The Brighton Barons boys’ soccer team came from behind to pull out a dramatic 2-1 double overtime victory at McQuaid Saturday night to win the battle of Elmwood Avenue for the second year in a row and move their season record to 9-3.
McQuaid took the lead in the latter stages of the first half against the run of play on a counter attack that saw the Brighton defender lose his footing to spring the Knights’ attacker in on goal all alone. Brighton keeper Yusef Ozen had little chance to stop the opportunity and he would finish with two saves on the night in earning the win.
The Barons’ pressure finally paid off with 17 minutes remaining in regulation. Senior Jonah Boucher’s industrious work on the right flank allowed him to fire a cross through the goal mouth that went untouched.
Junior Addison McGinnis tracked it down on the end line and squared up to his defender just inside the edge of the penalty box. McGinnis shimmied from side to side before bursting toward his right only to have the off balance Knight dive in and take him down for the Barons first penalty kick of the season. Senior captain Alban Zohn punished the ball from the spot as he drove it into the back of the net to tie the game.
The game moved into sudden death overtime and it nearly ended in the first 10-minute period when a Brighton cross and header beat the McQuaid keeper only to see a defender on the line in position to head it away.
A Brighton counterattack was disrupted with the ball getting knocked out for a throw in 40 yards from the McQuaid goal, but senior Matt Hepburn took it quickly before the defense could fully recover. He fed it to senior Colin Johnson who took on defenders and carried it past them down the left side of the area before driving a pass across the goal mouth.
Junior David Medina’s central run put him in position to one-time it into the net and ignite a joyous celebration.
The Barons had been home Thursday night against West Irondequoit where the Eagles were on the wrong end of a 7-1 pounding.
Medina led the way with a hat trick within the first 26 minutes of the game. Junior Kyle Burns added two goals in the second half and seven different players recorded an assist.
The blur of goals started less than two minutes after kickoff when Medina worked his way through the box to score the opener with an assist to Johnson.
The Brighton Barons boys’ soccer team came from behind to pull out a dramatic 2-1 double overtime victory at McQuaid Saturday night to win the battle of Elmwood Avenue for the second year in a row and move their season record to 9-3.
McQuaid took the lead in the latter stages of the first half against the run of play on a counter attack that saw the Brighton defender lose his footing to spring the Knights’ attacker in on goal all alone. Brighton keeper Yusef Ozen had little chance to stop the opportunity and he would finish with two saves on the night in earning the win.
The Barons’ pressure finally paid off with 17 minutes remaining in regulation. Senior Jonah Boucher’s industrious work on the right flank allowed him to fire a cross through the goal mouth that went untouched.
Junior Addison McGinnis tracked it down on the end line and squared up to his defender just inside the edge of the penalty box. McGinnis shimmied from side to side before bursting toward his right only to have the off balance Knight dive in and take him down for the Barons first penalty kick of the season. Senior captain Alban Zohn punished the ball from the spot as he drove it into the back of the net to tie the game.
The game moved into sudden death overtime and it nearly ended in the first 10-minute period when a Brighton cross and header beat the McQuaid keeper only to see a defender on the line in position to head it away.
A Brighton counterattack was disrupted with the ball getting knocked out for a throw in 40 yards from the McQuaid goal, but senior Matt Hepburn took it quickly before the defense could fully recover. He fed it to senior Colin Johnson who took on defenders and carried it past them down the left side of the area before driving a pass across the goal mouth.
Junior David Medina’s central run put him in position to one-time it into the net and ignite a joyous celebration.
The Barons had been home Thursday night against West Irondequoit where the Eagles were on the wrong end of a 7-1 pounding.
Medina led the way with a hat trick within the first 26 minutes of the game. Junior Kyle Burns added two goals in the second half and seven different players recorded an assist.
The blur of goals started less than two minutes after kickoff when Medina worked his way through the box to score the opener with an assist to Johnson.
Johnson would get his own goal 10 minutes later after Irondequoit failed to clear the ball from Brighton pressure. The defense had knocked the ball out of its box and high in the air where Steckler won a contested header and nodded the ball to the top of the penalty area to Zohn. He touched it on to Johnson who took over from there.
With a crowd of players in the box the lanky midfielder carried the ball in a semi-circle around the left side and bore down on the goal from a sharp angle. He drove the ball past the keeper into the roof of the net where it hit the support bar and bounced back so quickly it left spectators seeking reassurance from each other that it was indeed a goal.
The outcome seemed assured a few minutes later when junior defender Ryan Forney moved forward to start a counter attack with a perfectly weighted through ball to Medina. Alvarez passed the ball from the middle to Hunt out wide on the left. Hunt one-touched the ball right back and forward to put Medina in on the keeper again where he made it 4-0.
Irondequoit did not quit on the game and the Eagles were able to get a goal late in the first half and played the first portion of the second half level with the Barons until Hepburn showed off his blazing speed.
Playing at right midfield, he carried the ball down the side at the defender before using a stop and go hesitation move to blow past him. After turning down the end line he drove a cross through the box to Alvarez who was perfectly positioned at the back post to tap it in.
In the 71st minute when a series of passes got Junior Josh Knill in behind the defense on the left flank. Knill chipped the ball over an aggressively charging keeper toward the vacated net. Fleet-footed junior Kyle Burns outraced multiple defenders to bury it for his first varsity goal.
Junior defender Yunis Tekin took a free kick from near mid-field and drove it into the penalty area. The ball squirted behind the defense and again Burns was the fastest to get to it. He calmly finished his chance and the crowd roared with delight.
