Boys soccer: Abbatiello's overtime goal delivers Ketcham an upset of rival Arlington

Minutes were approaching hours and there still wasn't a score. A typically potent Roy C. Ketcham offense was being stifled again by Arlington, and even denied some quality chances in the final minutes of regulation.

Scott Grimes preached patience to his players, insisting, "We’ll get one eventually."

That could've applied to a late goal or the rivalry in general. Because it had been five years since Ketcham overcame the Admirals, with several frustrating close calls in that mix, including their meeting three weeks ago.

"We'd worked so hard, I thought we had to score at some point," senior Dominic Abbatiello said Wednesday. "But then we missed some opportunities and overtime came, and I started to get a little doubtful. But I remembered what Coach said."

Opportunity knocked again with under a minute left in the first overtime. A clearance pass deflected off a defender and caromed out toward Abbatiello near the 15, and the midfielder, with a running start, blasted a shot into the upper left corner that ignited a celebration.

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"He's one of the engines of the team," Grimes said of Abbatiello. "He's tenacious, willing to play defense, pushes up. He does whatever is needed."

Ketcham needed a little patience, a superb defensive effort, and that dramatic goal to pull out a 1-0 win over visiting Arlington, breaking the Admirals' streak of eight consecutive shutouts.

"I was in the right place at the right time," Abbatiello said. "The ball bounced right at my feet, and I had the space to get a good shot off. I made perfect contact, and I knew it was going in as soon as I hit it."

He then sprinted toward the sideline and was mobbed by a giddy group of teammates as the home crowd roared.

“We were pressing and doing well toward the end of regulation,” the coach said. “We didn’t need to change much, so I wanted them to remain patient and be confident.”

Omar Ait Sidi Ahmed, Aiden McLaughlin, Travis Delaney and James Townsend anchored a back line that withstood charges from Arlington, and Dylan Spagna made six saves for Ketcham (11-4). Midfielders Ryan Zindler, Christian Guaraca and Abbatiello helped control the pace and create chances.

"We stressed team defense," Grimes said. "You don't beat a team of that quality without the entire team playing defense and giving great effort."

Ketcham last won a Section 1 championship in 2018, pulling a series of postseason upsets that included a one-goal win over Arlington in the quarterfinals. That was the first time they'd beaten the Admirals since 2004.

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In the years that followed, the drought resumed as Ketcham entered a rebuilding phase while area rivals like John Jay-East Fishkill and Arlington continued to thrive. But signs of a resurgence appeared last season, when Ketcham began its turnaround and played close matches against those teams.

During its recent hot streak, Arlington had climbed to No. 3 in the state among Class AAA teams, according to the New York State Sportswriters Association rankings. The loss brought them to 10-2-2.

So, this breakthrough performance during what has been a promising season for Ketcham, Grimes said, "definitely gives us positive thoughts with the playoffs coming up."

"This was a great win for our program and I'm happy all the guys get to enjoy this," Abbatiello said. "We've been rebuilding for a while, but I knew for my senior year we could be good. Most of our roster is (upperclassmen) and this was our chance to make something happen. With a win like this, our confidence shoots right up."

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Boys soccer: Abbatiello's OT goal, defense lift Ketcham over Arlington