Poland boys win 2-1, advance to play for state soccer championship Saturday
GOSHEN - With a 2-1 win at Goshen High School Friday afternoon, the Poland Tornadoes extended their soccer season by one day and claimed a spot in the boys' New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D championship match against an opponent that is not unfamiliar.
Section III champion Poland (19-3-0) scored its two goals before halftime in Friday's win over Ellicottville from Section VI and Western New York. The Tornadoes will be back on the same field Saturday for the 1:15 p.m. championship match against Chazy (19-0-1), the undefeated Section VII champion and a 2-1 winner Friday over Section II Loudonville Christian.
"There's a lot of external stuff here - the crowd, the media," Poland coach Greg Haver said. "We're trying to impress upon the players, enjoy yourself, take it all in. The same goes for tomorrow. You know you're playing a team you can beat if you play well."
Poland went on the attack from the start and led 1-0 less than one minute into Friday's contest when senior Daetyn Jones scored a goal assisted by junior Carter Cookinham. The second goal came in the 30th minute when Cookinham, the team's leading scorer, headed home senior teammate Jason Victor's direct kick for his 43rd goal of the season.
Noah Lamphere, the sophomore goalkeeper, recorded six saves.
Chazy, the runner-up last fall to Fillmore from Section V, is a six-time state champion and two-time co-champion. Chazy defeated Poland in championship round at what was then the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005 and 2007; both matches were shutouts. The Eagles were most recently state champions when they won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.
Poland has won seven consecutive matches and 11 of its last 12, allowing one goal or none in each of those victories.
Class A Westhill, the other Section III team in action Friday, was beaten 1-0 by Rochester's Section V Aquinas Institute. Baldwinsville, the third and final Section III team in the semifinals, plays its semifinal Saturday against Section VI Lancaster in Class AAA.
Final Four play for girls, including Class A New Hartford and Class C Sauquoit Valley, begins with semifinals Saturday in and around Cortland.
This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Poland advances to New York's Class D boys soccer final
