By Joseph Staszewski
For two straight years Archbishop Molloy reached the intersectional title game and had to watch another team celebrate.
It appeared it would have to hold off on its turn a little bit longer as a scoreless game seemed destined for penalty kicks as the final seconds of double overtime ticked away.
Jessie Rodrigues could not stand waiting even a second more.
The senior ran onto a pass from Dante Giraldi up the left side and swung a right-footed shot into the far post for the winner with 15.6 seconds remaining in the extra session. It sent his Molloy teammates rushing on to the field to celebrate a 1-0 victory over Fordham Prep in the CHSAA Class AA intersectional boys’ soccer final at Belson Stadium Saturday night. It is the Stanners’ first crown since 2012. Fordham Prep beat them 4-0 in last year’s final.
“It came,” said Rodrigues, the team’s leading scorer. “We waited so long for this. From year to year, it wasn’t so happy from year to year. We knew we couldn’t feel that again and we won it.”
Molloy, which has won 15th intersectional crowns, wouldn’t be celebrating without a little good fortune and the play of senior keeper Stephen Deely. Fordham Prep star Alex Canicatti asked off taking a penalty kick in the 58th minute and sophomore Sam Davidson’s shot hit off the crossbar to keep things even.
Deely took it from there. He turned away nine shots. Including two point-blank strikes in the first overtime. He was in perfect position to stop an a shot from eight yards out by Robert Baumann in the 82nd minutes and help on to a bicycle kick blast in the box by Canicatti in the 89th minute to keep Fordham Prep (14-3-2) from winning.
“That was a great shot,” Deely said. “Thank God I saved it. They were all pretty tough.”
Stanners coach Andy Kostel spoke to both Deely and Rodrigues, who are captains, the night before the game about the importance of them playing their best against a team they beat 2-1 in the regular season. The coach praised both after for doing exactly what he wanted from them.
“Deeley and Stephen really picked it up and they just did what they had to do,” Kostel said.
Rodrigues was involved in nearly every significant scoring chance Molloy created in the contest, and didn’t miss on the best of them all.
“I knew if I took it with my left the keeper would get it, so I swung it right back post and it went in,” Rodrigues said.
Molloy (12-0-5) wants to add a CHSAA state title to its season resume. To do so it will need to beat Rockville Center winner Chaminade in the semifinals Friday back at Belson Stadium
“On to states,” Deely said. “We have to [win] now. “
