East blanks Iroquois, ahead in ECIC II by half game

Williamsville East posted a 4-0 shutout over Iroquois on Monday, Sept. 24 to take over first place by a half game in ECIC Division II.

East's only league loss came to Hamburg, 3-0, on Sept. 5. East is 7-1 in ECIC II; Iroquois is 6-1.

East coach Ron Schumacher said the East-Iroquois game started at a fast pace and became physical.

East had an edge early, controlling the tempo and play in Iroquois' end.

Kevin Castine scored the first goal of the game.

"Their defense had difficulty clearing the ball from the 18-yard area," said Schumacher. "The ball came out to Kevin, who sent an arching shot under the cross bar and over the goalie's outstretched arms."

East continued playing well defensively by clearing balls out of their defensive end and sending them to midfielders and forwards. Simon Park stole a ball in Iroquois' defensive end and made a move for a shot. A defender took him down, giving East a penalty kick. Colin Begy drove the ball into the right corner for his first goal of the game and a 2-0 East lead.

Late in the first half, Park raced after a ball at midfield and into Iroquois' half of the field. Park beat a defender and touched the ball wide from the charging goalie. Gaining his balance, he sent a shot low into the empty net just before a defender arrived to clear the ball away.

East changed their strategy in the second half by using another defender in the middle. Iroquois had only a few good scoring opportunities. Goalie Brian Wallden made two key saves and the defense cleared the ball away from pressure.

Although East had fewer scoring opportunities in the second half, Park continued to pester the defense.

"He raced after another ball that was passed to him deep in Iroquois' end," said Schumacher. "The goalie came out to get the ball at the same time Simon arrived. The ball came loose, and as Simon was about to put it in the net, a defender took him out. A penalty kick was awarded and Colin Begy scored his second goal of the game."

The East defense played outstanding soccer all 90 minutes, said Schumacher. "They allowed only a few good scoring opportunities and cleared the ball out from pressure," he added. "Brian Cianchetti, Rashaun Durden, Jay Winzenreid, Joe Buran, Fred Brown, Andy Aderman, Fernando Recio and Matt Brault played important defensive roles. Midfielders Colin Begy, Mac Noronha, Kevin Castine, Derek Frost, Steve Reding and Justin Floss helped control the middle of the field. Simon Park, Matt Kweller and Brian Calisto played forward, pressuring the defense."

East finished the rest of the week with road wins, winning 3-0 last Wednesday at West Seneca East and 4-0 at Sweet Home on Friday.

After East's emotional game with Iroquois, Schumacher was concerned of a letdown.

Three minutes into the game, Castine put a head ball into the left corner of the net from a cross by Frost. Castine has scored in the last five games and has eight goals for the season.

Ten minutes later, Floss dribbled down the left side and sent a hard shot off the goalie into the net.

"West Seneca East is a good team, and we did not play the first half with the intensity I had hoped," said Schumacher.

Schumacher felt his team played a little better in the second half but not to the level they are capable of playing. Park showed his scoring ability with a shot at a poor angle.

"It appeared the goalie gave him no room, but Simon found a seam and put in for his eighth goal of the season," said Schumacher.

Cianchetti, at sweeper, played a solid game, preventing some scoring opportunities for West Seneca East.

"He is one of the most consistent performers all season," said Schumacher. Frost assisted on two of the goals in the game and had the winning goal against Hamburg last week.

"He is playing well," said Schumacher.

Sweet Home had an early scoring opportunity when a shot bounced off the far post that seemed to be a wake-up call for East as they immediately stepped up the pace of the game. Park scored for the third time this week (nine total for the season) in the first half on a pass from Kweller.

"We had several scoring opportunities, shooting balls just over the cross bar, off posts, but not into the net," said Schumacher. "Their keeper made several good saves."

East picked up the intensity in the second half. Begy sent a corner kick into the goal area where Noronha kicked it into the net. Begy scored his ninth goal of the season on a penalty kick shot. Kweller finished the scoring on a nice pass from Dave Mernan near the end of the second half. Joe Buran played great defense, preventing Sweet Home's strong forward from scoring, said Schumacher.

"The game was very physical," said Schumacher. "I'm proud of the composure of the players when fouled. We've taken eight penalty kicks this season."

East, ranked No. 2 in Western New York large schools, played at West Seneca West on Tuesday, but results were unavailable before The Bee went to press. They host Lake Shore at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.