By Robert Cole
Losing all-league defender Shawn Chacko to an ankle injury two days before the season’s biggest game is hard. But losing key scorer Randolf Gotz early in the first half of the game proved too much for the St. Francis Prep soccer team, which dropped the CHSAA “AA” semifinal championship game to Fordham Prep 3-1.
“It was tough when we lost our all-city center back, one of the top players in the league, so we were trying to figure out the defense and they got one early,” head coach Franco Purifacato said. “Fordham is a tough team and it is tough to come back on them.”
Fordham’s precision offense and pressing defense frustrated the Terriers, preventing the St. Francis offense from organizing on the Fordham half of the field, resulting in the majority of the game being played with the Terriers’ back against their goal.
Fordham scored the first goal of the game in the 12th minute on a goal by senior James Murray, who found the back of the net off a return pass from Eddie Perez-Palaiz.
St. Francis missed an opportunity to tie the score in the 14th minute, when Fordham goalie Jack Dennis, with help from the defense, turned away four consecutive point blank shots to keep the score 1-0.
Each goalie prevented additional goals for the half, sending the game into the intermission with St. Francis trailing 1-0.
Fordham opened the second half scoring when James Murray netted his second goal of the game from 20 yards out in the 49th minute.
The Terriers failed to convert on another scoring chance in the 60th minute, when Billy Mastoras saw his header go over the crossbar, keeping the score at 2-0 in favor of Fordham.
The Rams added some insurance in the 69th minute on a goal by Eddie Perez-Palaiz, giving Fordham a commanding 3-0 lead.
The Terriers kept battling, though, and found the back of the net in the 73rd minute when John Tagois scored, making the score 3-1. But it was too little, too late, as Fordham secured the 3-1 victory.
Despite the loss, St. Francis will next play in the CHSAA state semifinals on Saturday.
“We have a week to reset and figure out what to do in the States,” Purifacato said. “Hopefully we can straighten it out.”
