Shaker shuts out Niskayuna 4-0
Blue Bison take advantage of set pieces, advance to semis
LATHAM, N.Y. » Whether it’s a corner kick, free kick or long throwin, Shaker big-man Ethan Snyder wants the ball.
The senior central defender has the height to be dangerous around an opponent’s penalty area. More importantly, he has the intelligence to know where to head the ball when he gets the opportunity.
Snyder scored a goal, assisted on another and helped the Shaker defense shut out Niskayuna 4-0 Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the Section II Class AA playoff tournament.
The No. 2 seeded Blue Bison advance to the semifinals scheduled for next Friday at Colonie. Their opponent will be the winner of the No. 6 Guilderland at No. 3 Shenendehowa contest that was not complete by press time Saturday night.
Shaker scored two goals against Niskayuna on set pieces and threatened on several other occasions. In each instance, Snyder had his arm up calling for the ball in the area.
“I just want a ball in the mix so I can go get it,” the third-year varsity player said. “Whenever it’s that close I go for it. If I get there it’s a good chance for a goal.”
Snyder put a bullet header from a good cross into the net to put the hosts up 3-0 with half an hour to play.
Minutes later, Snyder’s flick-on from Steve Guidi’s long throw-in in the 52nd minute fell to the feet of Jack Acquario. The sophomore smashed the ball into the net for the final goal of the contest.
“We have several players who are very good in the air,” Shaker coach Daniel Fountain said. “You can
can draw up fancy plays for long throw-ins and free kicks but what it comes down to is the boys getting up in the air and winning the ball. Height helps but it’s much more heart when the ball’s in the box.”
The game started out fairly even, with both sides struggling to create chances. Shaker nearly took the lead in the 23rd minute when Snyder’s header was flicked to Ryan Eagan at the top of the box. Eagan volleyed it on target but Niskayuna goalkeeper Brennan Piper tipped the ball onto the crossbar and it bounced out of play.
On the opposite side of the filed, Blue Bison goalkeeper
Keegan Flaherty came out to catch several Silver Warriors free kicks and corners in the box to halt the danger before an attacker could get a head to it.
Shaker’s Greg Hale broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute. The Niskayuna defense turned away an initial shot, but Hale collected the ball at the top of the box, took a touch and placed it with his left foot into the lower left corner of the goal.
The visitors had two chances to equalize before halftime but couldn’t convert. Alex Koudal’s volley was saved by Flaherty and George Tsakalakos’s curing shot when wide of the Shaker goal.
That led to Shaker’s early second-half blitz that essentially sealed the win.
Hassan Alfadhil got on the end of another long throw from Guidi in the 43rd minute.
With the ball inside the six-yard box, the sophomore used one touch to turn and another to score to make it 2-0 early in the second half.
“The past couple days we’ve been practicing that same (long throw-in) drill that scored us two of the goals,” Alfadhil said. “We have a squad full of 22 good players so we can keep putting in subs to keep the intensity high.”
Niskayuna coach Terrance Sloan said a first round win over Albany Thursday took a lot out of his team. Senior captain Alex Chan scored the winner in that overtime contest for the Silver Warriors. Saturday, however, defending
set pieces was a challenge.
“They’re very tough,” Sloan said. “Especially when our starting keeper has been out. I thought we were a step slow today, compared to the other day against Albany.”
Shaker’s players were kept fresh throughout the game because of Fountain’s constant subbing. While some teams shorten their benches in the playoffs, the Blue Bison on Saturday kept their regular rotation.
“We probably sub more than any team in the league,” Fountain said. “That’s a credit to how many people work so hard every day in practice. We’ve got a lot of kids we have to get in because they train so hard. They’re not on this team if I don’t trust them.”