Elmira District Boys Soccer

October 18, 2007
By Andrew Zivic
sports@stargazette.com
Star-Gazette

Derek Hamilton has spent the past three years trying to return Elmira Free Academy back to the dominance the school enjoyed in soccer during the late 1980s and early '90s.

Following an 11-4-1 record in the regular season, EFA is poised to make a strong run in the Southern Tier Athletic Conference, sectional and perhaps state playoffs. The STAC West champion Blue Devils open postseason play Friday with a STAC semifinal game at home against Johnson City, starting at 3:30 p.m.

Much of the credit for EFA's resurgence goes to Hamilton, who was the team's JV coach for four years before becoming varsity coach three years ago. As soon as he became head coach, he wanted to change the soccer mentality at EFA.

"I wanted soccer to become a close second priority behind school," Hamilton said. "We had been losing for so long that I wanted to get across that losing is not OK. You get up after a loss and deliver the next blow."

Hamilton's players took to his lessons quickly. The Blue Devils finished with a winning record and made it to the state playoffs last year in his second season as head coach.

EFA snuck up on teams last year on its way to the Section 4 Class A title. That wasn't the case this season, but the Blue Devils have been even better than a year ago. They're ranked 10th in Class A by the New York State Sportswriters Association and are the top seed for the Section 4 Class A playoffs.

Hamilton wasn't worried about how his players would deal with higher expectations.

"This year we have seniors who are used to winning and bring that swagger with them in every game," he said.

EFA has 11 seniors on the team, which represents more than half the roster. Most of the top players are either seniors or juniors, giving them an experience advantage against most of the teams they play.

Hamilton likes to play a possession game. This puts much of the onus on the defensemen and midfielders to keep the pace where EFA wants it.

The Blue Devils are anchored in the back by brothers Bobby and Michael McGinnis.

Bobby, a senior goalkeeper, is the last line of defense for Academy. In a recent game against Vestal he made 14 saves to keep his team in a game that could have been a blowout. McGinnis has saved 112 of the 129 shots he has faced this season.

Michael, a junior defenseman, feels his brother is one of the best keepers in the state.

Michael, who's in his first season playing defense after playing forward last season, appreciates his brother's help.

"I have problems staying back and keeping my depth. That's important because the forwards we play are fast and we have to respect their speed. As a forward I could float up, but it's really important for me to stay back and keep my depth," Michael said.

Despite a steep learning curve, Michael has taken to the position well. He flies around, heading many balls out of the zone before the other team even gets a chance to make a run. He said he's been helped out by senior Michael Chrabaszcz, who plays alongside him on defense and gives him pointers when he has questions.

When Chrabaszcz and the McGinnis brothers do their jobs, they allow the team's midfielders and forwards to push the ball on offense.

"We're most dangerous when we are counter-attacking," Hamilton said. "If there's an opening, we attack with great speed through the midfield."

When the Blue Devils are able to push, it is usually Joey Burin (6 goals, 12 assists) or Kevyn Rustici (9 goals, 10 assists) pushing it forward for Academy. Frankie Mannino, a junior, leads the team with 10 goals.

Burin's had an impressive year, epecially considering that his father, John, was diagnosed with cancer before the season. To show their support for John Burin, the team has been wearing yellow wristbands.

"We've been wearing them (the wristbands) since the Hall of Fame tournament," Chrabaszcz said. "His whole family is really happy we're doing it. Mr. Burin will come by and shake everybody's hand before the games when he can."

The Blue Devils' record is even more impressive when you consider they've played only four of their games against Class A competition.

"Playing mostly AA teams really prepares us for sectionals. Every game is hard-fought and we don't play any bad teams," Bobby McGinnis said.

The team's confidence going into the postseason has been tempered by two straight losses to Vestal and Corning, along with a 1-0 loss to Ithaca on Monday in game that was suspended Sept. 28 because of lightning.

"Everybody needs to get an attitude check," Rustici said. "We peaked really early in the season. I think we thought we were unbeatable for a while there. Our loss to Corning showed us we're not unbeatable."

While the team still has areas it needs to improve, Hamilton, Rustici and the rest of the players believe they can make a deep run through states if they play up to their capabilities.