Elmira District Boys Soccer

Corning enters the day in first place with a 7-6 record (14 points) following Wednesday night's 5-2 victory over Elmira Free Academy. But just a single point separates the Hawks from EFA and Horseheads, who are each 6-6-1 (13 points) heading into their meeting with each other Friday afternoon.

The EFA-Horseheads winner will take over first place, but Corning can wrestle the title out of that team's hands if it wins Friday night at Union-Endicott.

"It's exciting," Horseheads coach Curt Grottenthaler said. "This is what it should be in the STAC West. The coaches and players put in all this time and effort and work and this is the way it should be at the end of the season."

Elmira Free Academy has won the last two division championships and was in the driver's seat for a third straight before losing to Corning. Instead, the Blue Devils will have to beat Horseheads and hope to get help from a Union-Endicott team that lost at Corning, 4-1, on Sept. 19. U-E won its two games against Horseheads and split two games with EFA.

EFA and Horseheads played to a 1-1 tie in their first meeting this season. The potential stakes for Friday's game add to an already intense rivalry.

"I think the rivalry speaks for itself," EFA coach Derek Hamilton said. "An Academy-Horseheads game is always hotly contested. We've been fortunate enough to come out on the winning end more often than not the last couple of years and I'm sure it will be another battle Friday.

"Horseheads will be well-prepared, as will we."

Nick Lian scored the equalizer for EFA with three minutes left in regulation to give the Blue Devils a tie with Horseheads on Sept. 18 on Elmira Free Academy's artificial turf field. Grottenthaler said he's expecting another close game on his team's home field.

"Academy has two or three quality players who control the ball well," Grottenthaler said. "They were able to have more energy at the end of the game than we were. ... I expect the game we play Friday is going to be a one-goal game. I expect it's going to be a pretty intense game and go right down to the last minute."

Corning is seeking its first STAC West title in boys soccer and facing a program that has had a great deal of success.

"U-E is always tough, at their place especially," Corning coach Chad Freelove said. "They've obviously been playing much better soccer in the second half of the season. It's going to be a matchup of two very strong teams at this time. I wouldn't be surprised if it came down to a one-goal difference either way."