Stanners’ late strike beats Fordham Prep

MOLLOY COACH Andy Kostel isn’t too impressed with his team’s habit of scoring late game-winning goals this season, he said with a straight face on Tuesday. He’d rather the goals occur earlier in the games to give fans a little more entertainment, he joked.

But the Stanners were at it again on Tuesday, battling Fordham Prep to a scoreless tie through 75 minutes of play. Kostel compared the match at that point to “watching water drip.” But fans of the Stanners know by now their penchant for lategame outbursts, which have come against the likes of Stepinac, Xaverian and Christ the King this season.

So it came as no surprise when that happened again. With just five minutes left in regulation, Molloy’s Nick Matusewicz took a beautiful through-ball from Kostel’s son, Denes, and scored a nifty goal past a charging keeper to lift Molloy to a 1-0 win that served as a little revenge against the Rams in a CHSAA Class ‘AA’ crossover at Alley Pond Park. As part of their first-ever CHSAA Class ‘AA’ state title run last November, the Rams knocked off Molloy in the intersectional semifinal round.

Kostel couldn’t remember the last team he had that scored so many late goals, and he had Matusewicz and his son to thank for it on Tuesday.

“We were playing back and forth the entire game,” Matusewicz said of the tempo. “And when I got that chance to score, I had to put it away. I had a chance and got the game-winning goal.”

The goal also proved to be sweet atonement for Denes Kostel, who admitted to having a bad day on the pitch against Fordham Prep, which dropped to 4-1-1 in the league. Molloy improved to 5-1.

“Not having that great of a game, I knew I had to keep working hard to make something happen and all it took was that one pass,” Kostel said. “That’s what we needed. It feels good to be involved in a game-winner. It’s a good win.”

Molloy is still feeling its way so far this season after losing 13 players from last year’s roster, including seven players to the Academy rule, which forces players to choose between playing for their school team or club team.

As a result, Kostel has had to rely on a high number of sophomores, such as Chris Ray and Daniel Corridan, whose play as a central midfielder has allowed Matusewicz to play forward.

The Stanners were also without key players Zach Zayas and Chris Mouzakitis, who are both suffering from knee injuries. But that didn’t stop the Stanners from scoring late again — as they usually do.