CENTRAL NEW YORK – Even with wet, cold conditions and a determined opponent playing with pride, emotion and plenty of physicality, the Christian Brothers Academy boys soccer team would not be denied another Section III title.
The Class A champions of 2022 are now the Class AA champions of 2023, with the Brothers turning back East Syracuse Minoa 2-0 in Monday’s sectional final at Phoenix.
Having seen 16 seniors depart from last year’s state final four representative, CBA just put together another undefeated run to another sectional crown.
“This one feels better because we were more resilient this year,” said senior forward Connor Morgia.
Plenty of toughness was needed, along with a combination of patience, good fortune and unexpected skill, to subdue an ESM side who outplayed them for long stretches of the game, including much of the first half.
In particular, the Spartans’ defense honed in on Morgia, who had scored 27 goals this season, constantly double-teaming him and rarely giving him any space to operate. And when CBA did get scoring chances, goalie Reide Scolaro skillfully handled them.
This made what happened with 1:49 left in the half so damaging to ESM’s hopes.
From 40 yards out, Rico Petrosillo curled a shot that surprised Scolaro enough that he could not get a clear grip on the ball. Pouncing on this, Morgia got possession and quickly slipped it past Scolaro for a 1-0 CBA advantage.
Early in the second half, the Brothers got a series of set pieces that, in the 51st minute, paid off on a corner kick taken by Julius Pichardo-Kemp.
Positioned in front of the net, Sean Broschart, who had only scored two goals all season, back-heeled Pichardo-Kemp’s low cross into the net. Broschart said he had practiced this move and that, here, “it was a perfect time to use it.”
CBA took it home from there, anchored by Petrosillo, Sean Broschart, Kyle Broschart and Gaetano Nasci on its back line and by another strong effort in goal by Ryan Petrie, who stopped all nine shots he faced.
The Brothers earned a trip back to the state tournament where, in Saturday’s regional final at Fayetteville-Manlius, it would face Section II champion Guilderland and make a dramatic late comeback, only to get denied in a 2-1 overtime defeat.
Neither team could convert through most of regulation, Guilderland doing an effective job bottling up Morgia and Pichardo-Kemp along with the rest of the CBA’s potent attackers.
Then, with seven minutes left in regulation, Sam Tanner got free on a breakaway for Guilderland and put it past to give his side a 1-0 advantage and the Brothers not much time to equal it.
Yet CBA did, thanks to Petrosillo, who again used his strong leg to hit a clutch shot into the net just 2 ½ minutes later, ultimately sending the regional final into OT.
After a first extra period where both teams had many chances, Guilderland attacked hard and, with 12 minutes to go, saw Enesio Capollari head home the game-winner, the only defeat CBA took in a 17-1-1 season.
