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Elmira Soccer Teams Chase Section 4 Titles
Andrew Legare, alegare@stargazette.com @SGAndrewLegarePublished 6:57 p.m. ET Oct. 26, 2017 Updated 1:21 a.m. ET Oct. 27, 2017
Soccer success is nothing new for Elmira, but this year's cumulative effort has been a step above for the four varsity teams in the city.
Elmira High School's boys and girls will play for Section 4 Class AA championships Saturday while the two teams at Elmira Notre Dame try to continue streaks of section supremacy. The combined record of Elmira's teams this season is 48-11-5.
All five Section 4 boys finals will be played Saturday at the Wright National Soccer Campus in Oneonta. Notre Dame takes on Oneonta at 10:30 a.m. in the Class B final and Elmira faces Ithaca at 1:30 p.m. for the Class AA title.
The other boys finals: Marathon vs. South Kortright at 10:15 a.m. in Class D, Vestal vs. Maine-Endwell at 1 p.m. in Class A, and Seton Catholic Central vs. Lansing at 1:15 p.m. in Class C.
Notre Dame's girls will try for a third consecutive sectional crown in Class C when they meet Trumansburg at 2:30 p.m. at Norwich High School. That will follow the noon Class B final between Waverly and Chenango Forks.
The Class AA girls final featuring Elmira and Corning caps the busy day of soccer, with a 7 p.m. start at Waverly Memorial Stadium. The game was originally set for 7:30 because it was scheduled to follow the Class A game between Vestal and Maine-Endwell, but that was moved to Thursday. Vestal won, 2-1, in overtime.
Admission at Oneonta is $6 for adults and $4 for students, senior citizens and children 10-and-under. Admission at the other sites is $5 for adults and $3 for others.
Notre Dame vs. Oneonta boys
Last year, these teams went through two 40-minute halves and extra time without a goal in the sectional final, leaving them as co-champions. Notre Dame ended up earning the trip to the state tournament with a 3-2 victory during penalty kicks, then fell by a 1-0 score to Syracuse Westhill in a state quarterfinal to see its 57-game unbeaten streak end.
The top-seeded Crusaders (14-1-1) aren't scoring at the same clip they have in some recent seasons, but they've allowed six goals in 14 games, with two of their wins coming by forfeit against a Waverly program that didn't field a team because of a lack of players. Notre Dame's loss came to Lansing, 1-0, in the Interscholastic Athletic Conference Large School final.
Goalie Caleb Colucci made a brilliant save Wednesday to help preserve a 1-0 semifinal win over Chenango Forks. Colucci has started much of the season in place of the injured Declan Sharma, a standout in last year's sectional final.
Second-seeded Oneonta (13-2-1) advanced to Saturday's final with a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Whitney Point and a 2-0 triumph against Owego in the semifinals.
Brian Adams was head coach for Notre Dame for the previous 10 years and is now an assistant for Kostas Varkatzas, who was previously the assistant coach. Adams made the move because of commitments related to his job but has, at times, run the team because of Varkatzas' schedule away from soccer.
"It's incredible," Adams said of returning to the sectional final. "We're a small school playing in Class B. I think we enjoy the opportunity to get there. We're definitely looking forward to that. They're not afraid no matter who they're playing. They're going to get a game whoever they face."
Elmira vs. Ithaca boys
This will be the second trip to the sectional final for the combined Elmira team, which started in 2011 following the sports mergers of Elmira Free Academy and Southside. In the 2013 Class AA final, Ithaca was a 5-0 winner over the Express.
Second-seeded Elmira (10-4-1) and top-seeded Ithaca (12-3) split two regular-season meetings. The Express won, 2-0, at Ithaca on Sept. 11 before the Little Red earned a 5-3 road win over Elmira on Oct. 4 after leading, 5-0.
Ithaca had a bye into the title game. Elmira held on for a 5-3 semifinal win over Corning on Wednesday after leading, 4-0, at the half.
The Little Red is seeking a fifth consecutive sectional title and is ranked 12th in the state in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association. Elmira is not ranked.
"To split with them, that was a good result for us," said Derek Hamilton, who guided EFA to two Section 4 titles before becoming coach of the Express. "We know they're going to come with the best that they have and we're going to have to match that intensity and that skill level to get to that point. Certainly not afraid to play them, but we know it's going to take a good effort to get a victory against them."
Notre Dame vs. Trumansburg girls
Steve Weber is in his 32nd season as Notre Dame's coach and this will be the Crusaders' 20th appearance in a sectional final during that time. Notre Dame has won eight Section 4 titles.
A young roster has grown up for the Crusaders, who are led by 26-goal scorer Laurel Vargas, a junior forward who was a First Team all-state pick last season.
"We've had a lot of players step in and continue to improve all season," Weber said. "We’ve more than exceeded our expectations so far."
These teams last met in 2016, with Trumansburg beating Notre Dame, 3-0, in the finals of the Lady Crusader Tournament. Trumansburg's loss this year came by a 1-0 score to Waverly in the IAC Large School final. Two of Notre Dame's losses came to Waverly.
Third-seeded Notre Dame has played perhaps its best soccer in the postseason, earning a 5-0 quarterfinal victory over Newark Valley and a 6-2 semifinal win against second-seeded Unadilla Valley. Vargas had four goals and two assists in those two games.
Top-seeded Trumansburg (15-1-3) advanced with a 1-0 quarterfinal win over Unatego and a 2-0 semifinal victory against Lansing.
Elmira vs. Corning girls
Top-seeded Elmira (12-3-2) is gunning for a fourth sectional championship in the last five years and a second straight one. The only other Class AA team to win a title during that stretch was Corning, with a 3-1 victory over Elmira in 2015.
Second-seeded Corning (8-4-3) played the Express extremely tough during the regular season, earning two ties by scores of 1-1 and 0-0.
The Express is led by senior Kendra Oldroyd, who scored twice Tuesday in a 3-0 semifinal win over Horseheads. Oldroyd has an Elmira City School District record 103 varsity goals, including 28 this season.
Oldroyd's keys to winning another title?
"Just playing the way we know how to play and keeping the mentality straight," she said.
Express coach Zach Sarno said Elmira's troubles have come when the girls don't finish their scoring chances, which plagued them in both games against Corning. The Express didn't score until midway through the second half against Horseheads, so that's another area of focus.
"We're going to have to be better off the get-go on Saturday," Sarno said. "We were well-prepared (Tuesday), but we got our legs stuck a little bit in the first half and we've got to be a little better. ... When you get to a championship game, bottom line is you have to be at your best. There's no room for anything less than playing a full 80 minutes."
Corning's defense was typically sharp Tuesday in a 1-0 semifinal win over Ithaca. The Hawks have surrendered 15 goals this season and have shut out three of their last four opponents.
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Express Boys Top Corning For Class AA Title Shot
A four-goal first half and a momentum-changing score from Gavin Wise helped send the Elmira boys soccer team to the Section 4 Class AA final with a 5-3 victory over visiting Corning on Wednesday afternoon in a semifinal at Ernie Davis Academy.
Wise scored his second goal of the game with 13 minutes, 38 seconds to play to reclaim Elmira's two-goal lead after Corning charged back from a 4-0 halftime hole. The Hawks scored three times in the first 22 minutes of the half to get within one.
Second-seeded Elmira (10-4-1) will face top-seeded Ithaca (12-3) in the championship game Saturday at the Wright National Soccer Campus in Oneonta. The time will be announced. Elmira and Ithaca split two regular-season games.
“We had short-term and long-term goals at the beginning of the season,” Elmira coach Derek Hamilton said. “Our long-term goal was to get to the section final. We assumed it would be Ithaca because they’re a great program. We’re at that point. We have two days to prepare. The kids are excited, I’m excited for them. What’s been a really successful season so far continues, at least for another few days, and then see what happens.”
Jan Ziembicki scored the first two goals for Elmira, with the first coming 3:26 into play. His goal with 17:06 left in the half made it 2-0. Noah Sperduto and Wise added goals for Elmira in the final 13 minutes of the half.
Corning, the No. 3 seed, finished at 7-7-2.
Hawks battle to the finish
Isaac Cornfield buried a penalty kick for Corning's first goal with 33:32 left in the second half to make it a 4-1 game. Seth Grottenthaler scored on a header just over a minute later for the Hawks, then brought them within one with a score on a rebound after a free kick with 18:36 to play.
Just like that, a game that appeared to be over was suddenly a nail-biter.
“We came out a little soft in the first half,” Corning coach Steve Mastronardi said. “Against a team like Elmira with finishers and creators, it’s hard to do that. We kind of fell asleep a couple of times. Kudos to them. They capitalized. But as I told them at halftime, you leave your heart on the field and with Hawks pride you come back. They did and I couldn’t have asked for anything more, getting it back to 4-3 and having three or four good chances to tie it.”
Corning also made some tactical changes, switching its formation to get more people up into attack mode.
“We had to take risks and be drastic,” Mastronardi said. “It worked for a while. They seemed to get into it and create opportunities.”
Senior leadership rises
Ziembicki and Wise each had an assist to go with two goals apiece. Sperduto, Zane Benjamin-Herchanik and Nate Forrest also contributed assists for the Express.
Wise’s second goal capped a big night for Elmira’s seniors.
“It’s a senior that took it into his own hands to make sure we moved on to the next round,” Hamilton said. “We had five goals and five assists and eight of those tallies were from seniors today, which is what you’re looking for from your seniors, that senior leadership.”
Hamilton said he knew Corning wouldn’t fold at halftime and cited the penalty kick as igniting the Hawks’ second-half surge. He added his players looked uncomfortable playing with a four-goal lead and it was vital to both regain a two-goal cushion and return the edge back into the Express’ favor.
“Those three consecutive goals, they put a shock into us and we lost our composure for a little while,” Hamilton said. “That goal allowed us to regain it.”
One last chance
As big a blow as Wise’s second goal was to Corning’s hopes, another key play came in the form of a diving save from Express goalie Corey Templar off a header with 11:30 remaining. That was the last quality scoring chance for the Hawks.
"Even in the end, they still didn’t give up when it was 5-3," Mastronardi said of his team. "A great senior crew. Good luck to Elmira. Great coaching staff, good kids. But the Corning Hawks are great, too."
History lesson
This will be Elmira’s second trip to a sectional final in boys soccer since the team was formed in 2011, following the mergers of Southside and Elmira Free Academy. Elmira lost to Ithaca, 5-0, four years ago in the title game. Hamilton previously coached EFA to two sectional championships in three appearances in title games.
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Ithaca tops Elmira, clinches STAC West
Andrew Legare, alegare@stargazette.com @SGAndrewLegare
Ithaca scored the first five goals Wednesday afternoon and held on for a 5-3 victory over Elmira that clinched a fourth consecutive Southern Tier Athletic Conference West Division boys soccer title for the Little Red.
Ithaca (10-2) led, 4-0, at halftime behind two goals from Michael Gualtieri and one each from Max Chang and Nathan Strominger. Andreas Lambrou added a fifth on a penalty kick just under four minutes into the second half on the turf at Ernie Davis Academy's Marty Harrigan Athletic Field.
"The first half, we had our game plan and we knew that we needed to win this game," Ithaca coach Gilbert Antoine said. "That’s why we came out fairly strongly to play them."
Noah Sperduto scored twice for Elmira, with his second goal bringing the Express (8-3-1, 7-3-1 STAC) within two with 17:07 left. That followed a brilliant goal from Luke Baldwin on a redirect of a Gavin Wise free kick with 19:58 remaining.
Ithaca bounces back
The Little Red was coming off a 1-0 loss to Vestal on Monday and also fell to Elmira, 2-0, earlier this season for its only other setback. Antoine said his team was more aggressive in the rematch with the Express than it was at home Sept. 11.
"We were taking shots that we did not take when we played them the first time at home," Antoine said. "We were a little bit relaxed when we played them at home."
Ithaca had some players out with injuries Wednesday. Antoine said he was happy with the way some players who are normally substitutes stepped up.
Elmira slow out of the gate
Elmira has scored five of the six goals Ithaca has allowed all season, but in the first half Wednesday, the Little Red looked like a team playing at a higher level. Express coach Derek Hamilton viewed it more as his team not playing to its standards.
"We didn’t come out the way we should have in the first half in terms of our intensity or being prepared to play, for whatever reason," he said. "But I think we saw how closely matched we are in that second half. Our goal at the halftime was to win the second half and we did that, three goals to one, and their one goal was a penalty."
Hamilton chalked the sluggish first half to the fact they're high school kids, but he said Elmira has to treat every opponent the same way, whether that's a power such as Ithaca or a team at the bottom of the standings.
Express makes a push
Ithaca's fourth goal came with 13 seconds to go in the first half and the next was on the penalty kick. Facing a five-goal hole in perhaps its biggest game of the season, Elmira got off the ground and made things interesting, starting with Sperduto's goal with 32:37 left.
"I just loved the way we showed a little resiliency, coming back and putting two on them and shaking them up a little bit," Hamilton said. "I think they were kind of cashing in a little bit and they didn't think we had two goals in us, but that kind of swung the momentum of the game."
Hamilton added Ithaca had the edge in possession time during what he called an evenly played final 30 minutes, while his players had the better scoring chances.
"I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy win because Elmira, usually they fight hard," Antoine said. "The second half, I knew they were going to come hard at us. But one of our key defenders was out, two of them were out. It was a little bit shaky in the back. That’s why I think they were lucky and they got a couple goals in. But it’s soccer. Anything can happen in soccer. I’ve seen teams that are winning, 6-0, (and) the next thing they lose, 7-6. And Elmira’s a good team."
Wise returns for Elmira
The Express was bolstered by the presence of Wise, a senior midfielder Hamilton said last week was expected to miss four-to-eight weeks with mononucleosis. His coach and teammates were glad to see him back much sooner than originally expected.
"He was a big difference-maker for us today because he’s that one guy who can break teams down off the dribble in the midfield," Hamilton said. "He was electric today. He got himself an assist and we were really dangerous when we got the ball to his feet.
State rankings
Ithaca entered the game ranked seventh in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association. Elmira is ranked 20th this week after it was eighth in the previous Class AA rankings.
Up next
Ithaca closes the regular season at Owego on Friday. Elmira is home against Binghamton on Friday and home against Vestal on Tuesday.
Elmira and Ithaca could see each other a fourth time in the Section 4 Class AA final, if they both get there. The Little Red will be the top seed for the tournament, with Elmira second.
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Elmira Boys Standing Tall After Growing Pains
Andrew Legare, alegare@stargazette.com @SGAndrewLegare
From a cursory glance, it might seem the Elmira High School boys soccer team has come out of nowhere to rank among New York state's top Class AA teams this season.
Last year the Express produced just three victories in 14 visits to the pitch, which came on the heels of a four-win 2015 campaign. The players and coach Derek Hamilton, though, were confident this season could be something special.
Part of that confidence grew from the manner in which they lost those games. Elmira played a staggering 18 overtime contests in the three seasons leading up to this one. One-goal losses peppered with ties were common for the Express. Frustration obviously came with those losses, but so, too, did belief.
That belief that things would turn around, combined with a commitment to outwork every opponent, has helped Elmira to an 8-1-1 record this year, with Wednesday's 2-0 road win over Horseheads giving the team an eight-game unbeaten streak as it battles perennial power Ithaca for the Southern Tier Athletic Conference West Division title. Ithaca is 8-1 in league play with four games left, while the Express has a 7-1-1 STAC mark.
The Express has jumped to the No. 8 Class AA ranking in the state from the New York State Sportswriters Association and is having the best season in its history, which dates back to the 2011 sports merger of Elmira Free Academy and Southside.
"The last two years we were saying to these guys, 'We’re so close, we’re so close,'" Hamilton said after Wednesday's triumph. "'We’re losing these one-goal games, we have all these overtime matches.' When we get to the maturation point we’re at now, with nine seniors, I knew we had a chance to be pretty good."
Hamilton admits some breaks have to go your way if you're to compile an 8-1-1 record in a talent-filled league such as the STAC. But skill and will have played much larger roles.
Senior co-captain Luke Baldwin said with the team's work ethic and experience he is not surprised to see Elmira's success. Nate Forrest, another senior captain, said the number of overtime losses and tough defeats in recent years provided a reason to think the talent was there to contend for league and sectional titles.
"We really play as a unit when we can," Baldwin said. "We talk and we string passes together. We defend as a team, we win as a team, we do everything as a team. That’s what we practice. ... We have a great coach, a great program. We just keep rolling. Keep doing us."
Making the transition from a team that works hard to a team that works the hardest has meshed with senior talent to deliver a brilliant first 10 games.
"Every single 50/50 ball is ours and we're putting 100 percent effort out there, more than other teams," Forrest said. "We're winning through pure effort."
He credits the makeup of the players on the team with that determination.
When the Express was losing in the toughest ways possible, that group was also paying attention to the little details that cost them dearly at the worst time.
"We win some, we lose some, but we always correct what we've done from the losses and we just come back even stronger the next year," Baldwin said.
This season Elmira has a 4-1 record in one-goal games.
"In the last couple of years we've been giving up those goals or we've been on the other end of 2-1 losses instead of 2-0 victories," Hamilton said.
If there was one moment this year that added a jolt of confidence, it came Sept. 11 when the Express downed Ithaca, 2-0, on the road. The Little Red, two years removed from a trip to the state final four, entered that contest ranked eighth in the state in Class AA.
"They've got a lot of great guys on their team," Baldwin said. "They know how to play; they've always known how to play."
Now opponents are saying similar things about the Express.
"They hustle, they play well together, but the big thing is they're finishing their opportunities," veteran Horseheads coach Mark Mucci said after Wednesday's game.
As Hamilton pointed out, Elmira's players understand their roles and are living up to what is expected of them in those roles. Defense has been a focal point, with Elmira shutting out five of its last seven opponents. On the offensive side, the Express has received scoring contributions from numerous players and from all kinds of angles. Hamilton also singled out the play at center back of Alex Hill and Jakub Ziembicki, describing the pair as "rock solid."
Last week, Elmira's six-game winning streak ended with a 0-0 tie at home against Corning, whose 4-3 win Aug. 30 is the Express' lone loss. The Express lost offensive threat and co-captain Gavin Wise during that tie with what turned out to be mononucleosis. Hamilton said he will miss four to eight weeks, meaning it's possible Wise won't be back this season.
"That's a big blow for us just because Gavin's a team leader, team captain, one of our key players," Hamilton said. "But you could see from (Wednesday) we have people who are willing to step in and maybe play out of their comfort zone a little bit. At the same time, that expectation has been developed in terms of we're here to win."
Wise was on the bench Wednesday to cheer for his teammates and see others step up in his place against Horseheads.
"It’s really tough," Baldwin said of losing Wise. "He’s one of the most important guys on our team. Definitely hurts us on our offense, but we play as a unit and we make up for it. String passes around and we just keep playing how we keep playing."
Or perhaps even better. As much as he has enjoyed leading this group, especially having coached some of the players in the Soaring Capital Soccer Club since they were little kids, Hamilton said the potential is there for even better things.
"We’re playing pretty well right now," he said. "I’d like to continue to improve and make sure we’re playing our best soccer leading into those sectional games, where we can put a complete 80 minutes together. We’ve played well this season, I don’t think we’ve put a complete 80 minutes together yet. When that happens I think it’s going to be pretty exciting for us."
For now the 10-game start is plenty exciting. How Elmira finishes, though, will tell the final story of this year's team. The Express has five regular-season games to go, with four of them counting in Elmira's bid to claim the STAC West title.
"We’re looking for STAC West," Forrest said. "We’re trying to just win out. We win out and we beat Ithaca, we beat Vestal and we’re at our goal. Then we go to sectionals and we’ll take it from there."
Andrew Legare is a sportswriter. Follow him @SGAndrewLegare on Twitter.
Andrew Legare, alegare@stargazette.com @SGAndrewLegare
First-half goals from Jan Ziembicki and Robert McCarick helped Elmira continue its pursuit of the Southern Tier Athletic Conference West Division title in boys soccer with a 2-0 win at Horseheads on Wednesday afternoon.
Both goals were assisted by Noah Sperduto and they helped leave the Express at 8-1-1 overall and 7-1-1 in STAC play. Horseheads fell to 4-7.
Quick start for Elmira
Ziembicki gave the Express a 1-0 edge with his blast 8 minutes, 14 seconds into the contest. McCarrick converted a perfect crossing pass from Sperduto with 7:17 left in the half to give Elmira a 2-0 lead that held up.
"They hustle, they play well together, but the big thing is they're finishing their opportunities," Horseheads coach Mark Mucci said of the Express. "We didn't give them much today, but they capitalized on what we gave them."
"I knew it was going to be a physical battle just because of how hot it was," Elmira coach Derek Hamilton said. "Ironically, we played a little better in the first half, when it was hotter. We were a little sluggish in the second half, when it was a little cooler. But we got off to that early lead. It was a couple of nice goals. We created a couple of opportunities in the second half, but the first half was definitely our better 40 minutes of play."
Express stays on track
Elmira was coming off a 0-0 tie Friday against Corning but still hasn't lost since a 4-3 setback to Corning back on Aug. 30. The unbeaten streak now stands at eight for the Express, which is in a battle with Ithaca for the STAC West title. Elmira has shut out five of its last seven opponents.
The Express has four league games remaining, starting with a road contest against Maine-Endwell on Friday. Ithaca, 8-1 after Wednesday night's 2-0 win at Corning, plays at Elmira at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 4. Ithaca's lone loss came to Elmira, 2-0, on Sept. 11.
"It was a big win – 8-1-1," Elmira senior defender Nate Forrest said of Wednesday's game. "We’re just going to keep on rolling, keep on getting wins, shutouts."
Robert McCarrick of Elmira chases the ball in front of Horseheads' Chris Enright during boys soccer Wednesday at Horseheads. (Photo: Andrew Legare / Staff photo)
Horseheads strong in second half
The Blue Raiders had their share of scoring chances and Elmira had just one more shot on goal for the game, 8-7. Express goalie Corey Templar had seven saves for the shutout.
"I changed things up in halftime because we weren’t playing well and tried to put more pressure on them," Mucci said. "Tried to switch up my formation just a little bit to help give us some more pressure in the midfield and give us some more chances to control the ball and work it through the midfield. In the second half, we kept the ball down in that end for a good chunk of that time. We just couldn’t finish."
Raiders chasing postseason
Elmira already has secured a berth in the Section 4 Class AA Tournament. Horseheads needs to win two of its final four games to do the same. Mucci is hoping the players' second-half performance Wednesday bodes well for how they'll play as they pursue a playoff spot.
"That’s the best we’ve played in a few games in that second half," he said. "I thought we kept them pinned in. We made better decisions, better choices, we hustled our butt off and we actually showed we wanted to win the game in the second half. I need them to show that for the last four games we’ve got."
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