www.stargazette.com - Staff Report - 10/26/11

Elmira nearly rallied from a three-goal deficit before falling to Union-Endicott, 4-3, in a Section 4 Class AA boys soccer quarterfinal game Wednesday at Endicott.

Dave Eddings scored twice for third-seeded U-E, which built a 3-0 lead in the second half.

That lead was down to 4-3 when Elmira's Alex Varkatzas missed by inches on a free kick with about three minutes left.

Curtis Grant scored twice for sixth-seeded Elmira (3-12-1). Varkatzas had the other goal. Parker Warrick, Matt Terpack and Alex Tuyul had assists.

"We knew this season was going to be a learning process," Elmira coach Derek Hamilton said. "We were competitive in all of our matches. Two of our wins were against state-ranked opponents. I think the future of the program is very bright because of the time the kids were willing to put into it."

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www.pressconnects.com - Staff Report - 10/26/11 

Union-Endicott holds off Elmira in Class AA boys soccer

Union-Endicott jumped out to a three-goal lead before holding on at the end for a 4-3 victory over visiting Elmira in a Section 4 Class AA boys soccer quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday.

The Tigers controlled the game for the first 60 minutes, building a 3-0 lead. But then Elmira's Curtis Grant netted two quick goals to cut the deficit to one.

Just as the momentum was shifting away from the Tigers, Jordan Mastronardi got it right back, scoring on an assist from Jimmy Lyons to push the U-E lead back to two.

"It was probably a great game to watch," U-E coach Rick Materese said. "But as a coach, it was a very nerve-wracking game."

Dave Eddings scored two goals and added one assist as U-E outshot Elmira 19-8. Dave Barton also notched two saves for the Tigers (9-5-2), who will travel to Ithaca for the semifinals on Saturday.

Elmira Scoring - Grant (2-0), Varkatzas (1-0), Terpack (0-1), Warrick (0-1), Tuyul (0-1)

Union-Endicott Scoring - Eddings (2-1), Mastronardi (1-1), Lyons (0-1)

Shots/Corners - Elmira (9-4), Union-Endicott (19-5)

Saves - Elmira (Swarthout - 14), Union-Endicott (Barton -2)