VOORHEESVILLE — A slow start probably led to a quick ending for the Voorheesville boys’ soccer team.

The Blackbirds let the Chatham Panthers get an early lead and had to battle back the entire game before losing on a quick strike in overtime. The Blackbirds, who were the defending champions, suffered a 3-2 loss in the Class B Section II championship game. The Blackbirds were the defending champions.
"We started off a bit slow," said Voorheesville Coach Mike Young. "We answered when we needed to. They responded."

Tyler VanDyke scored with 4:38 left in the first overtime to end the Blackbirds’ season and give the number-five ranked Panthers an upset win. Voorheesville was the number-two ranked team in the tournament.

The game-ending goal began when Chatham’s Hunter Simmons got the ball on the right flank before finding VanDyke with a pass. He put the ball just over Voorheesville goalie Tom Cavanaugh.
"It’s unfortunate we didn’t have another chance in overtime," Young said. "We did have opportunities, but we didn’t put it in."

Panthers’ early lead

Chatham got out to an early lead on a goal by Ryan Merchant. Merchant got the ball on a throw-in and beat a couple of defenders before shooting the ball into the goal for the score.

Voorheesville tied the game with about 25 minutes left in the opening half.

Greg Klopfer took a corner kick from the right corner and hit a great ball in the air that teammate Greg Jones was able to get his head on and direct into the goal for score.

Both teams had some good opportunities in the first half, but the game remained tied 1-1 at the half.

The Blackbirds found themselves down once again as Chatham scored with 14:25 left in the game.

A great corner kick by VanDyke was directed into the goal, with a header by Jason Franks to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead.

But Voorheesville tied the game about five minutes later.

Jeff Bode took a direct kick just inside the half-field line and blasted the ball toward the goal. The ball went off the head of a leaping Chatham defender and into the goal for the score.

Bode was credited with the score on the Chatham goal.

Lost opportunities

Again both teams had great chances to score but neither could convert.

Chatham had a good opportunity to score late in the game when Cavanaugh got caught out of position. But Voorheesville sweeper Matt Belgiovine cleared the ball from going into the open net and kept the game tied.
"When we tied it at 2-2," Young said, "it might as well have been 0-0. I want to win. I don’t want to play for overtime.
"We were playing for the win," Young added. "We just couldn’t get the ball in. We’ve been doing it all year...This team doesn’t stop. We don’t quit."

The loss ends the title reign for the Blackbirds. They won the Class B last year, beating Chatham in the semifinals and Taconic Hills in the final.

This year Voorheesville won the Colonial Council with a 12-1-3 record. The Birds finished with a 13-2-3 overall record during the regular season.

"Heart and soul"

Seven seniors will graduate including Jones, Cavanaugh, Bode, Belgiovine, and Klopfer. Also graduating are starting defender Kyle Hatch and Lee Dudek who was a starter but was injured for the last part of the season.
"The seniors are a part of teams that went to back-to-back Class B championships," Young said. "The seniors are the heart and soul of the team. But, if you look at the playing time, we had a lot of young players that got to play. They’ll help us next year."

But Young said the loss will be hard on the seniors.
"It’s never good to end your career on a loss," Young said. "Especially one in overtime. But the seniors have nothing to hold their head down about. A lot of these guys in the senior class have been on the varsity for three years. They have worked for moments like this. To me, they are good kids and great winners as well as gracious losers."

Young wants to build on the past two years and consistently have his players fighting for a Class B championship.
"When I took over, I talked about having a winning program," Young said.
Using examples of powerhouse programs, he concluded, "We want to be like Shenendehowa and Maple Hill and teams that are competitive every year. I don’t want to have just a good year or two."