Friends boys romp into Class C state final
Friends Academy senior Matt Slotnick, right, and Madrid-Waddington senior Justin Pierce play for possession of the ball in the second half during the a Class C state semifinal at Middletown High School. (Nov. 20, 2010) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. - The clock froze with 21:23 left in the first half between Friends Academy and Madrid-Waddington Saturday. Even if the official time wasn't kept on the field, the extra free minutes wouldn't have helped Madrid-Waddington against the Friends Academy starters.
Friends Academy was dominant, using five first-half goals to handle Madrid-Waddington with ease, 5-2, in a state Class C boys soccer semifinal at Middletown High School. Friends Academy (14-1-2) will attempt to win its second consecutive state championship against Marathon at 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Mike Isernio scored two goals, Matt Slotnick and Colin Heffron each had one goal and one assist, and David Sher scored for the Quakers, who scored five goals for the second straight game.
It didn't take long for the Quakers to strike. Slotnick took a blast that went off Madrid-Waddington goalkeeper Alex Brock and the ball went right to Isernio, who scored less than two minutes into the game. Slotnick, Heffron, and Chris Campbell are the foundation of the team and Slotnick has scored 28 goals, but it's been different Quakers who have complemented that trio in the past few games.
Isernio was the one yesterday.
"We're all really good soccer players," he said. "Those three are the core of the group and it's great when someone else can pitch in. We're just playing some great soccer. We're possessing the ball and getting a lot of chances and we're finishing."
Said Friends Academy coach Marshall Lindner: "Isernio is one of those grinding type of players. He constantly plays in the defensive end well and lately he's had success moving forward. He's becoming more confident with the ball and being more creative. More guys are getting involved in the offense besides just Matt. If they're going to key on him, we have a lot of guys who can score."
Heffron scored in the 13th minute, Slotnick scored 12 minutes later, Sher scored with 7:53 left in the first half, and Isernio scored with two seconds left in the first half. Eli Rousso made seven saves in the win.
Friends Academy had just three starters on the field to begin the second half. But Matt Kendall scored with 25:52 left in the game and four minutes later, Brom Steinberg pulled Madrid-Waddington (14-2-3) within 5-2. Then the Quakers sent their starters back into the game.
