NYS BOYS SOCCER: OWEGO’S MAGICAL SEASON ENDS WITH REGIONAL LOSS (23 PHOTOS) (2024-11-09)

By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
ENDICOTT — Owego put together an impressive boys soccer show which included a string of 18 victories and a Class A No. 1 state ranking, but the magical season finally ended Saturday night with a 4-2 loss to Our Lady of Lourdes in the NYSPHSAA quarterfinals here.

“You could tell from the first moment, a really quality team,” said Owego coach Alessio De Michele. “I think we had our moments in the game, but they bring another level of athleticism, quality on the ball, tactics. They were spot on. Like I said, I think we had really good moments, but it's a steep learning curve.

“We worked well to get back into the game and maybe even created the better chance when the game was 1-1, but it's another level,” De Michele said. “The guys, they've been so fantastic. They gave everything they had. I wouldn't be surprised if we see in a few weeks that Our Lady of Lords are state champions.”

The River Hawks created a 1-1 deadlock on a Matt Higgins penalty kick at 22:32 of the first half, but the Warriors would respond with a pair of goals in a 7 ½-minute span to take control.

Zachary Cervone put Lourdes ahead, 2-1, at 13:28 after David Devito stepped in front of a bad pass in the Owego third of the pitch.

With 5:53 remaining in the first half, Devito made it a 3-1 contest with a left-to-right shot into the right side of the net.

The Warriors added an insurance goal with 32:44 on the second-half clock when Evan Cancro scored from close in after an Owego defender deflected a Lourdes shot on goal.

The River Hawks wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, as Higgins headed Vasil Brich’s corner kick into the left side of the goal between a defender and the goalkeeper with 12:05 to go.

Owego kept up the attack in the final minutes, but Lourdes’ vaunted defense remained solid.

Higgins’ initial goal on the PK came after Brich was shoved to the turf from behind in the box.

Lourdes scored its first goal of the game at 28:25 of the first half on a Cervone pass to Cancro.

Owego’s 18-1 record and the team’s accomplishments will certainly leave a lasting memory for their coach.

“I couldn't have dreamt of a better season,” De Michele said. “This group is fantastic. They give their best every day. They're wonderful kids to be around first and foremost, but literally a perfect record before tonight, something I could only dream of, too.

“These guys really earned it. Like I said, they worked their tails off every day. They brought the quality in the games that mattered. They were STAC champions, Owego’s first in a long time, so they really represented their town really well.

The River Hawks’ group of 15 seniors won’t be easy to replace.

“A lot of them were on the team my first year, so it's been crazy to see them as freshmen and then now as seniors, so four years together on the same team, achieved a lot together. We're so proud of them,” De Michele said. “I told them I may not be the coach anymore, but now they can finally be my friends. So excited to see what all of them do in the future and I hope they come back to be part of their community again.”

Lourdes (15-2-2) moves on to face Floral Park Memorial Saturday in the semifinals.

——————

PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.

Print Friendly Version