Thomas 3 McQuaid 2

[Team Tree]

McQuaids decision of not man-marking the reigning AGR player of the Year Matt Schuber is quite mind boggling, and in my opinion cost them another section v championship. How does a team with that much talent not win the sectionals? While their flat-back four scheme may have worked well this season--and might I add is the preferred way at the higher level--it pretty much cost them the game tonight. This is high school soccer, not the Super Y League. And when you play dynamite playmakers like Schuber and Mike Reidy, you have to swallow your pride, play with a sweeper and mark them up. They did have Conor O'Leary on Reidy to start the game. All three of Websters goals were due to the exposure of the flat back four. One would think McQuaid would have learned from last year, when they didn't man mark Schuber and he torched them for 3 goals and 2 assists (something like that). He made them pay last year, and boy did he this year. His goal late in the first half proved to be the game winner as broke through the defense and touched the ball past the keeper and slotted it home. McQuaid was all over them in the second half and Thomas goalie came up big. McQuaid's talent is undeniable and should have been state champions this year. Congrats to Thomas and to Matt Schuber who should be POY for the 2nd straight year, with his counter mate Reidy close behind. On a side note, Conor O'Leary played a great game and in my opinion is the best player on that team by far. Josh Faga was no where to be seen all game, who seems to get most of the hype.

[Soccerpater]

Thanks for the summary. Great players on outstanding teams find a way to make the key plays in the big games is another way of describing what you say happened. In recent years, guys like Peter Hill for Mendon and Ian Pilarski for Sutherland in the Pittsford high schools, also AGR Players of the Year, did the same. Sometimes the team with the most overall talent and skill do not win, because they are beaten by a team with good talent and one or two players like Schuber or Reidy, or Hill or Pilarski, who will their teams to the win somehow.

Overall, I'm pleased a public school won.

[gogreen]

First of all, McQuaid completely outclassed thomas outshooting them 36-12. Thomas planted two forwards up top and played kick and run. They scored on a controversial offsides, and cheapshotted the goalie. He had to come out and the second goal was scored. He got stitches after the game in his knee. Thomas had a gameplan to go out there and throw cheap shots when the referee wasn't looking and to play typical kick and run high school soccer, lucky for them it worked. Many players including Max Eberhardt, Conor O'Leary, Ben Thorne and Josh Faga were hit when no one was looking or after the play. You say faga was no where to be found when in fact he set up every counter attack McQuaid had. McQuaid dominated the midfield so he didn't have to do much because there center midifeld was so bad. The last 15 minutes he was mentally out of it because he had a mild concussion after being elbowed in the face when he wasn't even involved in the play. The entire team has cuts all over from the dirty play of Thomas. So please know the facts, Thomas played dirty and finished their chances. They're plan was to physically take threats out of the game and they did. However, McQuaid was the much better team, with much better players (in case you didn't know really good High School players aren't that good on the club level).

[soccerball]

You say Mcquaid was the better team and displayed more class, but the team that wins is the one that puts more balls in the back of the net....period. If they think it was a rough game, wait until they play college ball.

It sounds like Webster's strategy of playing physical and kicking long balls was very successfull. It is apparent that the Mcquaid team was out-coached. Mcquaid should have also maybe finished a couple more of their 36 shots on goal and stepped up their physical play to match their opponent.