The Press Republican

Sports

PHS boys get big save

By COURTNEY LEWIS
Staff Writer
Published: November 6, 2009

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CHAZY — Kevin Neiderer had to make just one save for most of the second half Friday as his Plattsburgh High Hornets protected a 1-0 lead.

And then with less than 10 seconds left, Northeastern Clinton blasted the ball at the net.

Neiderer dove and knocked it away.

"My heart skipped a beat. There's no doubt about that," Plattsburgh coach Chris LaRose said. "It was a fantastic shot by Northeastern, and Kevin was just in the right place at the right time."

That clutch save and Kyle Knight's first-half goal helped the Hornets beat Northeastern Clinton and claim their fourth straight Section VII Class B boys' soccer championship.

Plattsburgh (14-2-1) will play a NYSPHSAA regional contest Nov. 13 or 14.

Knight scored unassisted at 29:43 after a Northeastern Clinton player overran the ball and another kicked it to a Plattsburgh player. When Knight got it, he brought it up the left side and drilled a long shot that picked the left corner.

Knight and Neiderer are both seniors, and LaRose said their whole class was key.

"If there was a game where the seniors stepped up, this was it," LaRose said. "It was a phenomenal effort by the entire senior class.

"I was really happy to see the seniors step up the way they did tonight because I was missing senior midfielder Drew Wyand. It took me a little while to fit the pieces of the puzzle where I needed to until we started getting a good click out there."

Wyand was out with the flu. LaRose added seniors Andrew Caringi and Ryan Latinville both stepped up their play and showed leadership in the back. Jordan Conroy, who has been part of all four championship teams, also played well.

The Cougars (14-3-1) didn't have many chances in the second half. But in the waning seconds, there was a scramble in front of the net and one player came out with the ball and sent a hard shot to the left.

"Just quick reflexes, and luckily my defense was there to get the rebound for me," Neiderer said of the save. "They saved me. Cleared it out, and that was it. We won the game.

"It was fun."

Neiderer finished with six saves, and Plattsburgh held a 9-6 shot advantage.

Northeastern Clinton's Casey Manor made eight stops.

"We were off our game tonight. There was no question about it," Cougars coach Dale Hawksby said. "The first 10, 15 minutes we were into it, and it seemed like after they scored we went down a little bit. And we never got back into that mode again. It seemed like we were always a step behind for some reason. We played a lot better semifinal game than a final.

"But I've got to give the kids credit — a 1-0 game against Plattsburgh. They're a good quality team."

—

Plattsburgh High 1, NCCS 0

NCCS00—0

Plattsburgh10—1

First half- 1, PHS, Knight, 29:43.

Shots- Northeastern Clinton 6, Plattsburgh 9.

Saves- Manor, NCCS, 8. Neiderer, PHS, 6.

E-mail Courtney Lewis at: clewis@pressrepublican.com

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