Roulis' goal gives Chaminade win over St. Anthony's
Chaminade's Boys Soccer team takes the field in celebration as Saint Anthony's Andrew Lomanto (9, on the ground), can't beleive his team lost in the finale moments of their Championship Finale at Adelphi University, Garden City, NY. Credit: Photo by Richard Slattery
Thomas Roulis scored in the 89th minute on a free kick from 40 yards to give No. 2 Chaminade a 1-0 victory over No. 1 St. Anthony's last night in the CHSAA boys soccer final at Adelphi.
"I saw one minute left, I said to myself, 'You might as well get it in the box. Hopefully, something will happen,' " Roulis said. "Lucky enough a player just crashed the box; it went right through the goalie's hands and went right in."
After nearly 89 minutes of scoreless play, it appeared the nationally ranked powerhouses were bound for overtime before Roulis delivered the winner. Both schools have been in the ESPN FAB 50 rankings all season, with St. Anthony's ranked No. 11 and Chaminade No. 12 before the game.
Last year it was the Friars who scored on a penalty kick in the final minute to win the league title.
"It's a strange game. Lose last year in the last 34 seconds, win this year on a restart," Chaminade coach Mike Gallagher said.
Earlier in the week, Gallagher said the excitement would be when one of the teams scored; both regular-season matches between the Flyers and Friars were scoreless ties. But he said he never thought the game would end the way it did.
Flyers goalkeeper Ricky Berotti, who made eight saves in the shutout, was at a loss for words. "It's indescribable," Berotti said. "I dreamed about this for like a year straight. This is the best feeling in the world."
Highly competitive and physical play led many players to suffer minor injuries throughout the game. Gallagher said he sought advice from Chaminade's track coach how to best prepare before the game, down to what liquids to drink and when to switch to water.
In the 60th minute, Berotti slid for the ball and got his legs tangled with Friars forward Alex Winarski in the process. Both stayed on the turf for more than a minute but were able to shake off the collision. Berotti said he felt as if he had a dead leg for 10 minutes afterward.
Anthony Lopatowski made three saves for St. Anthony's. Lopatowski had not allowed a goal all season, splitting time in goal with Stephen Singson.
Chaminade (16-1-3) advanced to play in the state CHSAA semifinals.
As the Flyers celebrated, Gallagher asked his players a rhetorical question: "How good is it? How great does this feel?"
