North beats ECIC rival, earns first section title in 15 years
Boys soccer

Williamsville North's John Piaggione takes the ball away from Clarence's David D'Amico during the Spartans' 2-0 win in the Section VI Class AA final last Saturday at Amherst High School. Also pictured is Clarence's Neal Stalker (20). Photo by Jason Nadolinski Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

The Williamsville North boys soccer team set out to win its first sectional championship in 15 years and did so by beating a familiar division rival.

North, seeded first in the Section VI Class AA tournament, beat second-seed Clarence, 2-1, last Saturday at Amherst High School's Dimp Wagner Field.

It was the third time North and Clarence faced off this season.

"The weather and playing conditions were perfect," said North coach Lee Ferenc. "The team was so charged up that they couldn't even contain themselves before the game. As we met at the school, players were there early, running, stretching and just enjoying the moment. Our coin phrase was 'it is a beautiful day to win a championship,' and that is exactly what we set out to do."

Wiliamsville East's Simon Park heads the ball past East Aurora's Ben Kolich in the Flames' 1-0 shootout win in the Section VI Class A semifinals last Wednesday at East. The Flames fell to Iroquois, 2-0, in the section finals on Saturday at Amherst High School's Dimp Wagner Field. Photo by Joe Eberle Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

"The school had not won a championship in 15 years and I kept telling the players, 'Let's make some history, boys'," he added.

Ferenc said his team got off to a slow start in the first 10 minutes but quickly worked through the pregame jitters.

Ferenc said the players kept telling each other to relax and play their game.

The game was scoreless by halftime.

"Halftime was an amazing experience," said Ferenc. "I sat back and heard the players take the game on their shoulders and take over the halftime evaluation. They broke down the game, focused each other and immediately wanted to get back on the field and win the championship."

Ferenc said whoever had the most heart would win the game and leave everything on the field. That is exactly what the Spartans did as they came out flying in the second half and outworked Clarence in every aspect of the game.

Williamsville North's Daric Will fights off a slide tackle from Kenmore West's Greg Bennett during the Spartans' 2-0 Section VI Class AA semifinal home win last Wednesday. Photo by Joe Eberle Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

About 14 minutes in, Lars Woosidilio redirected a ball to Sean Durfee, who blew past the Clarence defender and went in alone with the goalie.

"Sean waited for the Clarence goalie to make his move and then calmly placed the ball in the left corner of the net," said Ferenc. "It was a goal not many people will forget as the stadium erupted with the estimated 1,000 fans in attendance."

A minute and five seconds later, the Spartans would draw blood again. Andre Marinaccio took another feed from Woosidilio and buried a shot past the keeper.

North would enjoy the 2-0 lead until the last four minutes of the game, when Clarence's Mike Jurek would capitalize on a free kick. But the Spartans proved too big and strong for Clarence as the seconds clicked off the clock and North would take home the sectional championship.

The Spartans remain undefeated for the season with a 19-0-2 record and are ranked No. 1 in New York State. The Spartans also moved on to the national Adidas rankings for the first time, placing 19th out of 25 teams. The Spartans will travel to Section V at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday for the New York State quarterfinals and face either powerhouse Webster Thomas or Fairport.

Semifinal

North 2, Kenmore West 0

The Spartans were focused to secure a trip to the sectional finals and focus on the goal they set in preseason play. Yet Kenmore West and North remained scoreless at halftime.

The battle continued as the Spartans dominated the field of play but could not break the defensive unit of Kenmore West.

"We just could not catch a break," said Ferenc. "We hit two crossbars and three goal posts with rock-solid shots on frame that clearly would have been a goal."

With about 20 minutes left in the half, the Spartans' offensive surges finally paid off with about 20 minutes left in the half on a beastly goal by Woosidilio.

"He got the ball on his foot, stormed the net and pounded a low, hard shot in the back of the net," said Ferenc.

This would give North a 1-0 lead as they continued to control possession and tempo of the match.

"The players never stopped working on the field," said Ferenc.

They knew it would be their last home game and the crowd was intense. The crowd never stopped and kept our adrenaline going."

With about 12 minutes left, sophomore Matt Campana would get his ninth goal of the season on a beautifully delivered ball by Oliver Jackson.

"Matt got the ball and split two colliding Kenmore West defenders and danced the ball around the keeper to give North an insurance goal," said Ferenc.

Midfielders Sean Durfee and John Piaggione controlled the tempo of the game and were relentless, said Ferenc. The defensive unit of Lucas Barnes, Jimmy Nesper, Travis Lang and Brian Durfee kept Kenmore West from generating scoring chances and helped goalie Tyler Cominsky earn his record-setting 16th shutout of the season.