Centaur soccer advances to PPL semifinals
The Woodstock Academy Prep 1 soccer team will be making the trek to New Jersey this week.
The Centaurs, the top seed from the East Division of the Prep Premiere League (PPL), will play the second-seed from the West, Western Reserve Academy, in a league semifinal match Friday.
The winner moves on to the league championship match on Saturday.
The Centaurs downed the Pioneers, who hail from Hudson, Ohio, 5-0, Oct. 26.
Coach Owen Finberg is prepping his team for a much more difficult battle. “Totally different,” Finberg said of what he is anticipating from Western Reserve Academy. “I think they are a really good team. I was a little surprised by the score in our last game and I know they will be up for it. Playoff games are always different, too.”
Finberg didn’t have to dig too deep to give his team an example of that.
The Centaurs downed High Mowing School the week before, 5-0. But had to play them again on Saturday in a league quarterfinal for the right to go to the semifinals.
Alvaro Medrano Jr. made a couple of big saves in net to keep the sheet clean for the Centaurs. Woodstock did put one in the back of the net but it was disallowed by an offsides call.
That would not be the case in the second half. Just seven minutes in, David Cho found Xahvi DeRoza for the go-ahead goal.
Richard Sarpong was happy to oblige as he took a pass from Cho two minutes after the DeRoza goal and put High Mowing School two goals down.
DeRoza stood out as well as he scored his second goal of the match with 12 minutes to play off a Jasper Cox assist to account for the final.
Prep 2 Soccer
Every team has its kryptonite --- Woodstock's would be St. Thomas More.
The Chancellors, from Oakdale, prevailed over the Centaurs again on Sunday, 1-0, in the championship match of the Global Education Sports Partners League tournament.
“They had our number last year, too. They are just really hard for us to play against. We haven’t beaten them this year,” coach Owen Finberg said.
St. Thomas More bested Woodstock on their home field, 1-0, and tied the Centaurs, 1-1, before Sunday’s rubber match.
Woodstock had numerous chances especially in the final 10 minutes but keeper Riccardo Astori (7 saves) and the St. Thomas More defense was up to the challenge.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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