Announcement
Second-half Goals Sink EFA in Battle of State-Ranked Teams
No. 8 Golden Bears' Scores Come 10 Minutes Apart
Staff report • September 23, 2009 - www.stargazette.com
Two state-ranked boys soccer teams battled on even terms for more than half the game before Vestal broke through for a 2-0 victory over host Elmira Free Academy on Wednesday afternoon in Southern Tier Athletic Conference play.
Nate Economou and Geno Rocco scored about 10 minutes apart in the second half for the Golden Bears (7-1), who are ranked eighth in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association.
Vestal outshot EFA 10-3. The Blue Devils are ranked ninth in Class A by the New York State Sportswriters Association.
"We did a nice job defensively in the first 40 (minutes)," EFA coach Derek Hamilton said. "Vestal is a very good team, so I knew it would be a difficult match. They're very solid defensively.
"We had limited opportunities, and we didn't take advantage of them."
Hamilton hailed the play of EFA defenders Nick Lian, Kevin Kucharski, Jake Davenport and Tim Earley.
"They did a nice job of containing some very talented Vestal players in the first half," Hamilton said.
Vestal goalie Shawn Lewis turned away three shots to earn the shutout.
Luke Ford made eight saves for EFA (4-3-1).
