No.6 Fox Lane Falls, 1-0, in Class AA Finals to No.1 TZ
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Ex-Teams, Ossining, Yorktown, Peekskill, Byram, P’Ville Fall in Semis
By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
The Section 1 boys’ soccer semifinals took a toll on a slew of Examiner-area clubs, as only Fox Lane survived and advanced its match to Saturday’s Class AA finals on the campus of Lakeland High where the upstart, sixth–seeded Foxes left it all on the field in a 1-0 championship setback, leaving the Ex-region fully skunked in terms of sectional champions but filled with pride after their efforts as Class AAA Ossining, Class AA Yorktown and Peekskill, Class A Byram Hills and Pleasantville were all ousted in Thursday’s semifinals.
“Unbelievable year for the Foxes,” Coach Mike Tomassi said. “When I got this job four years ago, I knew we had the potential to be a great program. At the time, I was the only person to apply for the job, but I believed in us from day one! We’ve made great strides and will continue to do so. We now have the program set up with the right staff and mentality to achieve greatness. We’ll be here for a while and will only use this postseason run and season as motivation to improve”.
Top-seeded Class AAA, Scarsdale, ranked No.8 in NYS, survived a 3-2 scare from third-seeded Arlington (No.11 in NYS) to three-peat as champs; while top-seeded and state-ranked (No.6) Class AA Tappan Zee moved on; as did 2023 Class A runner-up Rye (unranked in NYS); and Rye Neck staged an epic 3-2 title win over sixth-ranked, then-defending Class B champ Keio; and repeat champ Class C North Salem (No.12 in NYS) were all crowned during a highly eventful day.
Tip of the cap to Lakeland High for yet another day of gracious hosting.
CLASS AA
It was sixth-seeded FOX LANE (12-4-3), unranked in NYS, that essentially came out of nowhere to get on the kind of run that creates foundations for years to come. Fox Lane ended the season for No.3 host HORACE GREELEY (10-3-5) in a 2-1 game that lived up to the advanced preamble as the neighboring rivals got after one another pretty good. At 23:48 of the first half, Fox Lane struck first, streaming down the near sideline before Kenneth Mejia Lopez banged one home.
At 37;40 of the second half, the Foxes padded their lead behind a strong push and finish from Lucas Ormazabal. With 9:25 left Greeley’s direct kick from sharpshooter Ryder Goodman was deposited to cut the deficit in half, 2-1.
Fox Lane rode that momentum into Peekskill and ended an otherwise dream season for the Red Devils in a 3-1 semifinal triumph by the Foxes, who clung to a 2-1 lead before Freddy Contreras padded the lead at 26:16 of the second half after tallies by Ryan Joseph and Mejia Lopez 1G.
“Really is unbelievable,” Tomassi said of the recent run to the finals. “I am so proud of the boys and the effort they have displayed. Four years ago, when I took over, I knew this program had so much potential. We are starting to tap into it, and will continue to make sure we can improve each and every year. It has been a hell of a journey, and we will come ready to battle on Sunday. We have been the underdogs all year and Sunday it will be the same. It is a role that we love.”
The underdog role sometimes has a nasty bite in the end, and when TZ’s Jacobs scored 54 seconds into the game, the Dutchmen sank the game’s lone goal, which was all they would need to stand the test of time.
Fox Lane G Eli Daglio made several clutch saves in the second half, keeping the Foxes afloat, but penetration at the other end proved futile.
Truth be told, the Foxes busted up the Class AA bracket and overachieved, which is nothing but complimentary.
“TZ is legit, and we gave them an opportunity early — they capitalized,” Tomassi admitted. “Credit to them. I thought we played tough despite dealing with some big injuries that limited our depth. Not an excuse, just a fact; that’s sports. I’m very proud of the grit and toughness we showed, even with several guys out during the entire playoff run. We’re returning nine starters and several key players off the bench for next season. The last sectional finals appearance was in 1979… my goal is to make 2025 the next one.”
No.9 CARMEL (8-4-6) had its season come to an end at No.1 Tappan Zee, which posted a 3-0 quarterfinal win Tuesday.
No.12 Clarkstown North came up short at No.4 YORKTOWN (13-4-2) in Tuesday’s quarterfinals when Huskers Nick Pozo and Haniel Flores each went for a goal and an assist while Colin Worden added a third goal.
At 33:10 of the second half of the semis, Yorktown put Tappan Zee on alert when Flores scored to tie the game at 1-all, which is where she stood until the 9:06 mark of the first overtime when All-NYS sniper Brady Jacobs didn’t just tickle twine (he tore it) for the game’s golden goal for his section–best 41st of the season.
“Have to give TZ credit for defending well,” first-year Yorktown Coach Justin Huff said. “We had two costly mistakes and were a bit unlucky to have our goal disallowed early in the game, but we left several other chances on the table.
“Overall it was a good season,” he added. “It’s good for the returning players to experience a high-pressure game like this. We will be returning 18 players, including nine starters. If the team puts the work in during the offseason, I fully expect to be back to a semis next year.”
No.7 Roosevelt got shellacked at No.2 PEEKSKILL (15-1-2) in a 5-1 beatdown. Red Devils
Randy Tapia (2G), Umaru Conteh, Maddox Lozada, and Juan Ventura each tickled twine while Daniel Farez Sierra and Brandon Rodriguez both set up a goal and advanced to face Fox Lane in the semis.
CLASS A
No.9 PANAS (6-8-4) did not have enough left in the tank when it visited No.1 BYRAM HILLS where the 2023 NYS runner-up Bobcats (14-2-3) secured a 5-0 victory, which was the 350th in the sterling career of Coach Matty Allen, who means as much to Section 1 soccer as anyone #Truth.
Bobcats Ryan Pero (2G), Chris Amenedo (1G, 1A), Seb Olego (2A) and Harry Boyd (1G, 1A) all posted two-point games while Ryan Nichols added a goal.
In the semis against No.4 Rye, the Bobcats ran into a buzzsaw with the Garnets taking leads of 1-0 and 2-1 at 24:47 of the second half off the foot of Kaden Zion. This, after Bobcat sniper Amenedo leveled the score at 1-1 off an assist from Max Miller at 31:49 of the second half. G Gavin Nichols (7 saves) made a gorgeous save at 15:15 and another at 14:52. Nichols cramped up at 10:44, providing a stoppage in play, which had been taken over by the pressing Garnets, who did not sit back on its lead while both teams dished equal sides of chippy plays.
Byram, the 2023 NYS runner-up, came up with a handful of chances with just over 6:00 left, but nothing to show, and another near miss at 4:22. A couple of long throws went for naught in the waning moments and Rye held firm on the back line despite the frantic attempts of the Bobcats.
Rye was simply the better team on this day, according to Bobcat Coach Matt Allen.
“They earned the win, they outplayed us across the board,” the coach said.
No.5 LAKELAND (11-6-1) went down to No.4 Rye (15-4) where Coach Tim Hourahan’s youthful Hornets failed to generate enough offensive opportunities in a 1-0 quarterfinal loss. Lakeland G Oban Rader made six saves but the Hornets could only muster three shots on goal. Lakeland returns a bunch of players for what should be a brighter 2025 season.
No.6 WESTLAKE (8-6-4) made the short trek to No.3 PLEASANTVILLE (11-4-3) with the Panthers, who were 1-0-1 against the Wildcats in the regular season, taking the 1-0 decision in overtime to advance to the semis.
In the initial 15-minute OT stanza, Westlake were being awarded yellow cards like they were giving out Halloween candy, but the Wildcats withstood and went to the second OT still deadlocked. At 12:04 of the second OT, P’Ville sent one just over the crossbar. On the ensuing trip down field Westlake sent one just wide of the far post at 11:00. At 4:45 came another strong Westlake chance. Then, off a scramble in front, P’Ville scored the golden goal off the foot of Danny McInerny, assisted by Nick Tassier.
No.2 Ardsley’s Philip Kauffman’s goal in the 74th minute put Pleasantville on ice as host Ardsley worked a 2-0 semifinal triumph of a game but overmatched Panther club Thursday. A terrific season from Pleasantville, which moved from Class B to Class A this season, should set the foundation for future success.
CLASS B
No.5 Bronxville visited No.4 BRIARCLIFF in Tuesday’s quarterfinals and managed to hold the Bears (7-4-6) to a single goal in a 3-1 setback. Odhran Murray, who partially tore his ACL in the Lakeland Summer League, rehabbed his way back and scored the lone goal, his second in as many games.
“This kid partially tore his ACL in the Lakeland summer league and was able to rehab himself back for the playoffs,” Bears Coach Paul Bordenero said. “Can’t say enough about him, and he will be a huge piece of next year’s team, as will our goalie Conall Torres (4 saves). His first save was on a Bronxville PK less than three minutes into the game. He’s another key returning piece for us next year.”
No.11 VALHALLA (4-12-2) was oh so close to pulling off another playoff upset but the Vikings lost a 1-0 lead and fell 2-1 in overtime at No.3 Rye Neck. Viking Arthur Barrozo scored from Ian Silvero and G Jacob Bricker made five saves.
CLASS AAA
No.12 Mamaroneck visited No.4 OSSINING in a fiery contest that saw the host Pride (11-3-4) secure a 3-2 when Daniel Espinoza scored the game-winning goal with 13:21 left off a Gabe Robinson corner, which found Alex Lenaghan (2A) for the set up, headed in the box and driven home by Espinoza, leading to the Sing-Sing leap into the crowd.
Pride sniper Brando Tuba delivered a pair of goals and Adrian Alvarez set up another.
The semifinals saw the Pride riding high until top-seeded and reigning sectional champion Scarsdale prevailed with a 2-1 victory Thursday. Gabe Robinson was the lone Pride member to score.
DAVID TABER/CHRIS SMAJLAJ PHOTOS
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.
