In a semifinal soccer match many local fútbol fans believed should have been the Section 1 Class AA final, fourth-seeded Fox Lane came up short in a 3-1 loss to top-seeded host Mahopac on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
The two state-ranked powers, No. 5 Mahopac and No. 13 Fox Lane, battled through a physical, hard-fought contest from start to finish. With the score locked in a tense 2-1 affair, Mahopac delivered the decisive blow at the 17:14 mark of the second half when Justin Beberman found the back of the net, extending the lead to account for the final margin.
After a pair of Mahopac goals to open the second half, the Foxes (11-4-4 overall, 6-2-2 league) cut the deficit in half when Juan Acosta (5G, 4A) headed home a set piece with 32:29 remaining.
“Mahopac is really tough, a great team,” first-year Fox Lane coach Thomas Bond said. “I am proud of how we battled for all 80 minutes. We put together a solid season, start to finish.”
In fact, Fox Lane captured its first league title since 2005 and just its second since 1977.
“The boys deserve all of the credit,” Bond said. “We have a lot of guys who work very hard in the offseason and are dedicated to getting better and better.”
Numerous players along the Fox Lane roster deserve recognition, but it's impossible not to mention the dynamic duo of Fredy Contreras (10G, 11A) and Lucas Ormazabal (15G, 6A), who repeatedly teamed up to spark the offense throughout the season.
Ormazabal's biggest goal of the year came in the Foxes' double-overtime win over defending Section 1 champion and NYS semifinalist Harrison in the sectional quarterfinals on Monday, Oct. 26. Contreras scored three goals and added an assist in the first-round victory over Yonkers, then contributed an assist in the semifinal loss to Mahopac. Acosta also delivered the game-tying goal with four minutes remaining in regulation against Harrison.
While Bond praised his attack-minded players, he was equally quick to credit some of the team's defenders and two-way contributors.
“Peter Teves and Max Cohen were awesome center backs for us this year,” Bond said. “They were a calming presence and security blanket for us. Goalie Luke Valenti was a first-time soccer player, and he made huge save after huge save for us.
“We also had three sophomores who contributed greatly this year and have a very bright future in the Fox Lane program in forward Cristian Ormazabal, defender Evan Cattanach and midfielder Fernando Haro.”
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