Boys soccer games between Pittsford Sutherland and Pittsford Mendon always have plenty of intensity. This year should be no exception as the Vikings and Knights are expecting to battle for the Monroe County Division III crown.
The two teams lead the area as the soccer season kicks off. They are not the only local teams with optimism this fall.
Brighton has more depth than in years past and should bounce back after winning four games last season. Honeoye Falls-Lima returns midfielders Greg Buisman and Drew Tallon as they begin their second year in the Monroe County League.
Matt McConnochie will look to lead McQuaid to back-to-back sectional titles in his second year. The Knights should be battle tested by sectionals as their non-league schedule features Mendon, Sutherland and Aquinas.
Brighton
Coach: Dan Wilmot (sixth year with the Barons)
Last year: 4-12-1 (lost to Greece Arcadia in the first round of the Class A playoffs)
Top returning players: Garrett Rauck (Junior, midfielder); Dan Thornton (Senior, midfielder); Yacov Zohn (Senior, forward); Chris Holm (Senior, defender)
Top newcomers: Eric Cox (Sophomore, Midfielder); Will Banahene (Junior, goalkeeper)
Coach’s thoughts: “We have a great work ethic and more depth than in the past. I think we can get back in the mix and compete for a sectional title.”
League Outlook: “Pittsford Mendon is always in the race and they are well coached,” Wilmot said. “Pittsford Sutherland returns plenty of talent and is well coached.”
Season Opener: 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Webster Thomas
Harley-Allendale Columbia
Coach: Ted Hunt (21st year with the Wolves)
Last year: 13-4-1 (second in the Finger Lakes West, lost to Perry in the Class C semifinals)
Top returning players: JP Fauchet (Senior, goalie)
Top Newcomers: Colin Herford (Junior, forward)
Coach’s thoughts: “We need to overcome what could be a slow start as the new players get accustomed to varsity soccer and hopefully begin peaking for sectionals.”
League outlook: “Naples and Honoeye will contend for the division title,” Hunt said.
Season opener: 6:30 p.m. Thursday against Williamson at Marion
Honeoye Falls-Lima
Coach: Mike Merrill
Last year: 7-6-5 (Lost to Wayne in the Class A quarterfinals)
Top returning players: Greg Buisman (Senior, midfielder); Stephen Ptucha (Senior, midfielder); Drew Tallon (junior, midfielder); Ryan Smith (senior, goalkeeper)
Cougar notes: HF-L is in their second season in the Monroe County league; The Cougars won the Class A title in 2008.
Season opener: 4 p.m. Monday against Rush-Henrietta
McQuaid
Coach: Matt McConnochie (Second year as head coach, sixth overall with McQuaid)
Last year: 18-1-1 (Defeated Irondequoit to win the Class AA title; Lost to Fairport in state qualifier game)
Top returning players: Pat Conlon (midfielder), Nick Rauscher (fullback), Jeff Fafinski (fullback), Pat Casey (fullback), Kevin Smith (midfielder), Matt Ambrose (forward), Mike Sergeant (forward), Max Klotz (goalkeeper)
Top Newcomers: Liam Connolly, Zach Kanaley, Ryan Orlando, Salvador Baragan
Coach’s thoughts: “Overall, the group has shown good attention to detail during the first week of training. They are responding to advanced standards and ideas. A hungry but young and relatively inexperienced team overall, we need to keep growing in our technical, tactical, and mental qualities.”
League outlook: McConnochie expects Franklin/Jefferson to be among the top teams in the Rochester City Athletic Conference.
Season opener: 4:30 p.m. Sept. 3 against West Genesee (Section 3) at Canandaigua
Pittsford Mendon
Coach: Mark Hurley (eighth season as head coach)
Last year: 19-0-2 (Defeated Aquinas to win the Class A title; Lost to Comsewogue in a shootout in the state semifinals)
Top returning players: Andrew Smith (Senior, midfield); Josh Klein (Senior, goalkeeper); Slater Jameson (Junior, defender); Josh Galindez-Webb (Senior, forward); Seyefe Brouk (junior, defender); Andrew Otiso (Senior, midfielder); Nathaniel Morihara (Senior, defender); Michael D’Amico (Junior, midfielder)
Coach’s thoughts: “These are great kids, who work hard and care about each other and they take pride in the program. They got a glimpse last year of what it takes to get to the top and hopefully they will use those experiences as motivation to get us back to States and win the whole thing.”
Viking notes: Last year’s Class A title was the first for the Vikings since 2005; Otiso and Webb were selected to play in the Empire State Games this past summer.
League outlook: “There will be a lot of teams within our division that are going to be tough,” Hurley said. “I just hope we can reach our potential.”
Season opener: 4:30 p.m. Sept. 9 against Rush-Henrietta
Pittsford Sutherland
Coach: Steve Schreib
Last year: (11-7, lost to Victor in Class A quarterfinals)
Top returning players: Trevor Blackwell (Senior, defender); Neil Allen (Senior, forward); Tyler Aycock (senior, midfielder); Spencer Ogden (junior); Alex Ogden (Junior, midfielder); Rob Cleary (senior, midfielder); Alex Bucella (junior, goalkeeper)
Knight note: Allen and Blackwell won a national title with the Empire United this summer.
Coach’s thoughts: “We have a strong core group returning players including most of our midfield and defense”
League outlook: Schreib thinks Pittsford Mendon and Aquinas will be among the top teams in Class A.
Season opener: 11 a.m. Sept. 3 against Fairport
