Announcement
Two goals from freshman Noah Sperduto lifted the Elmira boys soccer team to its first win, 2-1, over Corning.
Freshman Noah Sperduto scored the first two goals of his varsity career in the second half Thursday night as the Elmira boys soccer team rallied for its first win, 2-1, over Southern Tier Athletic Conference foe Corning at Corning Memorial Stadium.
Sperduto scored the tying goal with about 20 minutes left, then netted the winner with eight minutes to go off a feed from Jasio Ziembicki. Express head coach Derek Hamilton described it as a “fantastic” goal, with Sperduto beating two defenders off the dribble before finishing.
“He had great composure in the box,” Hamilton said.
Paul Milliken added an assist for Elmira, which improved to 1-3.
“We have such a young team that I think the win does more for us than simply getting three points,” Hamilton said. “It lifts our spirits and shows we can play with anybody.”
Cam Metarko scored for Corning (2-2).
Elmira Scoring - Sperduto (2-0), Paul Milliken (0-1), Ziebecki (0-1)
Corning Scoring - Metarko (1-0)
Shots/Corners - Elmira (11-1), Corning (9-3)
Saves - Elmira (Baldwin - 8), Coring (Ekstrom - 9)
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Elmira outlasts Corning, 2-1
CORNING - The Hawks had the lead at halftime, but Elmira had the lead when the final horn sounded in its 2-1 win over Corning Thursday at Memorial Stadium.
In a game played in rain and drizzle, the Hawks grabbed the lead in the first half on a Cameron Metarko goal.
“The ball bounced off their keeper and he was there to finish,” Corning head coach Steve Mastronardi said.
According to Mastronardi, the wet conditions didn’t factor in the outcome.
“The rain made it slippery, but we’re not using that as an excuse,” he said. “The rain didn’t play the pivotal role.”
Elmira keeper Luke Baldwin’s 17 saves was the difference, Mastronardi said.
“We had opportunities, but just didn’t finish tonight,” he said. “Their keeper made some nice saves when he needed to.”
In the second half, Elmira (1-3) got its tying goal off the foot of Gavin Wise. Then with 10 minutes remaining, Noah Speduto got into a one-on-one situation with Corning’s keeper and made it pay off.
Erik Ekstrom tallied four saves for the Hawks.
Corning (2-2) will travel to Binghamton for a 7 p.m. contest on Tuesday
