Soccer: Plainsmen overcome slow start, advance with 4-0 win

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Mike Campisi has coached enough postseason games to know a trap game when he sees one.

The first 20 minutes of Monday’s Class AA boys’ soccer sectional quarterfinal against Columbia was falling into that category.

Playing for the first time in a week, against a much lower-seeded team, the Plainsmen squandered a handful of good chances in the opening half.

Fortunately for the Plainsmen, they righted themselves, getting goals from defender Shane Breznak and Phil Barrett, and went on to a 4-0 win.

“It’s not easy anymore,” said Campisi. “These quarterfinal matchups are getting tougher and tougher. Columbia played very well in the first half. We were lucky to get anything on the board.”

Columbia goalkeeper Alex Morrison kept his eighth-seeded team in the game, making four good saves in the opening 10 minutes as the Plainsmen got good chances.

“They were sitting back a little bit and just trying to counter. We were able to open them up and get a couple of opportunities,” said central midfielder Mike Jenkins. “Once we got on the board, they had to start pressing us more, and that opened everything up for us. We kept getting more opportun­ities, and fortunately, got a couple more goals.”

Breznak’s goal came after he had come forward from his central defender position on a corner kick. The ball bounced around in the penalty area, and after Ricky Grable got a touch, the ball went to Breznak.

“I just kind of followed the play,” said Breznak, who, along with fellow senior defenders Joe Kromer, Mike Sheldon and Tommy Flaim, played so well that goalkeeper Spencer Junco had to make only one tough save. “We were getting some chances, and needed to get one.

“It can be a little tough in the first [sectional] game. We hadn’t played since last Monday, but coach had us working on some things.”

Barrett’s goal gave the Plainsmen some breathing room, as they won their 12th straight game and recorded their fourth straight shutout and 11th on the season,

“Breznak has been real consistent, real steady all year. He really wants to win,” Campisi said.

“On the second goal, Danny Cavosie took a really nice shot, and Phil cleaned it up and put it in nicely with his left foot.”

“He’s played wide for us in the back for a good portion of the year. He’s a good athlete. He’s fast and strong. He’s doing better now with the ball at his feet, so we moved him up and he’s doing really well there.”

Columbia coach Lucas LaBarre was disappointed in the effort of his defenders.

“Alex played well in goal, but he can’t do it all by himself,” he said. “I felt there were times when our defense didn’t make plays. We played a flat back four, but even in that, sometimes it becomes more zonal. You can’t let players run free.”

Cavosie was involved in both second-half goals. His through ball sprung Adam Barlow for a goal, and he cleaned up after Morrison made a tough save on a shot by Jenkins.

“You have to keep trying. We had to make sure we got on the board,” said Jenkins of his team’s slow start. “But we didn’t make any mistakes in the back, and that helped us. One [goal] was enough, but we got more.”

Field conditions have been less than ideal during a wet season, and last week’s two snowstorms did little to make the Shenendehowa field ideal.

“At this time of the year, its’s difficult to control the ball on our field. There’s not a lot of grass left, and the ball is always bouncing.

“The one good thing is that our field is very big. It’s very wide, and that helps us.”

Shenendehowa, now 16-0-1, moves on to the second game of Thursday’s Class AA semifinal double-header at Colonie High School.

The Plainsmen are going for their 17th sectional title and second in three years.

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Categories: High School Sports, Sports