It’s the kind of shot you don’t take — unless you’ve got a gut feeling.
A long-shot goal created the momentum Poly Prep needed to best defending champion Riverdale 2–0 in Ivy League boys’ soccer NYSAISAA play last Wednesday. Even the player who made the 30-yard score knew it was a wild idea, he said.
“There was no reason I should have even taken that shot,” said Jake Barry. “It was bouncing in the air and all that, but sometimes you just feel it — and I felt it, and I went for it.”
The 63rd-minute goal — a ripper across the box that landed in the lower-left corner — created forward motion that Barry’s teammate used to seal the deal. Lefty Jack Hurkmans streaked down the left sideline and scored the second goal on a beautifully placed, right-footed shot into the top-right corner in the 78th minute and cemented the victory.
The win avenged the Blue Devils’ (9–1–0, 7–1–0) 2–1) loss to Riverdale (6–3–1, 4–3–1) earlier this season for the division title, and allowed the team to keep pace for the division title with rivals Hackley.
Getting payback for the September loss to Riverdale was particularly sweet, Barry said.
“We wanted to go undefeated this year, so it was heartbreaking when they won,” he said. “We moved on really well. It meant a lot. We want to win everything that we can. That is the headline for this year, we just wanted to win.”
The Devils’ coach wasn’t happy with his team’s performance in the opening 40 minutes, but after a spirited halftime talk the squad found its rhythm and began playing more cohesively, he said.
“We start to smarten up and realize we have to play a little bit more like a team,” said coach Gerry Stone. “We have to move the ball a little better and use each other and never mind trying to do it yourself.”
Riverdale created a handful of scoring opportunities in the second half, but it never capitalized. In the 44th minute, Andrew Cohen shot from inside the box but hit the crossbar. Justin Miller deflected a throw-in to the left post in minute 75, but Poly goalie Nicholas Multiz made the save.
Poly’s dominating Riverdale signals that it has only Hackley to worry about in its bid for an Ivy League title, Stone said.
“It was kind of a Poly-Hackley-Riverdale, three-man race,” he said. “Now it is sort of a Poly-Hackley race. We’ve separated ourselves.”
Poly faces Hackley — a team it’s already bested 3–0 this year — on the road on Oct. 26.
