LOCKPORT — The Lockport boys soccer Lions saved their best for the worst on Saturday, blanking visiting Kenmore West 3-0 in their Section VI Class AA quarterfinal.
It took gusting winds, a sprinkle of rain and a muddy field for the No. 3-seeded Lions to find their groove and then some, dominating the upset-minded No. 11 Blue Devils throughout.
Alex Reid, C.J. Ralyea and Matt McCoy scored goals as head coach Jeff Hulshoff’s team improved to 13-4-1 overall. They’ll move on to play No. 2 Williamsville North at Hamburg on Wednesday night in a Class AA semifinal. The game start will be either 5 or 7 p.m.
“I thought we played very well. We’re peaking at the right time of the season,” Hulshoff said.
Reid scored the lone goal of the first half on a nice cross from senior Mark Senay. It was the eighth goal of the season for the freshman sensation who works hard at being in the right place at the right time.
“I’m glad they gave me an opportunity to see what I could do,” Reid said of his opportunity this season to play varsity as a freshman. “I was a little nervous at first, but I scored a goal in my first game and I feel more and more relaxed out there every game.”
Ralyea’s insurance goal 10 minutes into the second half was his first of the season. His spinning shot slipped through the hands of KW keeper Jim Doyle and dribbled into the net.
“I took it inside to see what I could do. I just shot it and got lucky when it went in,” Ralyea said modestly, but coach Hulshoff was pleased at his decision to shoot the ball, keeping it down in such weather conditions.
“Great decision. Take the shot baby, You never know,” Hulshoff shouted from the sidelines as Ralyea’s goal gave the hosts a 2-0 lead at the 34:35 mark.
Lockport’s leading goal scorer, McCoy, rounded out the scoring at 15:32, dribbling in on the left side and drilling a shot into the lower right corner. It was McCoy’s 76th career goal for Lockport, leaving him four shy of the all-time mark. Recently, McCoy surpassed Mike Molinaro (73) to move into second place all-time on the Lions’ goal scoring list.
Lions senior keeper Chris Paradise earned his 10th shutout of the season.
Blue Devils (5-10) coach Todd Marquardt said he was proud of his team, which upset NFL rival North Tonawanda in the quarterfinals.
“We tried being patient and looking for controlled attacks. We had a breakdown on the first goal, but I thought we played with a little fight today, especially in the second half,” Marquardt said. “We have a lot to be proud of. We had huge wins over Ken East — the first time we beat them in 13 years — then we beat NT. We went pretty far as the 11th seed.”
Marquardt cited the strong play of senior Chad Battaglia, who moved up to forward from the sweeper position.
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