Chazy boys reach NY State Semis Again
By JOHN CORYER
Plattsburgh Press Republican Staff Writer
Published November 11, 2007 01:01 am -
COLONIE -- Good teams find a way to win -- even when they're not at the top of their game.
The Chazy boys' soccer team didn't bring its usual "A" game Saturday to Colonie High School.
The talented and determined Eagles, however, are going to another Final Four following a 2-0 victory over Section II's Sharon Springs in NYSPHSAA Class D regional championship action.
Chazy heads to Oneonta for Saturday's Final Four semifinals at 1 p.m. against Section XI's Smithtown Christian, a 2-0 winner over Section IX's Family Home,
The Eagles' win Saturday makes it eight Final Fours in 11 years under head coach Rob McAuliffe.
"We play to move on and all that matters to us is winning a state title," McAuliffe said. "The kids are excited to move on."
"We didn't play our best soccer today -- we didn't play as well as we did in our sectional final or the opening round in the state playoffs. But, it wasn't from a lack of effort in this game. The kids played so hard."
The Section VII-champion Eagles (22-1), ranked No. 1 in the state among Class D schools, came out tight and had to weather a little early pressure from the Spartans (9-10-2).
Chazy, however, began to take over the play and broke out on top at 27:07 of the first half.
Nolan Ryan's throw-in resulted in a loose ball scramble in front of the Sharon Springs' goal and Kyle Reynolds was able to head the ball into the net from close range.
"(Kyle) Reynolds' play sometimes goes unnoticed," McAuliffe said. "But, he did a good job today on (Ryan) Brown, who is a handful to cover. Reynolds also scored our first goal of the game. I'm happy for him."
"I felt pretty good with us having a 1-0 lead at the half. But, I didn't feel as safe as I did in other games we have played."
It was a great day for the Reynolds family as Kyle's sister, Victoria, scored three times in the Chazy girls' 4-0 regional soccer win over Harrisville.
The Eagles then took advantage of a Sharon Springs defensive miscue to make it 2-0 with 6:42 gone in the second half.
Another Ryan throw-in resulted in the ball being knocked around the box and Stetson Fields sent a low shot from inside the area on net. Spartans' keeper Douglas Ullman bent over for the save, but the ball managed to slip between his legs and into the net.
The Eagles' defense was up to the task the remainder of the way."We did play good defense -- we were able to deny them good scoring chances," McAuliffe said. "Sharon Springs played hard and physical. They had nothing to lose and deserve a lot of credit. I think their size hurt us a lot. They were physical and we couldn't get into a steady rhythm."
"It was kind of a funny game. We would play well for spurts and poorly at other times. We weren't able to string anything together for an extended time."
Chazy held a 15-7 shot advantage, with Jacob Beeman recording the shutout in net with four saves.
Still, McAuliffe was happy to get this one out of the way and to move on.
"Our team has come together very well this year and they are determined to win a state title," he said.
"We will have a chance to do so if we continue to play good defense and get good offense at times."
Chazy 2, Sharon Springs 0
Chazy 1 1 -- 2
Sharon Springs 0 0 -- 0
First half- 1, C, Reynolds, 27:07.
Second half- 2, C, Fields, 6:42.
Shots: Chazy 15, Sharon Springs 7.
Saves: Beeman, C, 4. Ullman, SS, 7.
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