Aquinas, Fairport boys soccer win shutouts for Section V titles
Aquinas put together a relentless pursuit of the Section V Class A boys soccer title this fall, and the team had to turn back the constant championship-caliber program at Pittsford Sutherland to claim the prize.
A 2-0 victory over Sutherland in the tournament final Friday at Spencerport gave Aquinas its first sectional title since 2006. This year's Aquinas squad remains undefeated.
Both goals were scored in the second half, leaving the Sutherland Knights short of their first title since the end of a string of three sectional championships in 2021. The Knights lost to Spencerport in the 2022 Class A final.
Aquinas took the lead in this final with 25:53 remaining in the second half, when the Knights put the ball in their own net. Miciah Benjamin-Castle sent a corner kick into a group of players about three yards in front of the goal.
Boys soccer: Section V scores for 2023 season
Play of the game
Aquinas extended its lead with 10:04 remaining in the second half. Ali Shabani redirected a ball sent in by Alfonso Vito with his head past the goalkeeper.
By the numbers
8, 19 - Number of goals scored by Ali Shabani, and the 2022 Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Team member's assist total this season.
17 - Wins for Aquinas, including a 5-2 victory over Pittsford Sutherland on September 19. There are also ties against Clarence of Section VI and McQuaid on the Aquinas record.
4 - Saves for Aquinas goalie Joshua Gleason against Pittsford Sutherland.
20, 11 - Number of goals scored and assists for Aquinas senior forward Alfonso Vito this fall.
1992 - The year Aquinas beat Pittsford Sutherland during the finals with a team member named Josh Gleason, the current Aquinas coach.
They said it
"(The Pittsford Sutherland Knights) are a great team. We beat them but they are a different team now. They never stopped working." - Aquinas coach Josh Gleason.
"We had a lot of chances in the first half and couldn't put any of those away. (Sutherland goalie) Seth Rozen did a really good job, he made a lot of good saves.
What's next
Aquinas is in the state tournament, where it will play the Section VI Class A champion during the regional or quarterfinal round November 3 in the Buffalo area.
Fairport 1, McQuaid 0
The Fairport Red Raiders rode a goal scored in the first half to the Section V Class AAA championship, the team's first sectional title since 2019.
Junior forward Ryan Mathis scored with 22:17 remaining before the half of the tournament final at Spencerport. The Red Raiders move into the state tournament regional or quarterfinal round next weekend, to face the Section VI or Buffalo region champion.
Section V's tournament was short with a field of five teams in the classification created after enrollment figures for groups were adjusted by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.
Two teams in the Rochester City School District met in the only sectional quarterfinal game. McQuaid, last season's Section V Class AA champion and a state tournament finalist, defeated Rush-Henrietta 1-0 in one of the Section V AAA semifinals. Fairport was an easy winner over World of Inquiry, Edison/Franklin and School of the Arts.
Mathis, who scored four goals during an 8-0 win during the semifinals, stepped in front of a McQuaid Knight to take possession of the ball and kicked a shot from about the buildup line on the field that was too high for the goalkeeper to get his hands on.
Fillmore 2, Naples 1
This is the fourth sectional title in five years for the Fillmore Eagles, who turned back also undefeated Naples in overtime of the Section V Class D final at Avon.
Layton Sanasith scored the game-winning goal with a header in the 84th minute with an assist from Henry Sardina. It was Sardina who evened the score for Fillmore during the 28th minute of the first half.
Matthew Lincoln put Naples ahead 1-0 in the 10th minute with an assist by Ollie Bruen.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Section V boys soccer: Aquinas shuts out Pittsford Sutherland for title
