SARATOGA TOPS LA SALLE IN OVERTIME
Farr scores goal to win in Class AA playoffs
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Saratoga boys soccer and La Salle battled it out in the Section II quarterfinal matchup, fighting to a 0-0 tie and causing overtime.
Evan Farr hit the deciding goal in the 85th minute and Saratoga took the 1-0 win.
Assistant coach Adam Zanetii said it was a hard matchup between the two teams.
“La Salle played a great game and they made it tough and interesting on us,” Zanetti said. “The goal is to advance and we were able to dig down and do that despite having really tough opposition to La Salle. All credit to them, they played a great game.”
The first half saw the two teams battled to keep it out of their zone. Saratoga managed four corners, but all were either hit over the net or knocked out of bounds for missed opportunities, making it 0-0 heading into halftime.
In the second, the two teams continued to battle for possession, with both teams getting opportunities to get the deciding goal. La Salle biggest chance, getting the ball into the Saratoga zone, but were unable to capitalize, with John Gordon getting the shot, but Alex Henderson made the save. The game stayed knotted a zero causing the two teams to go into sudden death overtime.
Saratoga controlled the ball in
overtime two shots on goal before Farr got his chance in the 85th minute. Sam Haita took a shot, which Henderson made a nice save on. Henderson then booted the ball down the field. It became a footrace between Farr and two La Salle defenders.
Farr won the race and got the ball in the bottom left corner of the net to pick up the victory 1-0.
Henderson said the kick was part of a plan that they had set earlier in the game.
“Coach told me, when there was an injury timeout, that when I got saves to kick it up quick because we weren’t really building out of the back,” Henderson said. “I just kicked it as far as I could and Evan ran on to it and finished it like I have seen him do a thousand times.”
Farr said he was able to be in the right place at the right time.
“I started pretty high up on the back and Alex had a great punt,” Farr said. “I saw a chance that their backs weren’t getting back far enough, the ball ended up bouncing over them on a unlucky header backwards and I saw my chance and I was able to run under it.”
After the goal, Farr celebrated with his team and then ran to the sideline and celebrated with his friends.
La Salle coach Matt Michaud said his team had a great season overall and were strong last week taking the win in penalty kicks over Ballston Spa to get to Saratoga.
“We are very proud of the boys,” Michaud said. “We have done something that only three other teams have done in our schools history. We started out this season trying to identify what is our DNA, what is Cadet soccer and it is this idea that we are a family and that we wanted to live behind a legacy. We wanted to do something on the field that no other team had done, but also through our actions off the field and really represent the school and the Cadets that came before us. We wanted to do this together as a brotherhood and a family. Of course we had some low moments, our losses in our league play, but we have had far more high moments. Obviously at the end here, we acquitted ourselves against the No. 1 seed, taking them to overtime on their own field.”
With the win the Blue Streaks move on to face the winner of the CBA and Bethlehem.
Farr said after having to fight so hard in the first game, his team is going to be hungry in this one.
“I think after experiencing that scare of going to overtime, knowing that with one ball put in the back of the net by the opponent your season is over,” Farr said. “I think we want to do our best to come out harder than we did today, get ahead quick and make sure we get the win early.”