Boys Soccer
North knocks off top-ranked Clarence during homecoming week

The Williamsville North varsity boys soccer team made homecoming week one to remember.

To cap off a thrilling homecoming week, North took on Clarence at home for a shot at first place in the league.

Clarence came into the game ranked third in the large school pool and sixth in the state Class AA rankings.

The Spartans came out strong and pumped in a goal at the 4:58 mark in the opening half when

Sean Durfee calmly sent a through ball sent by Chris Pitman past the Clarence keeper. Yet, Clarence came back and battled for two more goals in the first half to go into halftime with a 2-1 lead.

The second half was all the Spartans as they continued to attack Clarence.

Sean Durfee tied it with a great set up by Khurram Dara to even the game out.

As the possession battle continued on the field, Daric Will picked up his team-leading fourth assist as John Piaggione sent a "heck of rip" past the Clarence keeper.

"He was so ecstatic about his goal that he sprinted the whole field in front of the roaring homecoming crowd so fast his teammates could barely catch him," said Ferenc.

Yet, the Spartans kept playing their game and sealed the deal with three seconds left in the game as Pat McCann fed Sean Durfee a ball in which he faked out the Clarence keeper at half field and scored on a 40-yard shot to give him a hat trick on the day.

The fans and the players erupted at the end of the game, as the whole team ran over to the fans at the end of the game to give them a personal thank you for their support.

The game was a complete team effort and defensively the Spartans were solid. As Jimmy Nesper, David Woods, Colin Doherty and Brandon Carncross kept the lethal Clarence attack under control. Pitman, Piaggione, Will and Dara helped keep possession for North as they worked tirelessly through the central part of the field. Also, youngsters Ryan "Donnie" Donaldson and Pat Mc- Cann (both sophomores) had their coming out games as they contributed immensely to the win.

This past Wednesday, North took the long voyage down to Jamestown for an ECIC league game. The Spartans struggled against the wind, rain and field conditions as Jamestown went up a quick two goals. Yet, the Spartans never got down and kept pressuring Jamestown. The Spartans

managed to pop in three goals in the last 14 minutes of the game to get a 3-1 victory.

"It was not our best game, and the field conditions were extremely rough for our style of play, yet we found a way to win," said North coach Lee Ferenc.

Scoring for the Spartans were Sean Durfee and Doherty. Doherty showed his versatility, moving up from defense to striker and scored two impressive goals, one being a clutch penalty shot.

Ferenc said Brian Durfee was all over the field and generated the majority of scoring chances in the attacking third.

"He was a monster all over the field and helped switch momentum to our side," said Ferenc.

Tyler Cominsky made some impressive second-half saves to help North earn its fourth league win and sixth overall.