Two boys teams and two girls teams from the Elmira area will play for Section 4 soccer championships this weekend.
Friday night, the Horseheads girls meet Vestal for the Class AA title at 7:30 p.m. at Binghamton Alumni Stadium.
Three more games follow Saturday, including two boys games at the Wright National Soccer Complex in Oneonta.
Elmira Notre Dame faces South Kortright at 1 p.m. for the Class D boys crown, and Elmira Free Academy meets Johnson City at 2:30 in Class A.
Also, the Notre Dame girls play for the Class C title at 2 p.m. Saturday at Binghamton Alumni Stadium.
Class AA girls
Top-seeded Vestal (13-2-1) and second-seeded Horseheads (10-4) played a close match in their only regular-season meeting, with Vestal coming out on top, 3-2, on the road.
The Golden Bears are ranked seventh in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association and advanced to the final with a 3-1 victory against Corning behind two goals from Liz Howell.
Southern Tier Athletic Conference West champion Horseheads went to overtime to beat defending Section 4 champion Union-Endicott in the semifinals, 1-0.
Class A boys
Top-seeded Elmira Free Academy (10-6-1) is making its third appearance in a sectional final in five seasons. The Blue Devils won in 2006, then lost to Owego Free Academy in 2007.
"I think first and foremost, I'm just proud of the kids, that they can play at the level they've played at for the last five years," EFA head coach Derek Hamilton said. "It's a testament to the commitment the kids have put in year in and year out, not just this season."
Academy comes in hot, with a 6-0-1 record over its last seven games. The streak coincided with the return of goalie Luke Ford, who suffered a broken leg in the preseason.
"We're playing our best soccer right now," Hamilton said. "Our confidence is as high as it has been all season, deservedly so with the way the 25 kids have kind of put it together."
EFA is ranked 17th in the state in Class A, three spots ahead of second-seeded Johnson City (9-3-3).
___________________________________________________________________
The top seed Vestal boys' soccer team will look across the field Saturday and see some familiar faces. The Golden Bears will be facing second-seeded Ithaca (10-3) in the Section 4 Class AA Championship game for the fourth straight year. Game time is 1:30 p.m. at the National Hall of Fame in Oneonta.
Vestal is 15-1-1 this season, including two 2-1 victories over its Metro Division rival. The Golden Bears are in search of their first state tournament berth since winning the state championship in 2007. Vestal has been a mainstay in the Class AA championship game, making its sixth straight appearance. The Golden Bears are currently ranked seventh in the state at the Class AA level.
Vestal is led by a high-powered offense in which six players have scored at least six goals, led by Nate Economou with 12. Robbie Hoover and Jaisen Clark each have nine tallies, with two of Clark's coming against Corning in a 4-0 semifinal victory.
"I like the way we're playing the game, moving the ball and making decisions at both ends of the field," said Vestal coach Jim Murphy. "In this game, it will come down to who can sustain their style of play for the whole game."
Vestal will have to stop striker Andrew Troisi, who has 13 goals, including two in Ithaca's 3-2 semifinal win over Horseheads. However, Murphy says his team does not focus on just the other team's top scorer.
"While stopping Andrew Troisi and Anwar Omar will be our main focus, we have a great team defense," Murphy said.
Ithaca has bested Vestal two years running in the Class AA championship game. The Little Red won 1-0 on a Troisi goal last year and prevailed in a penalty kick shootout in 2008 to claim the state tournament berth. The teams were declared class co-champions after a regulation tie. Vestal won 2-0 in 2007.
"Playing with a sense of urgency and determination throughout the whole match will be a deciding factor," Murphy said. "We have to be at least as hungry as Ithaca is and hopefully hungrier."
Oneonta will be a hotbed for Southern Tier soccer on Saturday, with the Hall of Fame hosting six championship games.
CLASS A
Second seed Johnson City looks to continue its recent success over Elmira Free Academy when the teams square off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday for the Class A championship.
While Johnson City (9-3-3) did not face EFA (10-6-1) this season, the Wildcats defeated the Blue Devils 3-0 in the Class A semifinals in 2009. Johnson City fell to Maine-Endwell 3-0 in last year's Class A Championship. Johnson City also defeated EFA two straight years in the Southern Tier Athletic Conference semifinals, winning in 2008 in penalty kicks and winning 4-3 in 2007.
"From my experience, they are a very well coached team," said Johnson City coach Hristos Dimitriou. "They are going to be well organized, so we have to play our game and try to create chances."
The Wildcats boast a strong defense, which has created chances for striker Hans Purtell, who leads the team with 12 goals, including one in Johnson City's 2-1 win over Maine-Endwell in the Class A semifinal.
"Our team has been playing well defensively. We play well together and have great team chemistry," Dimitriou said. "If we continue to do those things, we are going to have a chance. We know they are always a good team and we have to play our best game to win."
Top seed EFA is appearing in its third sectional final in the last five years. It won the Class A title in 2006 and lost to Owego the following year. The Blue Devils have a 6-0-1 record in the last seven games.
EFA is currently ranked 17th in the state in Class A and Johnson City is 20th.
CLASS B
Top seed Oneonta is looking to win its second straight Class B championship when it faces second seed Trumansburg at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Oneonta (16-2) is ranked second in the state and is coming off an 8-1 rout of Susquehanna Valley in the semifinals.
Trumansburg (17-2) is making its first sectional championship game appearance since 1996, when it won its second straight title. The Blue Raiders, ranked 15th in the state, defeated Watkins Glen 1-0 in the semifinals.
CLASS C
Top seed Marathon and second seed Spencer-Van Etten are no strangers. They met in the Interscholastic Athletic Conference Small School Championship game on Oct. 23, with Marathon coming out on top with a Tyler Nelson goal late in overtime.
Marathon, 13-3-1 and ranked fifth in the state, defeated Seton Catholic Central 2-0 in Tuesday's semifinal. Spencer-Van Etten (12-4-1) defeated seventh seed Southern Cayuga 2-1 in overtime to reach the Championship game.
CLASS D
Top seed Elmira Notre Dame will be making its fourth overall appearance in a Section 4 Championship game. The last sectional title for the Crusaders came in 1986, when they were in Class C.
Elmira Notre Dame is 13-3-2 and is ranked fifth in New York. The Crusaders are coming off a 2-1 double-overtime win over Margaretville on Tuesday.
Third seed South Kortright is 17-0-1 and is ranked ninth in the state. The Rams defeated Cherry Valley-Springfield 2-1 in the semifinals.
