The Bethlehem boys soccer team is in its first Section II Class AA title game since 2007, but not before meeting some resistance from Albany.
Ethan Gunty scored in the first half, and Liam Roohan added a goal late in the second half to lead the Eagles (16-0-2) to a 2-0 victory over the Falcons in Thursday’s Class AA semifinal game at Colonie Central High School.
Albany (10-3-4) kept the score close by hustling all over the field to break up Bethlehem’s passes and possessing the ball in the midfield. But, the Falcons couldn’t muster many quality scoring chances against a tough Bethlehem defense.
`I thought it was a great performance by Albany,` said Roohan. `They kept pushing the whole game.`
`They gave us a run, and for a Big 10 team they worked their butts off,` said Bethlehem coach Phil Ridgway.
Gunty did most of the work on Bethlehem’s first goal. After receiving a pass from Zach Stryker, the senior made a run down the right sideline, crossed into the box and shot the ball into the lower left corner of the net to make the score 1-0.
`The ball is always in front of him, and he always looks to either shoot or pass the ball,` said Ridgway. `If the pass isn’t there he’ll take it himself, and that’s exactly what he did on that play.`
Bethlehem continued to press forward in the second half. Precise one-touch passes allowed the Eagles to move swiftly through Albany’s defense several times, but they couldn’t connect when it came time to shooting the ball.
`We pushed forward a lot, and we played the ball wide a lot to create a lot of chances,` said Ridgway. `We just couldn’t finish our chances.`
Roohan had several scoring chances go by the boards.
`It’s frustrating, especially when my teammates keep pushing the ball forward and giving me great chances,` said Roohan.
The frustration ended with less than five minutes left in regulation. Roohan received a lead pass from Austin Lang, went around Albany goaltender Lucas Phayre-Gonzalez and shot the ball into the empty net for an insurance goal.
`It was definitely a relief to get that goal,` said Ridgway.
Goaltender Alex Kessler made three saves to keep Albany off the scoreboard and help Bethlehem advance to Monday’s Class AA final against Niskayuna (11-4-3). The Silver Warriors needed penalty kicks to get past Shenendehowa (13-2-3) in Thursday’s other Sectional semifinal.
`I think they’ll be just as tough as Albany — maybe even tougher,` Roohan said of Niskayuna. `It’ll be a tough, physical game, and I’m looking forward to it.`