When Yorktown failed to capitalize on two early chances to grab an early lead in the opening minutes of Friday's Section 1 Class AA first-round matchup, host Mahopac dodged what could have been a tournament-altering blow.
The top-seeded Wolf Pac (13-1-2) quickly seized control from there, erupting for a 5-2 victory over the No. 16 Huskers to advance to the quarterfinals, where they were set to host No. 8 Clarkstown South on Monday, Oct. 26.
The winner of No. 4 Fox Lane/No. 5 Harrison, the reigning champions and state semifinalists, will pose a staunch challenge to reach the finals. The goal at Mahopac remained the same: To win the first section title in school history, but the Wolf Pac drew a much tougher draw on its side of the bracket.
“We were placed on the harder side of the bracket and against a good Yorktown team in the opening round, but we were able to just keep on working hard to get it done,” Mahopac senior captain Michael Oteng said. “There were moments during the game where we did slow down, but after halftime we calmed down, talked it out and were able to play a physical brand and move the ball. Having the fans there as well really hyped up the boys. Me, Cori (Aliberti) and Hawi (Odongo) were really able to make key stops to stop some Yorktown counters, and Jack (Rothmann), (Nick) Portanova and Manny (Mejia) helped create chances to finish the game.
“The boys have really been working together and we all have a set goal and it’s to win the section finals and continue playing together,” he added.
Against Yorktown, sophomore Manny Mejia found senior captain Jack Rothmann for a 1-0 lead at 34:52. Both sides were up for a back-and-forth affair until Mahopac senior Chris Flanagan deposited a rebound off a rip from Rothmann for a 2-0 lead at 14:43.
Yorktown responded at 10:09, cutting the deficit in half when Andrew Cusack crossed a feed to freshman Travis Walsh, who promptly headed one past Mahopac junior goalkeeper Connor Sterbens.
It stayed that way until the intermission when Mahopac came out guns blazing to open the second half.
Junior defender Evan Paris-Devane’s feed found Ramsey Canafe, and the junior midfielder then found the back of the net for a 3-1 lead (31:35). Before anyone could catch their breath, Mejia converted another long assist from Paris-Devane to make it 4-1.
The Huskers cut the deficit to 4-2 off the rebound of a penalty kick initially saved by Sterbens. With 3:56 to play, Mejia scored the Pac’s fifth goal off an assist from Justin Beberman to seal the win.
As he has all season, Mahopac junior Nick Portanova (15G, 10A this season) did a solid job of controlling the midfield.
"It was a tough game but we rose to the occasion," Portanova said. "Connor (Sterbens) made a lot of good saves. Our attack was very good and we kept their defense always under pressure. The back line was also just challenging every ball and not letting them get anything going."
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