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Sunday, May 23 Memories Brad Conklin, our biggest fan, shown here with the rest of the Seton Soccer Fan Club. We'll miss you.
Friday, July 16 Varsity Schedule: Updated 14 August The schedule is on line, with changes as of 14 August, and can be seen on the Schedule and Calendar pages. The Mayor's Cup matches between Seton and Binghamton will be played at Alumni Stadium on Saturday, October 16th. Women's Varsity match is at 5 pm, Men's Varsity match is at 7 pm. First practice will be Monday, August 16th, from 5 till 8 pm at the BC United Soccer Complex. We will scrimmage Horseheads (and other schools to be determined) at Horseheads on Wednesday, August 25th.
Seton 3, Windsor 0 Seton opened their season with a 3-0 victory at Windsor. SCC--31 shots, 3 goals, 13 corners, 0 saves Windsor- 0 shots, 0 goals, 1 corner, 23 saves SCC Goals/assists M. Messina 1-1 Zach Jones 2-0 (PK-one goal) T. Smilnak 0-1 Wednesday, September 1 Seton 2, Oneonta 1 Seton defeated Oneonta 2-1 on Wednesday, 1 September in what one witness described as "a rugby match". From the Binghamton Press: SCC 2, ONEONTA 1 Seton Catholic Central's LaRue Simmons tapped in a deflection off Oneonta goalie Cory McDonald, with an assist by Tim Smilnak, to put the match away with eight minutes left. Oneonta 1 0--1 Seton CC 1 1--2 Oneonta goals-assists: P.J. McMullen 1-0. Seton CC g-a: Morgan Messina 1-0, LaRue Simmons 1-0, Tim Smilnak 0-1. Goalie saves: Oneonta- Cory McDonald 10, Seton CC- Christian Valenti 1. Shots-corners: Oneonta- 2-1, Seton CC- 14-11. Thursday, September 2 Time Change for October 9th The Seton-CV game on October 9th, originally scheduled for 11:30 am, has been rescheduled till 2 pm to allow the seniors to take the SATs and still participate in the match. Thursday, September 2 Pre-season Coverage From the Press Seton Catholic Central Coach: Bob Eckler Last year's finish: First, East. Current Record: 1 - 0 Top returners: Mike Aignworth, sr, midfielder; Morgan Messina, sr, midfielder; Zachary Jones, sr, midfielder; Tim Smilnak, jr, attacker; LaRue Simmons, sr, attacker. Outlook: With four of the top five scorers returning as well as nine starters back, the Saints look like the team to beat in the East Division. The goalie position is still up for grabs. "Their work ethic is very high right now, and we have a very strong midfield," Eckler said. "They're a quiet group, so I'm trying to find that one catalyst, but there's no lack of desire." Friday, September 3 Seton 2, CV 0 Seton defeated CV 2 - 0 at Otsiningo North Park in Binghamton. Both teams managed to hit the post, but the score remained 0 - 0 at the end of the half. Seton opened the scoring when Tim Smilnak finished a ball from LaRue Simmons mid-way through the second half. Several minutes later, Mike Aignworth was taken down in the box. Mike's low and wide strike on the penalty kick gave the CV keeper little chance. Shane Ravener (in goal) and the defense preserved the shutout. From the Binghamton Press: SCC 2, CV 0 Mike Aingworth scored on a penalty kick midway through the second half to break a scoreless tie and help Seton Catholic Central (3-0) win at Chenango Valley (3-1). Seton CC 0 2 -- 2 Chenango Valley 0 0 -- 0 Seton Catholic Central goals-assists: Tim Smilnak 1-0, LaRue Simmons 0-1, Mike Aingworth 1-0 (pk). Goalie saves: Shane Ravener (SCC), 3; Jason Stenta (CV), 6. Shots-corners: SCC 11-5; CV 7-2. Tuesday, September 7 Seton 6, Whitney Point 1 From the Binghamton Press: SCC 6, WHITNEY POINT 1 After visiting Whitney Point had drawn within 3-1 in the second half, Tim Smilnak and P.J. Giblin scored goals 24 seconds apart for Seton Catholic Central (4-0). Whitney Point 0 1 -- 1 Seton CC 3 3 -- 6 Whitney Point goals-assists: Earl Breon 1-0. Seton CC g-a: Mike Aingworth 0-2; P.J. Giblin 1-0; Tim Smilnak 3-0; LaRue Simmons 1-1; Corey Fiske 0-1; Zach Jones 0-1; Matt Farrell 1-0. Goalie saves: Gary Marshall (WP) 13; Christian Valenti (SCC) 1. Shots-corners: WP 2-0; Seton CC 23-10. Thursday, September 9 Seton 6, Chenango Forks 0 From the Binghamton Press: Boys Soccer: Smilnak's four goals lift Seton CC Saints remain undefeated after shutting out Chenango Forks Junior forward Tim Smilnak scored four goals to lead Seton Catholic Central to a 6-0 victory over visiting Chenango Forks in a Southern Tier Athletic Conference match Thursday. The Saints are now 5-0 and in first place in the East division. Zach Jones opened the scoring about a minute into the game and Smilnak answered with four straight goals. Chenango Forks 0 0 -- 0 Seton CC 1 5 -- 6 Seton CC goals-assists: Tim Smilnak 4-0, Zach Jones 1-0, Kevin Green 1-1, LaRue Simmons 0-1, Morgan Messina 0-1, Mike Aingworth 0-1, Matt Farrell 0-1. Goalie saves: CF, Greg Abbe 12; SCC, Christian Valenti 1. Shots-corners: CF 1-3; SCC 20-7. Seton 2, Norwich 0 Seton defeated Norwich 2 - 0 on goals by Morgan Messina and PJ Giblin. Seton Catholic Central 1 1 -- 2 Norwich 0 0 -- 0 SCC goals-assists: Morgan Messina 1-1, Kevin Greene 0-1, P.J. Giblin 1-0. Goalie saves: SCC Christian Valenti 0, Norwich Josh Ashton 7. Shots-corners: SCC 9-7, Norwich 0-0. Wednesday, September 15 Seton 2, JC 1 From the Binghamton Press: Dan Hoeflein's second assist of the match set up Morgan Messina for the winning goal with 9:40 remaining, lifting Seton Catholic Central past visiting Johnson City. SCC is 7-0. Johnson City 0 1 -- 1 Seton CC 1 1 -- 2 Johnson City goals-assists: Joe Bailey 1-0. Seton Catholic Central g-a: Zach Jones 1-0; Morgan Messina 1-0; Dan Hoeflein 0-2. Goalie saves: Ryan Mizera (JC) 5; Christian Valenti (SCC) 2, Shane Ravener (SCC) 3. Shots-corners: JC 6-3; SCC 7-4. Note - JC scored on a penalty kick after the ball hit a Seton player who had been knocked on the ground in the box. Wednesday, September 22 Owego 3, Seton 0 From the Binghamton Press: Ian Fairlie broke a scoreless tie with about eight minutes left in the first half, helping visiting Owego hand Seton Catholic Central its first loss of the season with a 3-0 victory Tuesday in a Southern Tier Athletic Conference boys soccer match. Also scoring for Owego (5-1-1) were Mike Fowler and Mike Soltis. Fowler scored with seven minutes left and Soltis with about 50 seconds remaining. Seton (7-1) was outshot 9-2 for the match. Owego 1 2--3 Seton CC 0 0--0 Owego goals-assists: Mike Fowler 1-0, Andy Marzo 0-1, Dustin Tiddick 0-1, Ian Fairlie 1-0, Mike Soltis 1-0. Goalie saves: Pete Franz (O), 2; Christian Valenti (SCC), 4. Shots-corners: Owego 9-5; SCC 2-3. Friday, September 24 M-E 2, Seton 0 (OT) From the Binghamton Press: Third-year varsity player Kyle Kucharski netted his ninth and 10th goals of the season in the overtime periods of Maine-Endwell's 2-0 victory over visiting Seton Catholic Central Thursday. The game was a battle of Southern Tier Athletic Conference division leaders at Homer Brink Elementary School. Kucharski collected a cross from Dan Ball about 16 yards out and redirected it into the left side of the net 1:33 into the first overtime period to break a scoreless tie. The M-E junior capped the scoring by heading in a feed from Jason Nachman with 40 seconds remaining inthe second overtime. The win keeps M-E (7-0-1 overall, 7-1-1 STAC) in first place inthe Central Division, one game ahead of Owego. Seton CC (7-2-0, 7-2-0) retains possession of first place in the East Division. M-E goaltender Greg Feal needed to make just one save thanks to a solid effort from Spartan's sweeper Jarrett Newby and the rest of a deffense that never allowed the Saints to maintain an offensive zone attack. The Spartans has several chances to score in regulation, but were thwarted by Saints' goaltender Christian Valenti as well as several near misses. "It became quite frustrating that we had such good opportunities and we knocked it over the top or wide," said M-E coach Duane Rinker. Valenti made a tremendous save late in the second half when he plucked a header from Josh Sailar out of the air to preserve the scoreless tie. Seton CC 0 0 0 0 -- 0 Maine-Endwell 0 0 1 1 -- 2 M-E goals-assists: Kyle Kucharski 2-0, Dan Ball 0-1, Jason Nachman 0-1. Goalie saves: Christian Valanti (SCC) 9; Greg Feal (M-E) 1. Shots-corners: SCC 2-4; M-E 16-6. SV 4, Seton 1 From the Binghamton Press: BY MIKE MANGAN Press & Sun-Bulletin WEST CORNERS -- Early in the second half Thursday, it appeared that Seton Catholic Central and Susquehanna Valley were on their way to an exciting finish in their boys soccer showdown. But in a span of just of over a minute, things changed dramatically, as SV scored three second-half goals in a span of 67 seconds to roll to a 4-1 victory over the Saints in a Southern Tier Athletic Conference contest at the BC United complex behind Ann G. McGuinness School. Pat Shager scored the game-winning goal and Scott Hartley tallied a pair of goals for the Sabers (10-1-1, 8-1-1 STAC), who stayed a game behind leader Maine-Endwell (9-1-1, 9-0-1) in the Central Division race. With the score tied at 1, SV's A.J. Butler had the ball at the top of the Seton CC box. He sent a pass left to Shager, who fired a low bouncing shot from inside the corner of the box past SCC goalie Christian Valenti into the right side of the net with 33:02 remaining in the game. SV didn't take long to pad its lead. Moments after play resumed, Hartley received a pass from Butler near the top right-hand edge of the box and booted an 18-yard shot that clipped the inside of the left post and into the net just 34 seconds after Shager's goal. Thirty-three seconds later, Hartley struck again, firing a shot only a few yards away from where he scored his first goal to give SV a 4-1 lead with 31:55 left. "There was a gap wide open in the middle," Hartley said. "I just told myself 'Keep running there to that spot and you'll eventually get a couple.'" Seton CC (7-3 overall and in STAC) nearly cut the lead to 4-2 with about 28 minutes remaining, but keeper Bill Reardon made a diving stop of a hard 25-yard shot by Mike Aingworth. After that, the Saints had few good scoring opportunities against SV's suffocating defense. "They didn't have the number of shots or quality of shots that would have taken the game from us," SV coach Al Mydlinski said. "I felt (our) defense and midfield kept the game in front of us. "They have very dynamic offensive potential and I thought we shut them down very well. They're a very good team, so I'm very pleased with this result." Seton CC remained in sole possession of the East Division lead despite the loss, as second-place Chenango Forks (6-4) lost 2-0 Wednesday to M-E. That was the lone bright spot on an otherwise frustrating day. "I have no explanation for those three goals," said a visibly shellshocked Bob Eckler, the Seton CC coach. "They wanted it more, bottom line. They were beating us to the ball, and they were more aggressive. "All it takes is that couple of minutes to do it." Seton CC controlled the early play, and capitalized by taking a one-goal lead as Morgan Messina sent a pass in the SV zone ahead to LaRue Simmons, who then chipped a shot past Reardon with 28:59 left in the first half. However, SV tied the score with 15:40 left in the first half when Nick Finch got his own rebound of a header and booted a shot past Valenti from about 12 yards out. "We have a lot of offensive power, and our defense usually keeps us in the game," Mydlinski said. "When we equalized it (before) halftime, it gave us a chance to take the game." Susquehanna Val. 1 3 -- 4 Seton CC 1 0 -- 1 Susquehanna Valley goals-assists: Scott Hartley 2-0, Nick Finch 1-0, Pat Shager 1-0, A.J. Butler 0-2, Steve Gorgos. Seton CC g-a: LaRue Simmons 1-0, Morgan Messina 0-1. Goalie saves: Bill Reardon (SV), 3; Christian Valenti (SCC), 4; Shane Ravener (SCC), 3. Shots-corners: SV 11-2; SCC 5-6. Wednesday, October 6 Seton 7, Windsor 0 From the Binghamton Press: Morgan Messina had two goals to lead a balanced scoring attack as Seton Catholic Central defeated visiting Windsor. Windsor 0 0 -- 0 Seton CC 5 2 -- 7 Seton Catholic Central goals-assists: Mike Aingworth 1-2, P.J. Giblin 0-1, Morgan Messina 2-0, Tim Smilnak 1-1, Chris Axtell 1-1, Zach Jones 1-0, Dan Hoeflein 1-0, Sam Merke 0-1, John Hlavacek 0-1. Goalie saves: Steve Kuzma (Win), 6; Shane Ravener (SCC), 0. Shots-corners: Windsor 0-0, SCC 15-5. Wednesday, October 6 Oneonta Game Location Thursday's game against Oneonta will be at Oneonta High School, under the lights at 7 pm. Directions from Binghamton: 1. Leave I-88 at exit 15 and turn left at the end of the ramp. 2. Cross Main Street at the first light. 3. At the next traffic light, turn right onto Center Street. 4. Turn left onto East Street. Go up the hill. The OHS driveway is on the right at the traffic light. (directions from the STAC web site) Friday, October 8 Seton 3, Oneonta 1 From the Binghamton Press: Mike Aingworth, Morgan Messina and LaRue Simmons all scored in the last 12:43 of the first half as Seton Catholic Central won at Oneonta. Seton CC 3 0 -- 3 Oneonta 0 1 -- 1 Seton Catholic Central goals-assists: Mike Aingworth 1-1, Morgan Messina 1-1, LaRue Simmons 1-0, Zach Jones 0-1. Oneonta g-a: Aaron Gallusser 1-0. Goalie saves: Christian Valenti (SCC), 1; Corey McDonald (O), 7. Shots-corners: Seton CC 12-6; Oneonta 4-2. Saturday, October 9 Seton 1, CV 0 Mike Aignworth scored on a penalty kick after a CV player handled the ball in the box. Wednesday, October 13 Coach Bob's 100th Victory From the Binghamton Press: The Seton Catholic Central doubled its pleasure Tuesday with a 4-0 Southern Tier Athletic Conference boys soccer victory at Whitney Point. The victory helped clinch the East Division title and was the 100th for Saints coach Bob Eckler. Chenango Forks was eliminated from title contention when it was tied by Chenango Valley. "I think for us that with Seton playing mostly (class) B and A schools all season long, it's a pretty big accomplishment," Eckler said. "We play our entire league (schedule) against bigger schools." John Axtell ended the scoreless match for Seton CC (11-3) with a goal in the 36th minute. Seton CC 1 3 -- 4 Whitney Point 0 0 -- 0 SCC goals-assists: John Axtell 1-0, Mike Aingsworth 1-1, Matt Farrell 1-0, Morgan Messina 1-1. Goalie saves: Christian Valenti (SCC) 1; Gary Marshall (WP) 12, Brad Alden (WP) 1. Shots-corners: SCC 20-3; WP 2-3. Friday, October 15 Seton 2, CF 0 From the Binghamton Press: Seton Catholic Central scored its first goal when Tim Smilnak took a cross in the box from Corey Fiske six minutes into the game at Chenango Forks. Seton CC 1 1 -- 2 Chenango Forks 0 0 -- 0 SCC goals-assists: Tim Smilnak 1-0, Corey Fiske 0-1, Morgan Messina 1-0, Mike Angworth 0-1. Goalie saves: Christian Valenti (SCC) 2, Zach Kuzemka (CF) 14. Shots-corners: SCC 16-8, CF 6-0. Sunday, October 17 Binghamton 2, Seton 0 From the Binghamton Press: Matt Harder scored twice to lead Binghamton (9-5-2) to the Mayor's Cup victory over Seton Catholic Central at Alumni Stadium. Seton CC 0 0 -- 0 Binghamton 1 1 -- 2 Binghamton goals-assists: Matt Harder 2-0, Adam Minichelli 0-1. Goalie saves: Ravener (SCC) 2, Christian Valenti (SCC) 2; Colin Harder (B) 4. Shots-corners: SCC 6-6; Binghamton 4-3. Sunday, October 17 Playoff Update Seton (East Division) will meet Vestal (Metro Division) in a STAC soccer semi-final at the BC United soccer complex on Tuesday, October 19th. Kickoff time is 4 pm, according to the STAC website. Maine-Endwell (Central) will meet Horseheads (West) in the other STAC semi-final. STAC Boy's varsity soccer finals are scheduled for Friday, October 22nd, at the home field of the larger school, kickoff at 4 pm. STAC Girl's varsity playoffs are Wednesday, Oct 20th, and finals are Saturday, Oct 23rd. Sectional pairings have not been announced. Tuesday, October 19 STAC Playoff story From the Binghamton Press: BY MIKE MANGAN Press & Sun-Bulletin Maine-Endwell boys soccer coach Duane Rinker has compiled 357 victories over the course of his 28-year varsity coaching career. None of those victories, however, have come in a Southern Tier Athletic Conference title match. Rinker and his Spartans will try to remedy that this week, starting with a STAC semifinal 4 p.m. today against Horseheads at Homer Brink Elementary School. If M-E (13-2-1) gets past the Blue Raiders (8-5-1), they'll face the winner of today's other semifinal between defending champion Vestal (14-1-1) and Seton Catholic Central (12-4) at 4:30 p.m. at the BC United Complex behind Ann G. McGuinness School. The semifinal winners will meet for the STAC title Friday at a site to be determined. "We would like to get a STAC title, we've won Section 4 titles and division titles, but never a STAC, as least since I've been here," said Rinker, who has a 357-141-36 record. "We have to get by two formidable opponents, first with Horseheads ... but our guys are playing very well right now." M-E, which defeated Susquehanna Valley, 3-1, Saturday in a Central Division tie-breaker, has been bolstered by strong defensive play this season. The Spartans have posted nine shutouts in 16 matches this season, allowing just 14 goals. Rinker gives much of the credit to defenders Jarrett Newby, Shane Smith, Colin Valenta and Kent Ellsworth, as well as goalie Chris Torres. Offensively, Kyle Kucharski's 15 goals lead a balanced scoring attack that's averaging just over four goals per match. Horseheads (8-5-1), the West Division champion, has won eight of 11 matches after starting the season 0-3. Meanwhile, Vestal will seek a chance for its second straight STAC title. The Golden Bears opened the season 13-0 -- rising to No. 1 in the state in Class AA according to the New York State Sports Writers Association -- before suffering a stunning 2-1 loss to Elmira Southside. A 1-1 tie with Binghamton followed before Vestal closed the regular season with a strong 2-0 victory over Union-Endicott. Leading the way offensively for the Metro Division champions are Nate Sanzo and Joe Hogan, both tallying double-digit goal totals this season. Defensively, Vestal has nine shutouts. Seton, the East Division champion, will counter offensively with Tim Smilnak (9 goals), Morgan Messina (8 goals-6 assists) and Mike Aingworth (5 goals-7 assists). Aingworth, Seton's top playmaker, is healthy after missing three games this season with a nagging ankle injury. The Saints, who have seven shutouts this season, will try to avenge a 3-0 loss to Vestal in last year's STAC semifinals. "Vestal has a great team with good speed, hopefully we can shut that down and look for our opportunities," Seton coach Bob Eckler said. Wednesday, October 20 Vestal 2, Seton 0 From the Binghamton Press: BY MIKE MANGAN Press & Sun-Bulletin WEST CORNERS -- When Vestal won the Southern Tier Athletic Conference boys soccer title last season, it marked the first league title in seven years for the Golden Bears. They may not have to wait as long for their next one. Joe Hogan and Nate Sanzo each scored first-half goals as Vestal dominated early en route to a 2-0 victory over Seton Catholic Central in a STAC semifinal Tuesday at the BC United Complex at Ann G. McGuinness School. Vestal (15-1-1) will host Maine-Endwell, a 2-0 winner over Horseheads in Tuesday's other semifinal, for the STAC championship at 4 p.m. Friday. "We've got another game, and I'm sure it's going to be a tough one," Vestal coach Jim Murphy said. "But I'm very proud of my players and the way they've responded, and we're obviously very happy to be in the final." Vestal's trip to its second straight STAC final -- the Golden Bears defeated Horseheads, 4-0, in last year's title match -- was paved with a first-half performance that could be best described as overwhelming. The Golden Bears' defense stifled Seton CC's offensive attack -- the Saints did not have a shot in the first half. On the other end, Vestal's offense created numerous scoring opportunities. And it cashed in twice with Hogan's goal just over 13 minutes into the match breaking the scoreless tie. Taking possession of the ball just past midfield in the Seton CC zone, Vestal's Eugene Handy dribbled up the right sideline, splitting two Saints defenders near the corner before moving toward the net. Handy then delivered a pass back to the top of the box to Sanzo, who fired a shot that was blocked by a Seton CC defender. However, Hogan got the rebound and booted a low shot from about the 18-yard line into the right side of the net past Saints goalie Christian Valenti with 26:58 remaining in the half. "Teams like to pack their defense in to try to stop us," Hogan said. "Eugene is a such a good player on the outside, it really opens up the middle for us." Sanzo made it 2-0 on an unassisted goal with 9:58 remaining in the first half. On the play, Sanzo took possession of a loose ball inside the box, maneuvered past a charging Valenti and unloaded a 15-yard shot into an open net. Murphy said the play of Hogan, Sanzo, Handy and midfielder Tyler Speice was a major factor in the match's outcome. "Those four guys really carried the offense for us," Murphy said. "Especially in the first half, we were creative, working harder and our guys in the middle were really (controlling) things." Seton CC played significantly better in the second half and had several chances to score. A floating 35-yard shot from Morgan Messina barely sailed over the crossbar about 10 minutes into the second half. Later, LaRue Simmons' shot from inside the 10-yard line toward an open net went high. But Seton CC couldn't get that one goal that might have shifted the momentum, leaving coach Bob Eckler to lament his team's first-half performance. "We weren't executing our game plan, putting the ball over the defenders, at all in the first half," Eckler said. "We were very tentative out there. "I really got into the guys at halftime. I told them I wanted them (to play) a match worth watching, and they were able to do that in the second half, so at least I'm happy about that."
Saturday, October 23 Sectional Playoff Schedule: Updated Oct 30th Seton has been seeded #1 in the Section 4 Class C playoffs. Playdown schedule is: First round, October 26th Seton - bye #8 Watkins Glenn (1) vs #9 Southern Cayuga (0) at WG #5 Spencer Van Etten (2) vs #12 Delhi (1) at CF #4 Elmira Notre Dame vs #13 Union Springs at END these teams are in the same bracket as Seton Other bracket #2 Lansing - bye #3 Greene - bye #6 Candor (8) vs #11 Oxford (1) at Candor #7 Unadilla Valley (0) vs #10 Marathon (4) at UV Second Round, October 29th, matches at 3:30 pm Seton (2) vs Watkins Glenn (0) at BC United Spencer Van Etten (0) plays Elmira Notre Dame (1) Greene (5) vs Candor (0) Lansing (2) vs Marathon (1) Sectional semifinals are on November 2nd at 2 pm. Seton vs Elmira Notre Dame at BC United Lansing vs Greene Sectional finals are on November 6th at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, NY. Saturday, October 30 Seton 2, Watkins Glenn 0 From the Binghamton Press: Mike Aingworth broke a scoreless tie with 17:13 left as Seton Catholic Central eliminated visiting Watkins Glen at B.C. United Field in West Corners. Saints teammates Morgan Messina and Nick Monticello set up the goal with quick passes. Watkins Glen 0 0 -- 0 Seton Catholic Central 0 2 -- 2 SCC goals-assists: Morgan Messina 1-1; Mike Aingworth 1-0; Nick Monticello 0-1. Goalie saves: Augustine (WG) 8; Christian Valenti (SCC) 1. Shots-corners: WG 2-3; SCC 11-3. Thursday, November 4 Seton 2, Elmira Notre Dame 1 From the Binghamton Press: Messina helps put Seton CC on course for Class C final Morgan Messina's goal three minutes into play Tuesday gave Seton Catholic Central a lead it wouldn't relinquish at Ann G. McGuiness school in West Corners. (Editorial correction - - Seton plays at the BC United Soccer Association complex, which is behind, but not part of, the school). The Saints went on to a 2-1 victory over visting Elmira Notre Dame in a Section 4 Class C boys soccer semifinal. Top-seeded Seton CC (14-5) will opposed No. 2 seed Lansing for the title Saturday at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. Starting Time is to be determined. Messina's blast from just outside the 18-yard line, set up by Kevin Green's assist, put the Saints ahead 1-0. The lead grew to 2 with 17 1/2 minutes remaining with Dan Hoflein scoring off assists from Messina and Mike Aignworth. "Our defense really stepped up (Tuesday)," Saints coach Bob Eckler said. "We held them to four shots, and less than that with a couple of minutes left to play." Particularly effective in a defensive role, Eckler said, was Chris Axtell. His efforts were focused on containing the Crusaders' Siegi Herzl-Betc - -"And he held him, really, to no scoring opportunities." Seton CC 2, Elmire ND 1 Elmira ND 0 1 --1 Seton CC 1 1 --2 END Goals-assists: Chris Roods 1-0, Siegi Herzl-Betc 0-1 Seton goals-assists: Morgan Messina 1-1, Dan Hoeflein 1-0, Kevin Green 0-1, Mike Aignworth 0-1 Saves: Jordan Liles, END - 5, Christian Valenti, Seton - 3 Shots-corners: Elmira ND 4-3, Seton 11 - 2 Sectional Finals From the Binghamton Press: For the second straight year, Seton Catholic Central fell one victory short of the state tournament. Ryan Tengi scored off a loose ball 16 minutes into the match, then Lansing's defense did the rest in a 1-0 victory over the Saints in the Section 4 Class C final. The Bobcats (20-0-1) were outshot 9-3 by Seton CC (14-6), but won in large part behind the play of goalie Treyson Barresi. Barresi made six saves, none bigger than a stop of a Morgan Messina penalty shot with 16:14 left in the first half. On the play, Barresi dove to his right for the save. "That's a lot of pressure on you there in the sectional final," Barresi said. "Initially, I was just going to dive one way but I saw his plant foot and got a good read on it." It was the second straight time Seton CCC lost a Section 4 final in which it controlled much of the play. Last year, the Saints were even more dominant in its Class C final against Southern Cayuga, only to lose 2-1 on a late goal by Josh Mitchell with about eight minutes remaining. "We had chances to put the ball in the net, but one ball went in for them," Seton CC coach Bob Eckler said. "It's unfortunate, and I feel bad for my kids, because we had a game like this last year. It's two years in a row and it's hard to understand." STAC All-Star Selections Congratulations to: Mike Aignworth, STAC Central/East All-Conference forward Morgan Messina, STAC East Division midfielder Chris Axtell, STAC East Division defender and for the ladies, Megan Bellingham, STAC Central/East All-Conference midfielder Katie Egitto, STAC East Division goalkeeper Claire Salamida, STAC East Division defender Jacqui Fritsch, STAC East Division midfielder Claudia Mazza, STAC East Division forward Monday, May 9 Seton CC's athletic success may result in move to 'B' JOHN W. FOX Commentary in the Press & Sun Bulletin, May 8th, 2005 Accolades heaped on Seton Catholic Central for last season's admirable basketball successes by both girls and boys could soon add an unsought "award" -- a swift kick upstairs into Class B in that sport. For the second time in three years, the Saints varsities swept the sectional Class C titles. The girls, after a mere 8-7 in the Southern Tier Athletic Conference, caught fire to bring the school its first New York State Public High School Athletic Association state basketball championship. Two months earlier, however, the NYSPHSAA executive committee approved a recommendation that each section be required to review and evaluate the classification of all member non-public schools, sport by sport, every two years. Section 4's classification panel will meet within 10 days. Among the 72 Section 4 schools, Elmira Notre Dame is the only other non-public. Elmira ND's 2000-2004 prominence in girls soccer is probably due for a hard look, as is Saints' success in that sport, including the 2002 state title. What would the NYSPHSAA and its Section 4 arm do if Afton High, which seems to win every Class Dsectional softball championship and a record for state titles, were named Afton Jesuit High? Or if the Steuben County lacrosse dynasty that has won 15 straight Section 4 Class B and C championships were Corning East Faith Baptist? The answer is a slam-dunk cinch. They'd long ago have been flung upstairs into Class C softball playoffs and Class A lacrosse quicker than an unchallenged third-strike fastball or a blast into an open net. But, it doesn't happen when they're public schools. For a non-public school, however, NYSPHSAA membership is more a privilege than a right. The concern among the publics' "caretakers" -- definitely understandable on the surface but almost paranoid for a few -- is that in contrast to a district's boundaries, non-publics' territory is open range. Susquehanna County residents seeking Catholic high-school education have nothing in Pennsylvania as near as Seton CC, and Elmira Notre Dame is less than five miles from the state line. Many out-of-state enrollees have had notable Section 4 athletic success. On the other hand, there's the cost-of-education deterrent. Dwindling enrollment and rising operational costs have driven a SCC student's annual tuition to $4,850 (scaled down if a sibling is enrolled) if the parents are practicing Catholics. For anyone else, more than $6,000. Naturally, conspicuous athletic success for SCC or Elmira ND can't hurt in attracting eighth-graders faced with a decision on high school. Of the 11 NYSPHSAA sections, three do not grant membership to Catholic schools -- the two on Long Island (sections 8 and 11), and Western New York's Section 6 (Buffalo and surrounding counties). In those areas, Catholic high schools are so numerous that all-Catholic leagues are easily formed and are primarily the schools' preference. In Syracuse, the perennial athletic success of Christian Brothers Academy, whose enrollment is near the bottom of Section 3 Class Bs, led to its elevation to Class AA. Bishop Ludden, created by the Diocese of Syracuse at the same time as its Binghamton cousin, is another "lower-B" but has been reclassified to AA in all but football. Utica Notre Dame is Class A, its enrollment barely half any 'A' rival's. Locally, SCC was close to reclassification a year ago until the tragic deaths of two basketball players made Section 4 officials decide that the timing would be grossly ill-advised. Section 4's classification committee is chaired by Jack Jones, retired Norwich athletic director who is respected statewide for varied high-level NYSPHSAA service. Each of the five leagues has a representative -- STAC, Interscholastic Athletic Conference (IAC, of which Elmira Notre Dame is a member), Mid-State, Delaware, and Tri-Valley. STAC's rep is Chenango Valley athletic director John Allen, many years back a coach and teacher at SCC. The committee decision will be open to appeal. Three years after its 1963 birth, the school then known as Binghamton Catholic Central became -- though not uncontested -- a charter STAC member. Today, it is the only Class C member of a 20-member conference otherwise consisting of Section 4's 19 largest schools. Seton CC's current 295 students in grades 9-through-11 (the figure effective, barring committee action, as next year's Section 4 classification count) are 77 fewer than at STAC's next smallest, Whitney Point. Thus, Saints basketball teams annually go into Class C sectionals with a strength-of-schedule superiority that creates invariable grumbling by victims. In February's STAC playoffs, the boys beat two Class AAs. Their late-round Class C victims, Union Springs and Watkins Glen, had no such means of "basic training." The fifth-seed Saints girls were similarly too much for, among others, 20-2 top seed Lansing. Lansing and Watkins Glen enrollment, incidentally, will elevate both to Class B in September and lower the C level. Also moving to B will be Greene and Unatego, frequent postseason SCC opponents. A few days ago, Section 4 sports coordinator Ben Nelson handed second-year SCC athletic director Chris Sinicki paperwork to supply the committee -- the proportionality between athletes receiving SCC financial aid and non-athletes receiving it (also a similar breakdown among Pennsylvania residents); level of success in each SCC sport over last five years; year each athlete first entered Catholic education; from what district they've transferred ... Et considerable cetera ... An early research that pleased Sinicki: "Of the (most recent) 35 boys on my varsity, 29 had been in Catholic schools starting in kindergarten, and 31 since fifth grade." Sinicki coached at four other STAC schools before becoming SCC basketball coach in 1998 -- and igniting a program that had gone five years without a winning season. His subsequent teams' success makes him, as the ruling approaches ... yeah, his own worst enemy. "My biggest concern is that they don't penalize us for developing successful programs while not breaking the rules," Sinicki said last week. Fox is sports editor emeritus of the Press & Sun-Bulletin. |
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