Plainsmen rally for title
Shen twice overcomes one-goal deficit to take Suburan Council event
The Shenendehowa boys’ soccer team may have been hindered before the start of its season, but the Plainsmen showed Saturday how to finish their 2020 campaign in style.
The top-seeded Plainsmen twice found themselves trailing second-seeded Christian Brothers Academy on Saturday. Each time, Shen responded to tie the Suburban Council Tournament final. Senior striker Will Burdick helped create a perfect crescendo to the season when he pounded home a rebound with 4:50 remaining from a shot he took that glanced off the crossbar. Burdick’s goal was enough to lift the Plainsmen to a spirited 3-2 victory over the Brothers.
Prior to the start of the season, virtually the entire Shenendehowa team was forced to quarantine for coronavirus after the bulk of the roster participated in an offseason event. The Plainsmen then watched the school’s girls’ team have its final Saturday against Shaker canceled minutes before the start because of a COVID-19 situation involving Shaker.
“I was scared. I am not going to lie, but I am extremely grateful (we played),” Shenendehowa senior striker Darien Espinal said. “We got to come out here and play a great game. We had great opposition. We came out here and did what we did.”
“This is an amazing group of guys,” Shenendehowa senior defender Brandon Barrett said. “We were really sad to see the girls’ game get canceled. We were sad for them. We knew we had to come out hard. CBA is a really good team. They are aggressive and play fast. We had
to match that and do better. We did.”
“We won it for the girls too, because they weren’t able to play,” Shenendehowa sophomore striker Conor Brown said. “It was for them.”
“They relied on each other and everyone did their job. It started that way,” Shenendehowa coach Jonathan Bain said. “In our first game, we were down six starters. We counted on each other and did the job. I could not be more proud of this team.”
Shenendehowa (13-0-2), ranked No. 24 nationally, was forced to dig deep Saturday to fend off a talented opponent in CBA (12-3). The Plainsmen defeated the Brothers 2-0 during the regular season. Shen won the 2019 Section II Class AA title and CBA did so in 2018.
The sequence that ultimately won the game for Shen started on a cross by Mark Makhatadze. Burdick slammed his first shot hard off the crossbar. A split second later, the carom drifted away from CBA goalie Adrian Torres and toward Burdick. He pounced on his second chance.
“I had an open goal. I knew all I had to do was put that in, turn and run to all the people that supported me all season,” Burdick said. “The boys put it up for me and I tapped it in. No better feeling.”
Espinal, who tallied his eighth goal of the season in the first half, stood next to Burdick when he buried his second goal of the season.
“I was right there. Will was right there. He deserved that goal,” Espinal said.
“My eyes went right to the ball. I was like, ‘I’ve got to put this one away. This is on me. I’ve got to bring it home for my team,’ “Burdick said.
“I saw it from midfield. When it hit the crossbar, my heart just sunk,” Barrett said. “I was praying to God he hit that rebound in and he did. That celebration was big. It was a great goal.”
CBA, which played its third straight game without head coach
Steve Freeman because he was in COVID-19 quarantine, opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game when junior striker Paul Abbatiello rifled a shot past Shen senior goalie Noah Flint. Espinal answered back for the Plainsmen with 26:54 remaining in the first half when he converted a feed from Makhatadze.
The Brothers needed just 16 seconds into the second half to grab a 2-1 advantage as junior striker Jordan Proulx produced his 11th goal of the season.
“We were just trying to keep our heads. We had loads of time left,” Brown said. “We know how good we are and how we can fight back. That is what we did. We showed that.”
The Plainsmen, as they did after CBA’S first goal, controlled the bulk of the action until tying the game again on a goal from Brown with 31:20 left.
Prior to Burdick’s goal, Flint denied a header by CBA’S Ben Bern. The Plainsmen were able to overcome their second-half deficit by getting goals from Brown and Burdick, who entered the game with a combined one goal.
“That shows that we are 24 (play
ers), not 11,” Espinal said. “We’ve got a great bench. We’ve got great people coming off the bench. We’re a team. That is what we do.”
“It is just a great feeling to come out with the win,” Brown said. “Undefeated is a very big, big thing.”
“This is a great group of boys. I thanked them (Friday) for the season because it was such a joy to coach them,” Bain said. “It was always about the team and Shen, not about one individual. They showed their mettle, toughness and grit today.”