By Anthony Parelli
Brandon Silva didn’t miss the moment he had been waiting all season for.
The St. Francis Prep senior stood at the penalty line and knew he had put the ball in the back of the net if he and his team were going to claim a city title.
“I put it where I always do,” Silva said. “I knew I was going to score that.”
The goal gave St. Francis Prep a two-goal lead over rival and defending champion Archbishop Molloy in the 45th minute. It proved to be the deciding tally in a 2-1 victory in the CHSAA Class AA boys’ soccer final at a packed Belson Stadium. It’s the Terriers’ second crown in the last three years. SFP Coach Franco Purificato thought it was fitting Silva, a sophomore on the 2011 title squad, earned himself and the rest of the seniors a title to call their own.
“I turned around to my assistant coach and I said, ‘This is his moment right here,’” Purificato said. “I wasn’t nervous at all. I knew he was going to finish it.”
Early on it was all Terriers (13-3-2). They forced constant pressure on the Molloy defense and were eventually able to break through in the 17th minute when a Silva shot was brilliantly saved by Stanner goalie John Young, but Terriers forward Brian Kilcarr opportunistically headed in the rebound to make it 1-0. Kilcarr and twin brother and goal keeper Chris lost their grandmother early Sunday morning and the game was an emotional one for them.
“I knew if it was anyone who deserved the goal it was him,” Silva said of Kilcarr. “I doubt the kid got any sleep last night.”
The lone Molloy (14-2-3) goal came in the 63rd minute when Anthony Iurillo hauled in a long, high pass from Silva and beat the keeper to his left to bring his team within 1-1. Denes Kostel hit the crossbar in the sixth minute of a scoreless tie. The goal was the result of a slew of personnel adjustments Molloy implemented looking for a second half-spark.
“I was very proud of how they played the last 25 minutes,” Molloy Coach Andy Kostel said. “We had opportunities and I switched players all over the place. They’re very resilient.”
The victory over Molloy was the first of the season for St. Francis Prep and the first time Purificato has defeated the Stanners in the finals. The Terriers advance to the CHSAA state semifinals, where they face St. Joe’s Collegiate at 5 p.m. Saturday, back at Belson.
“It definitely meant a lot to me,” Purificato said. “They beat us twice during the season and they always put up a good team. They didn’t disappoint, they were really good, but my kids rose to the occasion.”
Purificato knew his team wasn’t always the favorite and fed off the fact that he thought his players would want to prove doubters wrong.
“I think we were kind of the underdogs this year again,” Purificato said, smiling. “I like it.”
