After pulling off a Section IV championship double last week, the South Kortright boys and girls soccer teams couldn’t repeat the feat in Saturday’s Class D Regional finals.
The SK boys fell to Hamilton 4-0 while the girls dropped a 1-0 decision to Coenhagen at the Wright National Soccer Campus in Oneonta.
South Kortright’s boys had to deal with Hamilton’s attack from the first kick, as keeper Brayden Sparkes had to make a nice fingertip save just four minutes in. Sparkes came up with another nice save around the 29:00 mark on a rocket of a shot by Hamilton’s Gavin Hames. The Rams goalie finished with 11 saves in the game.
SK had a pair of excellent scoring chances midway through the first half: JB Trimbell watched his free kick ricochet off the crossbar and almost scored again just minutes later when he received a perfect cross from Jack Byrne and nearly headed it past Hamilton keeper Cooper Roy.
The Emerald Knights opened the scoring on the counterattack from that chance as Hames made a great cut move to his left foot and slotted a low shot into the back of the net.
Hamilton doubled its lead with nine minutes to go when Dylan George tipped in a rolling ball inside the box.
The Rams came out with better energy in the second half trailing 2-0 but couldn’t find a breakthrough. Hamilton put the game out of reach with a pair of goals by Levi Neuenschwander and Colin Olsen that came just three minutes apart in the late portion of the game.
“Hamilton is definitely a step above. They’re just incredible,” SK coach Gary LiCalzi said. “If anybody beats them next weekend, I want to see who it is.
“They’re a great program, always have been for many years.”
Despite the disappointing loss, LiCalzi had nothing but good things to say about his team which captured a sectional title in his first season as the varsity head coach.
“I can’t say how proud I was for this whole season, to be a part of it and to do my best and carry whatever torch there is to carry for our program,” he said.
It was the final game for the senior class of Jack Byrne, Shane Edwards, Zander Fortune, Jesse Hungerford, Anthony Martinez, Lance McClure, Logan Reinshagen and Cole Thomas, a group that had a hand in winning at least a share of the sectional title each of the last four years.
“I thanked our seniors for giving us something to build for today,” LiCalzi said. “This is not an ending but more of a beginning. I just let them know how lucky we’ve been to play on this field so many times. It’s just incredible.
“I’m filled with some emotion obviously but everybody except for one team ends on a loss.”
The girls regional final was a back-and-forth contest from the jump. Each team generated some nice buildup plays but were met on both ends by solid defense by the backlines.
While neither team produced many premium scoring opportunities, the play was as fast and intense as you might expect with a ticket to the State Final Four on the line.
After a scoreless first half, the tempo slowed down a bit as the second half got underway.
With 28 minutes left on the clock, Copenhagen was awarded a penalty kick after South Kortright committed a foul in the box. Halle Miller made no mistake on the kick, slotting it in perfectly in the right hand part of the goal to break the deadlock.
As time wore on, the Rams stepped up the intensity at both ends of the field, getting their bodies in front of every shot and pass attempt they could manage.
They were able to come up with a few looks at goal in the final minutes but couldn’t find that last pass to break things open before time ran out.
“We’re extremely proud of the girls and their play throughout,” SK coach Josh Burroughs said. “Today again it was fight and grit all the way to the end. Copenhagen’s a good team and it took the full 80 minutes. But hats off to the girls to be here at this stage and to show up and give it their all.”
The Rams will only lose one senior from this year’s team, but the loss will be a considerable one. Keeper Addy Eckert had another excellent game, finishing with nine saves after posting three straight shutouts in the sectional playoffs.
Her coach made sure to note her importance to the team and the program as a whole.
“We’re not standing here in this game without her,” Burroughs said of Eckert. “Her level of play has been elite all season. She’s made tremendous saves throughout the sectional tournament and again, she’s one of the main reasons why we’re here in this game today. I know basketball is her first love but I firmly believe if she wanted to play at the next level she could be a keeper somewhere as well.”