St. Anthony's advances to CHSAA final on second-half goals
The undefeated Friars defeated Canisius 2-0 on Friday, setting up a Sunday matchup against Xavier at St. John's Belson Stadium.
By Yuki Melnyk ·
St. Anthony's boys soccer team secured its place in the state CHSAA championship game on Friday night by defeating Canisius 2-0. The victory marks the Friars' return to the final since their last title three years ago. They will face Xavier on Sunday at 1 p.m. at St. John's Belson Stadium.
The path to this semifinal began with an undefeated season. The Friars entered the match with an 18-0-2 record, having outscored their opponents 84-8 all year. Canisius, the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association champion from Buffalo, had a 14-2-3 record heading into the game.
St. Anthony's started slowly in the first half but shifted momentum immediately after the break. Less than two minutes into the second half, Derek Hamilton scored the opening goal. He headed the ball in off a pass from Jayden Crespi. Hamilton had also scored the decisive goal in the previous NSCHSAA final against Chaminade.
James Kelly extended the lead with 22 minutes and 4 seconds remaining. He struck a shot from the top left corner of the box that found the far net. Kyle Godoy provided the assist for that goal. Matthew O'Shaughnessy kept the score at 2-0 by making two saves to record his 14th clean sheet of the season.
Coach Don Corrao noted the team's resilience. "It's good to get back to the dance, right?" he said. He also praised the senior center midfielder, James Kelly, who said, "I came to [St. Anthony's] to win a state final. Now we're finally here to do it."
Canisius coach Orville Roberts acknowledged the quality of his opponents. "I think they had the better of cleaner passes in the final third," Roberts said. His team had lost the state final here to Chaminade last year. Roberts added that his Crusaders played well but came up short against the Friars.
The Friars will play Xavier on Sunday. Xavier qualified by defeating McClancy 5-1 in the other semifinal on Friday. St. Anthony's remains unbeaten in 18 wins and two draws. The team will assess the fitness of Kyle Godoy, who left the field late in Friday's game with a leg cut from a collision. Corrao hopes Godoy will be available for the championship match.
