Vestal’s boys soccer team secured a 3-2 overtime win against Smithtown West on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Chenango Valley High School to reach the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA final four. The Golden Bears scored the winning goal with 6:43 left in sudden-death overtime after a tense finish to regulation.
Smithtown West rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit to take the lead in the second half, with Tyler Stelma and Tony Garcia scoring to put the visitors ahead 2-1. Vestal’s Tyler Burgin equalized with just 1 minute, 39 seconds remaining in regulation, setting up the dramatic overtime.
The decisive moment came when Elsan Toric challenged Smithtown West’s goalkeeper for a 50/50 ball, won possession, and launched a 30-yard shot into an open net. That strike sealed the victory for Vestal and kept Section 4’s hopes alive for a state championship.
Jacob Nelson scored Vestal’s only first-half goal, and the win puts Vestal’s record at 11-3 as they prepare to face Huntington in the state semifinal. That game will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Middletown High School, with the championship scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 15.
Other Section 4 teams fell in their regional finals on Saturday. Maine-Endwell lost 7-1 to Lewiston-Porter in Class A, Binghamton Seton Catholic Central was defeated 4-1 by Cooperstown in Class C, and Edmeston fell 2-1 to Northville in Class D. Elmira’s boys soccer team also bowed out, losing 4-0 to Baldwinsville, the state’s top-ranked team, in the Class AAA regional final.
Baldwinsville’s balanced attack featured goals from Brayden Mooney in the first half, followed by Brady Vislosky, Cole Szlosek, and Ethan Wener in the second. Elmira head coach Derek Hamilton said his team had to play a strong defensive game but made some uncharacteristic mistakes that led to goals.
“We knew we were going to have to play a great defensive match in order to keep that match close,” Hamilton said. “And to be fair, I think we made a couple mistakes that we don’t typically make today, and that led to goals. With that being said, Baldwinsville wears you down. They had a ton of possession, created a ton of opportunities, and sometimes it’s hard to consistently defend all those opportunities.”
Elmira had won its third consecutive Section 4 Class AAA title by beating Ithaca 2-1 earlier in the season but will lose 12 seniors from this squad. Hamilton praised Baldwinsville as “really good” and acknowledged their position as state championship favourites.
“Really good team. No shame in that loss at all,” Hamilton said. “They’re undefeated for a reason, they’ve given up four goals in 19 games for a reason. Really good side.”
Vestal remains the lone Section 4 boys soccer team still in the state championship hunt after their overtime victory. Their next challenge against Huntington will be another test against a Section 11 opponent, with the semifinal set less than a week away.
According to Yahoo Sports.
