Francis Lewis forward Ricky Rada fights off Beacon fullback Alex Schrum. (philip hall)
As the PSAL Class A semifinal between Francis Lewis and Beacon remained scoreless through 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of extra time and the skies grew dark, Roger Sarmuksnis was reminded of the last time the two citywide powers met.
It was two years ago, in another semifinal, one that went into penalty kicks.
“You don’t have Luiz Diaz this time,” the Patriots coach was told, a reference to the goalkeeper that led Lewis to its first final with a memorable performance in penalty kicks.
“I’ve got something better,” Sarmuksnis said, flashing a mischievous smile.
That something was Chris Herrera.
He made sure Sarmuksnis’ grin grew wider by the early evening. The junior keeper stopped three of four shots in the shootout, leading second-seeded Lewis to a 3-1 win in penalty kicks after it had played No. 6 Beacon to a scoreless draw at Forest Hills HS on Friday.
“This is job No. 1,” Sarmuksnis said. “Job No. 2 is to win the city championship.”
The Patriots’ reward: a rematch with No. 1 MLK, the 11-time city champion which has eliminated them from the postseason three of the last four years, including in the city final two seasons ago and semis last fall.
Herrera allowed the first shot to get by, a well-placed Alex Scrum rocket. He quickly responded by punching away Tom Poulos’ shot to the far corner, making a headlong dive to catch Ryan Cuplo’s drive, and emphatically kicking away Joseph Nikic’s grounded shot.
“He’s definitely one of the best keepers in the city,” said senior center midfielder Sebastian Guenzatti, who scored once, along with teammates Ricky Rada and Nathaniel Richardson, in the shootout, “and he proved it today.”
Herrera celebrated by dashing toward the right sideline, away from his teammates and to his parents. Once he was finally caught, near midfield, he was engulfed in a team-wide moshpit, players and coaches and Lewis (13-0-2) students repeating the pileup seen at Yankee Stadium just two days before.
“It was beautiful, one of the best feelings in the world,” senior striker Sam Mignon said.
Lewis’ jubilation was well deserved. The two sides played to a stalemate across the first 40 minutes, but the Queens powerhouse owned the second half and the two 10-minute overtime periods. If not for the play in net of Beacon sophomore goalkeeper Max Brown – he of the 12 saves, many of them spectacular – the match would’ve ended when it was still light out.
Brown turned away a Mignon header with his left hand in the 55th minute, saved a Guenzatti header with a dive in the 63rd minute, and punched away a Rada bullet in the 75th minute. Guenzatti his the right post in the eighth of the first extra session, the best chance for either side.
“It’s good to have him for the next few years,” Nikic, the junior forward, said of Brown. “He kept us in the game.”
The last time Lewis found itself in penalty kicks was the 2007 final, won by MLK and its talented keeper Malick Faye. This time, the Patriots had the elite goalie. Herrera came from Miami’s Felix Varela Senior HS, for financial reasons, he said. He didn’t start immediately, not until Mignon suggested to Sarmuksnis he move to forward and Herrera between the pipes, which strengthened Lewis in two positions.
Herrera has gotten better as the playoffs have wore on. He shutout No. 10 Stuyvesant in the quarterfinals, making six saves, including four in one dizzying sequence. Against Beacon (11-5-0), he was tested early, and passed with flying colors, making five first-half saves. Despite a period of inactivity in the second half and overtime, he was hardly rusty in the shootout, sending Lewis back to the final.
“I knew he would come through for us,” Mignon said. “It’s his presence in goal, his guessing, his everything.”
That elusive city title is now within reach, 80 minutes away. Since Sarmuksnis took over the boys soccer program six years ago, this has been the goal. The Patriots have done everything else – five straight Queens A East crowns, a 38-0-6 record since its last division loss, to Cardozo, three consecutive semifinal appearances, and now two finals berths.
“This is the most skilled team we’ve had,” Guenzatti, the three-year starter, said. “I think this is our year.”