By Laura Amato
There’s a love-hate relationship to these kinds of games.
The St. Francis Prep and Holy Cross boys soccer teams squared off Tuesday in the second Battle of the Boulevard this season and while the squads fought to a 1-1 tie, two players in particular couldn’t quite wipe the smiles off their faces when they walked off the field.
Terriers midfielder Anthony Blaskovic and Knights forward Michael De Canio grew up together—both attending St. Luke’s before going their separate high-school ways—and while they both enjoy the competition of a rivalry matchup, neither one of them particularly enjoys beating the other. So, they did what made sense—they both scored a goal.
“It’s always an important match, playing Prep,” De Canio said. “There’s so much tension and everything, but it’s fun. Everybody knows each other.”
De Canio found the back of the net first, notching a strike in the sixth minute as the ball landed perfectly at his feet. He didn’t have to do much, except direct the ball towards the goal, but it was enough to give the Knights (8-4-1) a boost of early-game confidence.
“It was a great pass and all I had to do was chip it over the keeper,” De Canio said. “We’ve been working on that, trying to possess the ball more, instead of playing kick and run.”
The goal set the Terriers back on their heels, but St. Francis Prep came out firing on all cylinders in the second, notching half a dozen solid chances at the net. The problem, however, was getting the ball to go in the net.
It wasn’t until Blaskovic connected on a picture-perfect cross from Randolf Gotz in the 69th minute that the Terriers were able to knot the game at one all.
“All I had to do was tap it in,” Blaskovic said. “[Randolf] did all the work for me. We had to wake up and we did.”
Holy Cross goalkeeper Eric Rossi kept it a tie game throughout the waning minutes of the second half, notching big-time saves down the stretch. The defensive performance gave the Knights a final-second chance to score the game-winner, but Demos Demopoulos’ attempt couldn’t hit its mark.
“Our goalie made some phenomenal saves,” said Holy Cross coach Matt Tyburczy. “I told him at the end of the game he made some great saves and they were knocking on the door the whole second half.”
It’s a tough draw for the Terriers, who are locked in as the No. 3 seed heading into the CHSAA playoffs, but, it hasn’t been an easy season for St. Francis and, right now, the team is turning its attention towards what’s next.
“I’ll take any positive we can get right now,” said Terriers coach Franco Purificato. “The playoffs are right around the corner. We’ll rest some guys up and hopefully get everybody back in shape.”
The Knights, meanwhile, were slated to contend for a BQCHSAA championship Thursday, facing off against reigning city champion Molloy in a winner-take-all matchup. It was to be a major game and one Holy Cross was anxious for. After all, the team, likely, didn’t have to play against many childhood friends in that one.
“I’m so proud of these guys,” Tyburczy said. “They work their butts off. From last year to this year, they’ve helped turn the program around and it’s Holy Cross soccer from what I remember.”
