Molloy wins first city title since 2004

Junior attacker Gregory Davis, who has been the spark for the Stanners all postseason, twisted his body counterclockwise as he lay in the box at St. John’s University. The pass that came off his feet skidded before junior teammate Patrick O’Grady. With the outcome of the CHSAA soccer championship at his feet, O’Grady blasted the ball into the net, and then ran toward the bleachers at Belson Stadium as his teammates mobbed him.
It was just the first half, but the goal was all Archbishop Molloy needed. It beat defending champion Fordham Prep (Bronx) 1-0, good enough for the Stanners’ first city title since 2004.
The defending-champion Rams had their fair share of chances to tie the game. With 3:32 remaining, senior midfielder Jeffrey Horn, off an impressive cross from senior forward Stefan Manz, thought he had equalized. But referee Fred Wachter blew the whistle, ruling Horn offside as the partisan Molloy crowd breathed an enormous sigh of relief.
When the final buzzer sounded, Molloy had survived three postseason matchups - with Monsignor Farrell, St. Peter’s and finally Fordham Prep - without giving up a single goal.
“We knew we had to put in our opportunities for goals, and I know my defense is strong,” said Molloy head coach Andy Kostel. “Fordham played really tough, right up until the last minute.”
The Rams put at least a half-dozen crosses into the Molloy box in the second half, but none amounted to any points. With 10 minutes left, head coach Peter McNamara pulled part-time goalie Manz from his line, switching him with junior Christian Quinttus to revive the Fordham offense. With six minutes left, Fordham junior attacker Nick Paganelli took a bouncing ball into the box, but he lost control and got no call as he brushed up against two Molloy defenders.
As time expired on the November 1 title game, O’Grady leaped into junior teammate Glenn Whelan’s arms while coaches hugged at the sideline and the rest of the Stanners jumped as a crowd in the center circle. Senior goalkeeper Joe Ruocco, another clean sheet in hand, was part of the pileup.
Then, after a short awards ceremony between the Molloy and Fordham benches, the victors sprinted toward the audience, bearing plaques and their new championship trophy.
Fordham, which completed its regular season with a 7-1-4 record, finished just behind Iona Prep in the Archdiocesan A division. The Rams survived two close shaves in the opening rounds of the city postseason tournament, as they beat Xaverian and Regis by scores of 2-1 and 1-0.
Molloy, meanwhile, finished first in the Brooklyn/Queens A division with a modest 5-3-3 record and stepped up its play in the final contests. The Stanners bested Farrell 5-0 in the quarterfinals, then topped St. Peter’s 3-0, in what was largely a Gregory Davis clinic.
Davis came out strong for the Stanners yet again on November 1. In the 14th minute, starting at left midfield, he weaved the ball past three defenders and all the way into the box, despite ultimately popping up an easy save for the goalkeeper.
Kostel, the head coach, attributes Molloy’s surprising clutch play to the fact that “we just work hard - that’s all.” Team-centric play has indeed been the theme for the Stanners this postseason; in addition to consistently filling Fordham’s side of the field with crisp, forceful passes, they began their Fordham Prep contest with their pre-game ritual of lapping half of the field and leaping in unison to a haka-like chant.
Nor did the Stanners limit their intimidation tactics to pre-game chanting. In the second half, they turned a free kick just outside the Fordham box into a well-practiced exercise of trickery, as Molloy players went through a short succession of fake approaches to the ball before Davis’ real shot finally sailed high.
Molloy will face Iona Prep in the state semifinals on Friday, November 7, at Adelphi University. Iona beat Molloy 3-0 in the regular season.
Two days later, the state final will pit the Molloy-Iona winner against St. Anthony’s (Long Island) or a team from Buffalo.