Soccer

Head on

Fallsburg is one win away from sectional return following key league victory over Liberty

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LIBERTY, NY — Red and black are the colors on a roulette wheel, a game of chance often played with great stakes riding on the outcome. Bets on either offer equal odds for winning or losing. You can only hope that luck is on your side.

The red and the black met on the Liberty soccer pitch on October 7, the former worn by the Liberty Indians and the latter by the visiting Fallsburg Comets. The outcome could impact each team’s chances of making it to sectionals, thus raising the ante in this gambit.

Both teams fought hard to skew the odds in their favor. Fallsburg sought to reverse its lackluster early-season play with a second-half push.

On September 16, the Comets lost to the Indians 3-2, one of three early-season league losses. The Comets’ only league win was a 1-0 thriller against Sullivan West. For coach Darren Kenney, whose team lacks last year’s speedy explosiveness, the goal was to reverse the polarity and go 3-1 in league matches in the second half to reach the postseason. The Comets were 2-7-1 overall in the first half of the season.

With a feisty 2-0 win over O’Neill on October 3, the Comets took step one. “They dominated us down there but we turned it around in the rematch,” said Kenney. Next up was rival Liberty. Rivalries are born of history and these two squads have plenty.

Last year, both teams had greater weaponry. Liberty had 30-goal scorer Saeed Robinson, who scored all four goals in the Indians 4-3 OT win in the red vs. black fray last September. Quick striker Erik Santos, athletic Darius Buckner, Randy Gilmore and skillful Bill Miller were trumped by Robinson’s memorable performance.

Liberty won the rematch 4-0 on the Comets’ pitch to clinch a berth in the sectionals, leaving Fallsburg the daunting task of having to beat O’Neill on the last day of the season to make the grade.

Fallsburg did just that with a stunning 2-1 victory. That win and the Comets’ 2-2 OT tie of Tuxedo, the third-ranked Class C in the state, would be the regular-season highlights.

The Comets’ ultimate triumph of ‘07 was their 4-3 sectional quarterfinal victory over Liberty, which was fueled by three goals from Santos and one from Miller. The Comets limited Robinson to one goal.

A loss to Burke in the semifinals ended last season. With the hope of getting back into the dance, both teams took to the pitch for this one. A win here and the Comets would need only one more, against either Burke or Sullivan West, to reach the Promised Land for the second straight year.

When Santos transferred to BOCES this year, the Comets lost a powerful weapon. Coupled with the graduation of many of its other key players, others would now have to step it up.

One of those would be José Aguila, no stranger to daunting frays. It was Aguila’s goal that tied the Tuxedo game last year and it would be his corner kick goal that would break the stalemate against Liberty.

His goal came at 18:34 of the first period. Prior to that, Fallsburg had ruled the play for much of the early going as it kept the pressure on in the Liberty end. Junior striker Julio Deras had just missed one that was swept aside by a diving Will McGuire. An earlier shot by Chris Elliott had missed its mark as well.

Liberty had chances too. Juan Moreno’s blast veered wide left of the mark.

Aguila’s scored on a perfect corner kick as his teammates yelled, “far post.” The ball sailed up and a bevy of Liberty players, including McGuire, went to head it but it veered backward into the cage.

The Comets nearly had another, as a shot whizzed just left of the net. Moreno got on a breakaway with what looked to be the equalizer, but in his haste he missed the mark. Fallsburg kept up the heat. Colin Whitaker zig-zagged through Liberty defenders. Liberty’s Ben Grisafe had a beauty of a chance. At 33:50, Deras got an assist from Victor Perez and buried one in the right back corner of the net. Fallsburg now led 2-0.

The Comets looked to ice it as Deras crossed another to Aguila, but it was too far out. Liberty fought back with intensity, as Malcolm Strother sent a laser that sailed over the top of the cage guarded by Fallsburg’s Jessi Maldonado, who was filling in for Zac Jones, who had suffered an injury during the day.

Liberty fans gasped as a shot from Kris Ramos went just over the top and Liberty began to assert itself more.

Back and forth it went, with more attempts by Deras, Ramos and a persistent dribbling onslaught by Liberty’s Tim Burgio, who sent a diagonal ball that just missed a well-positioned Moreno.

Fallsburg took its 2-0 lead into the half as Kenney stressed defense. “They can’t win if they don’t score,” he told his players. Early in the second period, it seemed as if they took him too literally.

Fallsburg stopped attacking, opting instead to pack in its defense. Liberty struck pay dirt on a long free kick from the 50 by Mike Scherer about 15 minutes in, as the ball bounced over Maldonado’s head. Liberty kept up the pressure looking to tie it. Strother, Burgio and Rooth-

land Medina fired away but Fallsburg was able to hold on.

With the final whistle, the Comets mobbed Kenney and jumped for joy. The big win brought Fallsburg to a 3-3 mark in the league.

Kenney reflected on the win. “There were definitely some tense moments in the second half. We didn’t have as much possession as we did in the first half when we passed really well.” Commenting on Aguila’s deft ball handling, he noted, “He really sees the field beautifully.”

Referring to the October 15 rematch with the Bulldogs, Kenney noted, “That’s a must-win game for us.” Kenney appreciates Sullivan West’s strengths. “Logan [Grishaber] mostly kept us out of the net and their defense played strong. There were some scary moments there and we avoided a penalty kick,” said Kenney, who expects a pitched battle, even if the Bulldogs are out of the running for a postseason berth.

The Comets are 4-7-1 overall, so their need to break even in the league to get into the postseason. A loss to the Bulldogs would require a Comets’ win over Burke in Goshen.

Liberty’s frustration from last week’s scoreless tie against the Westies was only exacerbated by this tough loss. Now 2-2-2 in the league and 5-7-2 overall, the Indians have four games left. Two are against league foes Burke and O’Neill, while the others are against Tuxedo and Family, both daunting opponents.

Liberty coach Anne Ramos gave her usual short summation. “It was a very good game. We did everything we could and we’re still at .500,” Ramos said.

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