Blue Devils return to title game

Brockport jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 27 minutes and held on to defeat Churchville-Chili 3-2 in the Section V boy's soccer semi-finals. The win means the Blue Devils and Fairport meet in the AAA championship in a rematch of last season's final.

Junior Sean Bittner scored off a header in the eighth minute and Matt Newsome made it 2-0 Blue Devils when he scored off a corner kick four minutes later. Brett Allen scored in the 27th minute for the 3-0 lead.

With six minutes remaining in the first half, Churchville-Chili's Nate Campanis and Brockport's Jeremy Toscano were issued red cards following a shoving match.

The Saints turned up the pressure in the second half with several scoring chances before Kevin Airlotta converted a penalty kick in the 71st minute after being grabbed around the legs in the box.

After Scott Zorn shot the ball just over the crossbar in the 78 th minute, the Saints closed the gap when Joe Soto scored on an arching 35-yard free kick in the 80th minute.

C-C had two scoring chances in the final 90 seconds off the head of Scott Cody and the foot of Cody Hewitt, but both were stopped by the Brockport goalkeeper.

'We let them hang with us," said Brockport head coach Chris Zorn. "We need to tighten up if we want to win Friday. We sit on the lead and let them come at us - it's hard to play with a big lead."

As for his starting midfielder Toscano missing the title game with the red card ejection, Zorn said, "It's frustrating when the other coach sends guys out to whack us and knock our best players out of the game. It's poor coaching on his behalf."

It was the third meeting between the two teams this season with top-seeded Brockport victorious in all three one-goal affairs.

November 5, 2006