Elmira District Boys Soccer

EFA selections were senior defender Nick Lian and sophomore forward Alex Varkatzas.

Senior defender Cody Adam of STAC West champion Horseheads also was selected.

Other STAC West players picked to the Metro/West team were Corning senior midfielder Sam Schirmer and Elmira Southside senior midfielder Johnny LaDouce.

The rest of the Metro/West team included Union-Endicott senior goalie Alex Arbes, Vestal junior defender Alex Peltoe, Binghamton senior defender John Cifaratta, Vestal junior midfielder Geno Rocco, Ithaca senior midfielder Casey Williamson, Vestal senior forward Nate Economou, Ithaca senior forward Andrew Troisi and Maine-Endwell junior forward Adam Koesecke.

The picks were made by the conference's coaches.

The STAC West all-division picks, by team:

* Horseheads: senior defender Jacob Frederick, senior midfielder Eric Garrison, senior forward Jeremy Post and junior forward Hunter Kaysa.

* EFA: senior defender Kevin Kucharski, senior midfielder Justin Munson.

* Corning: sophomore defender Jeff Kahlmeyer, senior defender Patrick Kerwin, senior midfielder Matt Sheffer, sophomore midfielder Jon Michael Tokar, senior forward Julian LaDelia, senior forward Zach Dann.

* Southside: sophomore goalkeeper Eric Berglund.

"You couldn't write a script for it. It's unbelievable," EFA head coach Derek Hamilton said.

"The referee came over to the time table and said there was one second left. We kicked the ball in and it was over."

The loss ended the season for the Section 4 champion Blue Devils (11-7-1). Byram Hills (16-2-3), which has a 97-8-8 record, four sectional titles and a state championship over the last five seasons, advances to face Section 9 champion Goshen in a state quarterfinal game Friday or Saturday.

Byram Hills is ranked sixth in the state in Class A by the New York State Sports Writers Association. EFA is ranked 13th.

"We were chasing the match for much of the game," Hamilton said. "Byram was one of the best Class A teams I've ever seen. Tactically we employed a game plan that worked to perfection. The kids played fantastic. I couldn't be more proud of them. It was just unlucky circumstances that led to their goal."

The fact that Byram Hills' only score came on an EFA own goal said much about the defensive effort of the Blue Devils, who limited the Bobcats to six legitimate shots on goal, all of which were denied by Academy goalie Luke Ford.

"We're one of the only high school teams I know of to play strictly zonal," Hamilton said. "The kids covered each other's backs all game with secondary defense and it worked like magic today."

Academy was limited to two shots on goal. The Devils' best opportunity came after Kail Burfield's feed to Alex Varkatzas led to a breakaway that was stopped by the Bobcats' goalkeeper.

Early in the game, EFA lost junior Dakota Yerkes to a chest injury after he collided with a Byram Hills player on a 50-50 ball.

Yerkes, who scored the winning goal in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Johnson City in the Section 4 Class A final, was taken to a hospital in White Plains for treatment.

Saturday's victory gave EFA its second sectional championship in five seasons and only the third in team history. The Blue Devils fought back for the title after starting the season 4-6.

"We had lost five in a row at one point. I said to the kids, 'We're this close to turning it around,' " Hamilton said. "They kind of put it together and took off as a team there. Alex was scoring all the goals, but it was a complete team effort every single match."

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Wed Nov 10, 2010 12:00 AM

Boys soccer regionals: Byram Hills wins 1-0 on own goal in final seconds

But this season has been one big comeback for the Blue Devils, who went out and put up two goals in a dominant second half to secure a 2-1 victory in the Section 4 Class A championship game at the Wright National Soccer Complex on a chilly Saturday afternoon.

Dan Earley scored the tying goal off a rebound on a corner kick with 33 minutes, 30 seconds left. Dakota Yerkes then headed in the winner off a free kick with 9:07 left. Nick Lian assisted on both goals.

The victory gave the top-seeded Blue Devils (11-6-1) their first sectional championship since 2006 and earned them a berth in a state regional game at 5 p.m. Tuesday at SUNY Purchase against Section 1 champion Byram Hills.

Not bad for a team that was once 4-6 this season.

"The important part of the season is the second half," EFA head coach Derek Hamilton said. "If somebody was to tell me that you were going to start off 4-6 and win a sectional championship, I'll trade that every single year."

Johnson City, the No. 2 seed, ended up with a 9-4-3 record.

"I'm proud of my guys. We did well to get here and we gave it our best," Wildcats head coach Hristos Dimitriou said. "We had a chance, we were leading. Unfortunately, we couldn't avoid the two set-play goals."

Johnson City went into halftime riding a big wave of momentum after Jeremy West beat Academy goalie Luke Ford to a 50-50 ball and slipped the shot into the net. It was somewhat of a fluky goal, though perhaps it was an appropriate conclusion to the half.

"Those first 40 minutes, I thought Johnson City kind of took it to us. We really didn't play our game," Hamilton said. "We were a little hesitant. I don't know what the reasoning was, but we kind of put it together in the second half after switching some things tactically at the break."

Academy had a huge edge in possession time during a physical, sometimes testy second half. Academy was rewarded when Earley booted in a shot just in front of the net following a rebound off a corner kick off the foot of Kail Burfield.

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).

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The Blue Devils scored three goals in the first eight minutes -- two by sophomore Alex Varkatzas -- to defeat Owego 3-0 in a Section 4 Class A semifinal game on Friday.

"The first eight minutes we set the pace and then didn't concede," Varkatzas said.

Elmira goalie Luke Ford also made two huge saves to keep Owego (9-7) from gaining any momentum.

It's the third sectional final for EFA in five years. EFA won the title in 2006, beating Owego. In 2007, EFA lost the final to Owego.

"Owego is a class program," Hamilton said. "We knew it was going to be difficult going in."

With some aggressive play out of the box, Elmira made it look easy early on and had a 3-0 lead seven minutes and 20 seconds into the first half.

"We wanted to set the tone early, so we put a physical staple in the game," Hamilton said.

The aggressive tactic, however, led to two Elmira starters receiving yellow cards. That included Justin Munson, who scored the first goal in just under five minutes after stealing the ball from in front of the net. Soon after, Munson received his yellow card.

Dan Earley, who assisted on the third goal, was yellow-carded in the second half. If they would have received a second card they would have been excluded from the title game. Hamilton, not wanting to risk that, chose to keep them out of the rest of the game.

"With the lead we had, I felt we could afford to sit him," Hamilton said.

Elmira got its season off to a slow start, winning just two of its first eight games-- all without Ford in goal. He was recovering from a broken left leg sustained in the preseason. When Ford returned, Elmira's fortunes improved and that's when Hamilton began growing a beard.

"I told the players I wouldn't shave it off until we lost," he said. "It looks ridiculous on me but it was something for the team to rally around."