by Ryan Mosher
It has been 13 years since the Berlin boys soccer team’s last appearance in a sectional championship game in 1996. Since then the teams have struggled to put together winning streaks come sectional time. This year’s team ended that streak. After an opening round win against Duanesburg (4-0), the #3 seeded Mountaineers upset the #2 seed Greenwich team 2-0 to advance to the sectional final against #1 seed and CHVL rival Waterford.
The Fordians had defeated the Mountaineers twice already this season en route to their first CHVL title, but those wins did not come easy. The second game went to overtime before Waterford won 1-0.
The third meeting took place at Colonie High School Saturday morning. The game started promptly at 10 am with player introductions and the National Anthem, including an impromptu fly-over courtesy of a Southwest Airlines jet leaving Albany Airport. With that out of the way, the teams took the field ready to do battle, Waterford, looking to prove they were worthy of the #1 seed, and Berlin, with nothing to lose.
Waterford gained the upper hand first, bringing the ball into the Berlin end and keeping it there for much of the first few minutes. Finally, 6:30 into the game a Fordian cross in front of the net put Waterford on the board 1-0. Less than ten minutes later they struck again, this time off a free kick from well past the eighteen yard line. Both goals were great shots, leaving Berlin senior goalie Shawn Willis helpless.
After the second goal, the Mountaineers seemed to snap awake and turned the pressure up on Waterford. Controlling the ball in Waterford’s half of the field for much of the final twenty minutes of the first half, Berlin seemed poised to score a goal. Waterford’s defense would not allow that to happen though, as they stepped up their game and fended off every attack by the Berlin offense. The half ended with the Fordians up 2-0.
In the second half, it seemed as if the Mountaineers knew their season could be over, and their intensity picked up. Unfortunately, Waterford seemed to realize that a section championship was only one half away, and battled to hold off Berlin. The teams battled back and forth, with neither taking much of an advantage. With just fourteen minutes left, Waterford added a final goal to take a 3-0 lead. A couple of minutes later, Drew Webster knocked home a penalty kick to make the final score 3-1. Despite the loss, the Mountaineers had an excellent season. Making it to a sectional final is not something that happens every year, and these players will remember this season for a long time to come.