UPDATE: The team defeated M-E on Saturday, advancing them now to the Regional Finals! Stay tuned, and you can view the welcome home video from last evening at https://www.facebook.com/share/v/eksjjs9tGd51qUE4/.
By JoAnn R. Walter —
The Owego Boys Varsity Soccer team has been on a roll all season, which culminated in a STAC Championship on Oct. 21. This marks the third Boys Soccer STAC Championship, and the first since 2002.
Owego Boys Varsity Soccer Coach Alessio De Michele remarked, “The STAC final was the greatest game in my time at Owego. It was a major objective and a very difficult competition to win,” and added, “We are so proud of the boys for their hard work and performances to bring that win home to Owego.”
In the Oct. 21 match versus Ithaca, Owego conceded the first goal, and De Michele noted, “We knew we had time and the ability to turn things around if we kept playing the right way, and went into halftime with a 2-1 lead.”
De Michele shared that the Ithaca team featured several solid players and said, “Going into the second half, we kept the tempo.”
Owego then took the win over Ithaca, 4-1, and De Michele’s response, “It made it a perfect night.”
On Oct. 23, Owego went on to defeat Johnson City 7-0 in the opening round of Sec. IV, Class A play.
De Michele shared, “It was definitely a challenge to play so quickly after the euphoria from Monday night [Oct. 21].”
De Michele explained that after a sluggish ten minutes, Owego found their feet and demonstrated what, he said, is the quality team that they are.
A few junior varsity players had the opportunity to play on Oct. 23 as well, and De Michele said, “Every year we bring a few J.V. players up to varsity to experience the sectional run, so it was really special to see them get their first varsity goals.”
As a coach, De Michele keeps his eye on building for the future and noted, “What better group to learn from than our senior class.”
Next up for Owego is a sectional final versus Maine-Endwell on Nov. 2.
De Michele shared that Owego had a tough and hard-fought win over M.E. in the STAC semifinal and said, “We know the challenge that lies ahead.”
If Owego secures a victory over M.E., the next step, De Michele commented, is, “We will then compete in the Regional Final, which is essentially the State Quarterfinals for Class A, and the obstacle where we have stumbled in the last three years.”
Regarding the season overall, De Michele remarked, “We had high expectations, and we set high standards,” adding, “We will just keep working hard every day, looking to improve all elements of our game, and enjoy every moment we have together as a team.”
De Michele said, “It has been a dream season; who knows how far this journey will take us.”
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