Elmira District Boys Soccer

Andrew Legare, Elmira Star Gazette

Elmira High came out of the gates flying, scoring three first-half goals Saturday on its way to a 3-2 victory over defending Class A State Champion Vestal in the opening game of the season for both Southern Tier Athletic Conference Boys soccer teams.

Joe Bruner, a junior making his varsity debut, scored Elmira's first goal off a header on a cross from Noah Sperduto.  Sperduto, a fouth-team all-state pick last season, added two more goals for the Express in the final six minutes of the half to give his team a three-goal edge at Vestal's Dick Hoover Stadium.

"We came out with a game plan and really kept our defensive shape pretty well and limited their opportunities,"  Elmira coach Derek Hamilton said.  "With a kid like Noah up front, he's going to take advantage of opportunities and he got two early for us."

Dan Mansfield scored twice in the second half for Vestal, with the second goal coming with about 15 minutes to play.  The Golden Bears, who had a 13-6 edge in shots on goal, pressured Elmira late, but couldn't get the tying goal.  Express goalie Nate Burrows finished with 10 saves.

"We showed alot of heart today," Hamilton said.  "We kind of deflected the last few opportunities."

Vestal posted a 20-0 record last season on its way to the State Championship.  The Golden Bears shut out 14 of their 20 opponents.  Elmira went 10-5-1 last season and was the Section 4, Class AA runner-up.

"Anytime you knock off a team like that that you know isn't going to lose many games, it really picks you up and makes you confident going forward," Hamilton said.

Milestone Watch

The victory was the 99th of his career for Hamilton between his time coaching Elmira Free Academy and the Express.  His team will try to give him No. 100 when it hosts Owego at 4:00 pm Tuesday at Ernie Davis Academy's Marty Harrigan Athletic Field. 

Elmira was good enough in 2017 to beat Class AA state semifinalist Ithaca during the regular season and make it to the sectional final before falling to that same Little Red team.

The goal now is to make it back-to-back strong seasons. The potential is there for another highlight-filled fall, veteran head coach Derek Hamilton said.

"I think the talent level is still good," he said. "I believe we had eight or nine seniors last year that really helped us out. Replacing those numbers is going to be difficult, but the talent level is still there, the effort’s still there. It’s just getting those younger players acclimated to the varsity physicality and speed of play that’s going to be the biggest obstacle for us."

Offensive firepower

That talent includes junior forward Noah Sperduto, who last season had 17 goals and seven assists. He was a fourth-team all-state pick and a Southern Tier Athletic Conference all-conference choice.

Also back is senior Luke Baldwin, another all-conference player a year ago. Senior midfielder Evan Moore, and junior midfielders Jakub Ziembicki and Cameron Kelly-Hobbs, are also key returners.

"We’re super strong up the middle," Hamilton said. "We’ve got three kids returning for us who are great players. Noah Sperduto made all-state last year and led the conference in goals. Luke Baldwin made all-conference at center back. We’re moving him to midfield. Evan Moore is one of the more technically strong players. Between those three, we’re super strong right up the middle."

Baldwin likes the team's scoring potential.

"Our strength is definitely offense," he said. "We’ve got a lot of guys who have a lot of skill up top and our midfield is pretty solid. We’re just looking forward to getting some shots on frame."

Mix of veterans and newcomers

Among the new talent to watch are brothers Max and Zach Odom, both junior defenders. They're joined by three additions who could make a strong impact: sophomore forward Kytrell Stroman, freshman defender Anthony Manzari and freshman midfielder Talon Wise.

Hamilton said there is strong leadership within the team and the competition has been very good throughout the preseason.

"We only have five seniors and we’ve got a lot of young guys, but we’ve been playing together forever and our chemistry is just through the roof," Baldwin said. "We’re looking forward to great things this season and hope to keep winning."

STAC power

In addition to perennially strong Ithaca, the STAC also boasts defending Class A state champion Vestal, which went unbeaten last season. Elmira has the challenge of opening its season at Vestal, with that meeting set for 1 p.m. Aug. 25.

"It’s definitely crazy because the competition (in the STAC) is unbelievable," Baldwin said. "It’s through the roof. We’ve got guys going all over, committing to different schools. When we play these good teams, it just makes us even better. Because we learn from our mistakes."

Hamilton said the West and Metro divisions in the STAC will see several new faces after a strong senior class in 2017.

"Watching those kids develop should make for a great season of soccer," he said.

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The Broadway show "Hamilton" has had quite a run for the last three years or so. For much longer, the coach Hamilton has had a nice run of his own guiding Elmira City School District boys soccer teams.

Derek Hamilton reached 100 career victories as a varsity boys soccer coach in the district Thursday with Elmira's 2-0 victory over Corning at Ernie Davis Academy's Marty Harrigan Athletic Field.

The milestone includes six seasons at Elmira Free Academy, which combined with Elmira Southside in all sports in 2011. Hamilton has coached the Express all eight of those seasons. He guided EFA to Section 4 titles in 2006 and 2010.

"It’s a nice accomplishment, but you can’t make great paintings without great paint," Hamilton said. "It’s just a testament to all the kids who have come through. My favorite part about the program is every big win or everything that we’ve done that’s a milestone, I’ll get 50 text messages from ex-players, or emails, or calls, or Facebook posts, just saying congratulations.

"To me, we could win 500 games; my proudest accomplishment is just the community and program we’ve built over the last decade and a half."

Hamilton was presented a plaque commemorating the achievement by Express Athletic Director Tom Morrell. The team signed a soccer ball and gave it to Hamilton.

Two years ago, Elmira girls soccer coach Zach Sarno, a longtime close friend of Hamilton's, reached the 100 victory milestone.

Noah Sperduto and Max Odum scored the goals Thursday, with both coming off corner kicks in the first half. Joe Bruner delivered the assist on the first goal, and Evan Moore assisted on Odum's tally late in the half. It was the first career varsity goal for Odum.

"I’ve been playing with Hamilton for a while, and he’s a really good coach, a really good guy," Sperduto said. "It means a lot to get him his 100th win.

"He’s talking about everybody in the past, all the players texting after every win, congrats and stuff. It shows he has a really good connection with his players and everybody likes him."

Defensive game

Without the set-piece goals, there were few quality scoring opportunities for the teams within the flow of play.

"We’ve played better matches, that’s for sure," Hamilton said. "But Corning was resilient, and they were really tough to break down. We took advantage of the limited opportunities we had. Most of the game was played between the 18s. Not many scoring chances either way."

That Elmira was able to score twice was a credit to the Express' strength on corner kicks. Sperduto's goal came when he back-footed the ball into the net after the ball ended up on the ground. Moore's low-flying corner kick went directly to the right foot of Odum, whose blast from about 10 yards out went into the corner of the net after it was slightly deflected.

"It just comes back to hard work," Sperduto said of Elmira's play on the corners. "The ball’s bouncing around the box, our team’s the first one to get someone on it."

Quick start

So far, so good this season for the Express, which opened the season Saturday with a 3-2 victory over defending Class A state champion Vestal. Elmira is coming off a 10-5-1 season that saw the Express finish as the Section 4 Class AA runner-up.

Hamilton said the team has exceeded expectations over the six days of the regular season. Elmira is home again at 4 p.m. Friday against Owego.

"I think we have four seniors, so we're a super-young team," he said. "But we've got some guys that can play and take advantage of opportunities they're given. We're putting guys in good spaces in attacking positions, scoring some decent goals right now, which is nice for us going forward."

Worth watching

Sperduto is among the top players in Section 4 and a dynamic offensive player. Last season, he had 17 goals and seven assists to earn fourth-team overall all-state honors in New York. He has three goals this season, with two coming against Vestal.

A potential fourth goal was denied Thursday, thanks to a diving save from Hawks goalie Griffin Huff. Sperduto had the attention of multiple Corning defenders whenever the ball got near him.

"It’s a kid I’ve known since he was eight years old and I’ve watched him mature," Hamilton said. "He went from this gangly, frizzy-haired kid to this man that he is now. It’s really nice to see him mature both as a soccer player, but as a person as well. He plays regional (developmental program), he’s really up there in terms of his club soccer in the off-season, and he’s super easy to coach because he’s a great kid, too."

Hawks seeking first goal

Corning didn't get the easiest draw to start its season. The Hawks opened the campaign Tuesday at home against Vestal and fell by the same 2-0 margin. Corning is hoping to break into the scoring column Sept. 4 at home against Ithaca, a state semifinalist in Class AA last season.

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Andrew Legare, alegare@stargazette.com / @SGAndreLegare

Published 4:55 pm ET, Dec. 8, 2017 

Section 4 boys soccer had one of its best collective seasons ever this fall, with two teams winning state titles and another coming within a goal of advancing to the Class AA championship game.

That high level of play has been rewarded with 14 players being selected to the United Soccer Coaches all-state team. The group, formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, made its picks based on nominations sent through coaches who are part of the organization.

Leading the Section 4 selections is Vestal senior midfielder Parker McKnight, who was named one of the 67 boys All-Americans across the country and a first-team Large Schools all-state pick in New York. McKnight scored three goals in a 4-0 victory over Queensbury in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A final, capping a 20-0 season for the Golden Bears. McKnight finished the season with a team-high 16 goals and five assists.

McKnight was also named to the All-East Region team along with Ithaca senior forward Roberto Mier. From just over the border in Pennsylvania, Athens senior forward Ethan Lane also earned All-East Region honors.

Also earning all-state honors for Vestal was senior Corey Barr, a fifth-team Large Schools pick. He had 14 goals and 13 assists this season.

Mier joined McKnight on the New York's Large Schools first team after leading the Little Red to a fifth consecutive Section 4 Class AA title.  Ithaca advanced to the state semifinals before falling to eventual champion Rochester McQuaid, 1-0, in overtime.  The Little Red finished 13-4 and advanced to the state final four for the third time in four years.

Lansing High School, which won the first Class C state title in program history, had two all-state picks among Small Schools.  Senior midfielder Nick Parkes was a thirs-team choice and senior midfielder Jach Zajac was chosen to the fourth team.  Parkes scored the winning goal in overtime in the Bobcats' 2-1 victory over Byron-Bergan/Elba in the state final.

Elmira High School, which made it to the sectional final, had two all-state picks among Large Schools.  Senior midfielder Gavin Wise was named to the third team and sophomore Noah Sperduto  was picked to the fourth team.  Sperduto led Elmira with 17 goals and shared team-high honors with seven assists.  He scored three of the seven goals Ithaca allowed during the regular season and factored into 24 of Elmira's 37 goals.  Wise had seven goals and seven assists despite missing 2 1/2 games with mononucleosis.