By Patrick McCormack
Archbishop Molloy’s attempt to win a second CHSAA city championship game in three years fell short.
The Stanners allowed three second-half goals and fell to unbeaten Fordham Prep, 4-0, in the Class AA boys’ soccer final Sunday at St. John’s University’s Belson Stadium. It is Molloy’s second straight defeat in the city title game after beating the Rams 1-0 in the 2012 final.
“We broke down in the second half,” Stanner head coach Andy Kostel said.
The Rams (17-0-2) scored their first goal in the 10th minute. Senior Conor McStay crossed the ball to the back post where Ryan Kerley headed the ball into the back of the net. Following the Fordham goal, Molloy countered, but the Fordham prep defense responded.
The Stanners (12-2-3) had a free kick in the 12th minute that went into the Rams’ defensive wall. Three minutes later, Jesse Rodrigues played the ball to Daniel Corridan in the box, but Fordham Prep keeper Chris Sheridan smothered the ball.
Following the chances it was all Fordham. Kostel said the windy conditions at Belson Stadium affected his team’s play.
“Because of wind we didn’t get to do what we needed to do,” he said.
The Rams started to break the game open in the 59th minute when senior Max Moessner‘s shot hit off Molloy keeper Stephen Deely’s hands and into the back of the net. Two minutes later, Ian Powers played a ball into the box that hit off Deely and went into the net to make it 3-0. Fordham added one more goal in the 68th minute when Patrick Murray drilled the ball off the post, but put his own rebound in.
Stanner defender Lucas Do Nascimento felt like the Stanners allowed the Rams to do too much offensively.
“Defensively we let them dribble too much down the wings,” he said. “They easily were able to get crosses in.”
Kostel felt his team worked hard all year to get to the game and win the Brooklyn/Queens championship.
Molloy will have another shot at a crown and another chance to beat the Rams. The two diocesan winners will meet again Saturday in the CHSAA state semifinal at Adelphi University. It is a game Nascimento and Molloy will try to use to make up for their loss from this game.
“We came out here with the expectation that we would win, but unfortunately we didn’t get the win,” Nascimento said. “So we will work this week to try and get a win on Saturday during the states.”
