Monday, Nov. 13, 2017: Three sets of co-champions in NYSPHSAA soccer

   Leading off today: If I had to guess, I'd say New York is about to have a new round of discussions regarding the crowning of co-champions in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association soccer tournaments.

   Three of Sunday's 10 finals ended in ties after 80 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime. Under NYSPHSAA rules, ties in state finals are not settled by penalty kicks, which are used in the earlier rounds to determine which teams advance in the playoffs.

   On Sunday in Middletown, the boys Class D final between Chazy and Mount Academy ended in a 1-1 tie. In girls contests in the Cortland area, there were 2-2 ties between Pearl River and Spencerport in Class A and Aquinas and Westhill in B.

   (My column on PressConnects.com last week was overly optimistic in speculating that only one or two finals might end in ties.)

   What I saw Sunday in game coverage and on social media strongly suggests that few of the players on the six co-champions were pleased to go home with half a title.

   Spencerport star Leah Wengender appeared to be the exception rather than the rule after her team extended its unbeaten streak to 45 games.

   "Even though we tied I think it's great. We're co-champions," Wengender said. "(Pearl River) deserved it. We deserved it. We deserved to smile."

   Never surrender: Of the three games ending in ties, Pearl River vs. defending state champion Spencerport offered the most drama. Spencerport had trailed just once all season (that coming in Saturday's semifinals vs. North Shore) but found itself trailing the Pirates twice with time running down.

   Pearl River junior Tara Guilfoyle scored with 6:41 left in regulation, but the Rangers' Wengender equalized two minutes later. Guilfoyle put the Lady Pirates ahead again midway through the second mandatory full overtime, but Wengender answered again just 21 seconds later with her 35th and final goal of the season.

   Neither team budged in the subsequent 10 minutes of sudden death.

   "Now there's no end," Pearl River senior midfielder Cate Feerick said. "Being a champion is a great way to end it, but I just feel -- with Spencerport -- it's unfinished business."

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   Wheatland-Chili repeats: Travina Meeks was the reason why the majority of girls finals ended with a sole champion. Her goal 27 seconds into sudden death was the difference as the Wheatland-Chili beat Poland 3-2 to complete defense of its Class D championship.

   Hannah Callaghan scored midway through the first of two mandatory 10-minute overtimes to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead, but Poland rebounded to tie the game in the second overtime period. Poland eighth-grader Alexis Bates, who scored her first career goal in Saturday's semifinals, tied the game again two minutes into the second OT.

   "We thought we had to just hold on and we're pretty stout defensively but we had a miscue in the back," Wheatland-Chili coach Gary Ward said. "Normally kids are deflated by something like that but these kids have been persevering all year. The first time (Poland) touched the ball was when they took it out of their own net. Most teams would fold."

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   Cassie Parker took the sudden-death kickoff down the right wing and played the ball to Niyah Rosado, who volleyed it to Meeks for the winner.

   McQuaid overwhelms: McQuaid capped off a 22-0 season with a 6-0 victory over Half Hollow Hills West in the boys Class AA championship game.

   The only two goals the Knights allowed after Sept. 23 came on penalty kicks.

   Dominic Duncan scored a pair of first-half goals to help stake McQuaid to a 3-0 lead at the half. Midfielder Adriano Margiotta also finished with a pair of goals to help secure McQuaid's first state title in the sport.

   Hat trick caps perfect season: Vestal completed a 20-0 season with a 4-0 win over previously unbeaten Queensbury in the boys Class A final.

   Binghamton University-bound senior Parker McKnight had three goals and an assist as the Bears won the fourth championship in program history and their first since 2007.

   "We were 19-0. I wasn't going 19-1," McKnight said. "We had to go 20-0 to finish out the season perfect."

   Vestal limited Queensbury to one shot on goal.

    • Lansing senior midfielder Nick Parkes gave Section 4 a second boys champion with a goal five minutes into the second sudden death for a 2-1 win over Byron-Bergen/Elba.

   Chaminade boys win: Ben Szemerenyi curled a corner kick into the net untouched in the fifth minute of overtime to give Chaminade a 2-1 win over Regis for the CHSAA boys soccer championship.

   It was Chaminade's third straight state crown.

   "I kicked it and basically, I don't know what the air time was, but to me it felt like ages and when it hit the net, that's when it snaps you back into reality," Szemerenyi said.

    • St. Anthony's wrapped up the girls CHSAA championship and a perfect season by defeating Xaverian 4-0.

   The Friars got all the offense they needed in the third minute as Lauren Hackett scored the opening goal. Junior Brianna Passaro finished with a pair of goals.

   St. Anthony's finished the season with a 17-0 record and a 98-5 scoring margin.

   Saturday action: Martin Luther King capture the PSAL boys Class A soccer title with a 4-0 victory over Beacon on the strength of an Aly Camara hat trick.

   MLK (18-0) clinched an undefeated season and added to the league record of 17 titles under coach Martin Jacobson since 1996.

    • Elmer Soriano collected the game-winning goal as Flushing International won Class B with a 4-2 decision in penalty kicks over Franklin K. Lane.