Hawks take State #1 to the brink
Ryan Richardson scored the game-winner in the second overtime to give second-seeded Byron-Bergen a 1-0 win over third-seed Williamson in the Class C1 boys’ soccer semi-final played at Spencerport
Meanwhile the fourth-seeded Holley Hawks faced the number one seed and top-ranked team in the state World of Inquiry and lost on a late goal 1-0 on the same field.
The Bees and Marauders battled between the 30’s for much of the first half of their contest with only one legitimate scoring chance combined.
The second half was also played close-to-the-vest defensively with each team threatening twice. Byron-Bergen had one shot just wide of the right post in the 45th minute and Wade Thompson had his bullet attempt tipped over the crossbar by the Williamson goalkeeper in the 69th minute.
Everything changed in the first overtime, however, the Bees got more aggressive offensively and generated four glorious chances over a seven minute time span.
“Everyone picked it up and we knew we wanted to keep (the season) going,” senior Ryan Richardson said. “We just kept going to the outside because that was working and going hard to everything – not giving up.”
4:40 into the second overtime, the Bees were awarded a free kick just inside midfield. Kylar Chambry kicked into the box where the ball deflected off the Williamson goalkeeper and into the air. Richardson was able to head it toward the net where it rolled across the goal-line for the game winner.
“We picked up our intensity,” Bees head coach Ken Rogoyski said. “I think our seniors realized that this could be their last moments of their high school soccer careers and they said ‘we’re not ending it tonight.’ ”
Senior Brandon Burke made six saves in net for the Bees in registering his first shutout of the season.
The win earned the Bees, ranked seventh in New York State among Class C schools, a trip to the Section V Class C1 championship game for the first time since they last won the title in 2006. They will battle the top ranked team in New York State in Class C – World of Inquiry – who defeated the Hawks.
In the earlier semi-final, the Hawks tactically packed in their defense to break up passing plays and shot attempts of the potent Griffins offense.
“We tried early on a double second-defender because they tried to go end-line,” Holley head coach Dan Orbaker said. “And we didn’t have our leading scorer this season (Andrew Cary), who was out (due to a medical condition), so we had to rely on (Derek) McArthur, we had to rely on (Chris) Balys. Patrick (Bower) played a great game in goal, but they are a great team and we don’t play on turf too much, but we gave it a valiant try.”
The Griffins threatened early with Holley defender Chris Balys heading away one scoring chance on the goal line in the 18th minute. In the 31st minute, another chance hit the right post flush.
Holley had a pair of scoring chances over the final ten minutes of the first half with the Griffins goalkeeper making consecutive saves on McArthur and Dylan McKay’s rebound chance.
World of Inquiry had two apparent goals disallowed and Bower stopped two other chances before the Griffins finally converted at 59:02 off a header pass by Jaivaughn Killings to Toyi Hakizimana, who found the back of the net with a bicycle kick.
Holley seniors Balys, Bryce Baxter, Cary, Will Harrington, Tyler Hill, McArthur, McKay, Antonio Puente, Bailey Schubmehl and James Skehan completed their high school soccer careers.
