Birds fly in face of expectations, beat first-ranked Schalmont
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Seizing the moment: Voorheesville's Talia Crisafulli, left, battles with Schalmont's Hailee Metzold for the ball during the second half of the Class B sectional semifinal at Lansingburgh High School on Wednesday evening.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Protecting her nest: Voorheesville goalkeeper Jordan Pettograsso scoops up the ball from a Schalmont shot during the second half of the Blackbirds' 1-to-0 win in the Class B sectional semifinal at Lansingburgh High School on Wednesday evening.
LANSINGBURGH — Voorheesville made Schalmont look unworthy of its number-one state ranking with a heroic upset in the Class B soccer semifinals on Wednesday night.
The Blackbirds held strong and played smart as the Sabres failed to finish any of its scoring chances. Every time Schalmont threatened to score, Voorheesville goalkeeper Jordan Pettograsso was there as a reactive diffuser.
A goal by Julia Voss in the 39th minute, off of a well-placed assist by Talia Crisafulli, was enough offense for Voorheesville to advance to the finals.
“I think we wanted it more,” said Voss after the 1-to-0 win.
The Sabres (18-1-0) seemed disoriented after the Blackbirds scored, and even a bit tired as regulation time dipped under 20 minutes. The Voorheesville players were hustling hard to loose balls as Schalmont’s frustration grew with every unrewarding moment.
“This was the icing on the cake,” said Voorheesville Head Coach Joe Santos. Both of the Birds’ losses this season were to the Sabres — 7 to 0 and 2 to 0; Voorheesville was hoping for a closer game on Wednesday.
“They’re never easy to play,” Voss said when The Enterprise asked if the third match-up against Schalmont came any easier. “We thought that we would be able to win if we played our hardest.”
With about eight minutes left in regulation play, the Sabres cranked up the urgency to score. Shots and passes kept coming towards Pettograsso, but she was not deterred. When she noticed that Rachel Cardinal would have a break-away chance, she charged out of the box to get a foot on the ball first.
Over the last two to three weeks, Pettograsso has been blossoming as a goalkeeper, Santos said. “She’s very sure of herself,” he said. “It was a very good performance.”
Voorheesville is 16-2-1, which is the best record in the Santos era.
“We’ve been under the radar,” added Santos. “No one has paid any attention to us, which is OK by me. We don’t look for anything, just train every day.”
Voss said that Voorheesville was not intimidated by Schalmont’s top ranking in the state. Santos said that he ignores the rankings.
“You have to use your skills on the field,” said Santos. “I’m always telling them to put their skills to work.”
Voss was able to score her goal by aiming her shot to the far post. Santos says that Voorheesville practices shooting toward the far post every day because going to the near post is useless.
“I want them to see it, and then use their skills to get it done,” Santos concluded.