The Mohonasen boys soccer team is one step closer to its ultimate goal.
The Mighty Warriors defeated Section X champion Massena 1-0 last Saturday at SUNY Plattsburgh to win the Class A regional final and advance to this weekend’s state tournament at the Hall of Fame Complex in Oneonta.
They’re focused, and they want to win Saturday, said Mohonasen coach Josh Gregg. `They’re not satisfied with just making the semifinals ` they want to win and play on Sunday.`
Gregg wasn’t satisfied with his team’s performance against Massena in the regional final, despite the fact that the Mighty Warriors controlled the action from start to finish. Mohonasen (15-8-1) outshot Massena 21-3, but only got a Taylor Rabolvsky first-half goal out of it.
`We were making bad decisions in the offensive third (of the field),` said Gregg.
The defense continued its solid play, though. The Mighty Warriors rarely allowed Massena a good look at the goal in posting their fourth shutout in their last six games.
`We’ve given up two goals in six postseason games, so our defense has been solid,` said Gregg.
Mohonasen is hoping to continue its solid play Saturday when it meets Long Island champion Comsewogue in the state semifinals ` a team Gregg said he knows little about.
`The bottom line is we don’t know them too well, but at the same time, they’re not going to know us too well. I think it’s a level playing field,` said Gregg.
If Mohonasen beats Comsewogue Saturday, it would meet the winner of the Class A semifinal between Kenmore East (Section VI) and Harrison (Section I) in Sunday’s state championship game.
`The icing on the cake would be the state championship,` said Gregg. `It’s been a great run so far but we want more.`
Saturday’s Mohonasen-Comsewogue game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. at the Hall of Fame Complex off Interstate 88 south of downtown Oneonta.“