Fordham Prep’s Dylan Cope had a second-minute goal to set the tone Friday night. (Denis Gostev)
Archbishop Molloy was hungry and perhaps the most dangerous team there could have been on the opposite of the field for Fordham Prep. Not only were the Stanners playing for teammate Justin Thompson, who was paralyzed in a shooting two weeks ago, they also had the confidence of beating the Rams in the regular season.
With one well-placed, timely kick, Dylan Cope stole all that away.
The senior’s blast past keeper Ryan Vesey in just the second minute gave Fordham a lead it would not relinquish in a 3-1 win over Molloy in the CHSAA Class AA intersectional boys soccer semifinals Friday night at St. John’s University’s Belson Stadium. The Rams now meet St. Francis Prep in the championship game 3 p.m. Sunday back at St. John’s.
“I was gonna dribble, but then I saw the keeper off his line a little bit and I just hit it back post,” Cope said.
The goal did wonders for Fordham (12-2-5). And the Rams dominated play for almost the rest of the half. Mark Kramarchuk converted a penalty kick in the 17th minute to make it 2-0 and Molloy’s spirits seemed to be broken.
“You could now play with a little comfort zone,” Rams coach Pete McNamara said of Cope’s score. “It was a really great strike.”
Molloy (8-4-5), though, did fight back hard. The Stanners controlled play in the second half, but didn’t earn a goal to show for it until Erick Jara beat keeper Mark Rajovic in the 77th minute. By then, Fordham had a 3-0 lead courtesy of Sebastian Palomino’s 74th-minute goal. Just before that, Richard Moessner blocked a Stanners shot that would have been a sure goal and made it a one-score game.
“They were still coning strong at us,” Palomino said. “After they scored the goal, they got the ball, they were confident. They played to the last second.”
Added McNamara: “We know Molloy is playing with an emotional high and we feel so bad for them. We sent our condolences and our sympathies to the team.”
It could have been different if not for Palomino’s goal, which was set up by Cope, who has risen to the occasion in the postseason. He had two goals against Regis and would have earned a penalty kick on that play – keeper Nick Dorcean barreled into him – had he not touched it to Palomino in the middle from 8 yards.
“He’s motivated,” McNamara said of Cope. “The focus comes out at game time. At games lately he’s been really good, motivating all the players around him as well. He’s tough. He wants to win.”
This will be Fordham Prep’s fifth intersectional title game in the last six seasons. But the Rams have just one title to show for it – back in 2007. They feel like they have some unfinished business heading into Sunday’s final.
“We’re excited to be back,” McNamara said. “Five out of six is something for us at Fordham Prep. It’s really significant for a team from The Bronx.”