the opposite side, attempting to contain the top-seeded Brothers, a task that seems unlikely unless the way the Spartans got this far was taken into consideration.
In a tense, dramatic sectional Class AA semifinal Thursday night at Baldwinsville’s Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, ESM, the no. 3 seed, managed to outlast no. 2 seed Nottingham, though it required regulation, overtime and penalty kicks to do so.
These teams had met twice in the regular season, the Bulldogs winning 2-0 on Sept. 14 and the two sides playing to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 12, just two weeks before their semifinal encounter.
After a first half without any scoring, the second half proceeded in the same 0-0 manner, but to keep it that way Spartans goalie Reide Scolaro had to extend himself to make a key save on a possible Nottingham go-ahead shot.
Things got even tougher in the two 10-minute overtime periods. Accumulated yellow cards left ESM down to 10 players in the second OT. What was more, injuries had key Spartans players out as penalty kicks loomed.
None of this mattered at the end, though. ESM and Nottingham converted from the spot until a diving stop by Scolaro (his 17th save of the night) allowed Josh Glanton, with the fifth shot of the round, to find the top right corner and send the Spartans to the sectional final.
Now an ESM defense that blanked both the Bulldogs and Fayetteville-Manlius in the playoffs faces a CBA side that, at 16-0-1, has scored against every single opponent except Westhill in a 0-0 draw back in September.
Central Square was the Brothers’ opponent in the first of the sectional semifinals at B’ville, and it was nervous for a while before CBA’s attack broke through late and produced a 2-0 win over the Redhawks.
All through the first 40 minutes, the Brothers saw its opportunities turned back, Central Square goalie Andrew Watrous on his way to recording 11 saves.
However, the second half saw CBA finally put it past Watrous, Connor Morgia earning his 27th goal of the season and Caleb Buddie also converting, with assists credited to Juliuz Pichardo-Kemp and Joe Ascenzo.
Solid in the net, Ryan Petrie’s seven saves produced the Brothers’ 10th shutout of the season and sixth in its last seven games, something it hoped to continue against an ESM side which has already proven, against the odds, that it can keep a high-flying opponent on the ground.
