As he stared at the far post and examined a bevy of possible targets, Monsignor McClancy midfielder James Linehan looked for Peter Scimemi, as he does with every set piece he takes.
He found a Scimemi, alright, just not the Crusaders star senior.
Freshman defender Matthew Scimemi, Peter’s younger brother, headed in the game-winner for McClancy in the 80th minute as the Crusaders defeated St. Joseph by the Sea, 1-0, in East Elmhurst Monday afternoon.
“I knew it was either him or his brother, I knew they were all back there so I just lofted the ball in the air and it just so happened it came to Matt,” Linehan said. “It worked out perfectly.”
The win puts McClancy, the defending CHSAA Class B intersectional champions, in the driver’s seat to win the Brooklyn/Queens ‘B’ division crown. St. Joseph by the Sea, ranked No. 9 in the CHSAA by The Post, just needed a draw Monday to claim the division title.
“A lot of times we like to bring him up from the back on corners and free kicks like that because he’s a bigger guy and he’s good in the air, just like his brother,” McClancy coach Mike Sylvester said. “I hope to see a lot of that.”
For much of the match, a decisive goal seemed unlikely as neither team tested the opposition’s keeper much during a tense, physical 80 minutes. The Vikings’ best chance came in the 13th minute when Mario Frasca nearly capitalized on a McClancy defensive miscue. But the junior attempted to tap the ball into the open net and McClancy’s George Allisandratos cleared the ball off the line.
Realizing a second tie against Sea during the regular season wouldn’t do his team any good, Sylvester changed his formation at halftime, going with three defenders and three forwards.
Peter Scimemi had a few opportunities on free kicks, but he put the ball over the crossbar from 26 yards out in the 32nd minute and again put the ball over the net from 20 yards in the 53rd minute.
Matthew Scimemi, though, wouldn’t miss. He snuck in at the back post and headed Linehan’s sublime service into the net, setting off a wild celebration.
“When it went in, I just closed my eyes and just ran to my team,” Matthew Scimemi said.
McClancy (6-1-2) will wrap up the division title with a win against St. Edmund Prep Tuesday afternoon. While discouraged, St. Joseph by the Sea (7-1-2) still has plenty to play for and will win the B/Q title with anything but a McClancy victory.
“We made some changes because all we really needed was a tie. We didn’t want to go into a shell, but we didn’t play as offensive as we wanted to,” Sea coach Bill Hunt said. “If everything works out, we’ll see these guys again.”