Keene boys soccer falls in title game

In a matchup between two state-ranked teams, the Eagles netted a goal in each half to record its eighth consecutive Section VII, Class D title.

Chazy got off to a strong start when Pryce Parker made a cross field pass just outside the box to Landon Duprey, who placed the ball to the low right corner for a goal at 16:29 in the first half.

After the intermission, the Eagles extended their lead when Maddox Tyndall connected on Jacoby Weeden’s corner kick around 14 minutes into the second half.

Keene’s goaltender Peter Robjent had a standout game, recording six saves. Henry Kapp had one for Chazy.

Keene’s Vann Morrelli makes a play on the ball during Saturday’s Section VII, Class D boys soccer championship game against Chazy at Beekmantown High School. Also pictured is Chazy’s Jack Rovers. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

Neither squad dominated the shot charts, as the Eagles outshot the Beavers 8-2, Chazy’s play midfield proved to be the difference maker, according to Beavers head coach Brad Hurlburt.

“I think they won a lot of 50-50 balls in the midfield,” he said.

Following the victory, the Eagles will advance to the Class D state quarterfinal round. Chazy will take on the Section X champion — either Chateaugay or Heuvelton, depending on who comes out on top today. The Eagles have topped the Section X champion every year in the first round of playoffs since 2016.

“Chazy coach (Rob) McAuliffe is the gold standard for Class D soccer in the entire state,” Hurlburt said. “He’s a super classy coach and has an incredible program. There’s a reason that they have not lost this game since 2015.”

While the Beavers came up shy of winning its first sectional crown since 1985, Hurlburt said it was an honor just super exciting to be able to put a competitive team on the field and to be able to compete for a title.

“We haven’t won one in Keene in a long time,” he said. “So to even be able to be in a position, it was an honor to be able to play those guys today.”

Keene had entered the Section VII, Class D tournament as the the top seed and were ranked fourth in the state for boys Class D soccer, according to the New York Sports Writers Association poll from Oct. 27. Chazy, which was a co-state champion last season, ranked seventh in the state in the latest poll.

The Beavers ended their season with a 16-2 record. Their only other loss was 4-2 against Schroon Lake/Newcomb on Sept. 18. The team was led by its six seniors, whom Hurlburt said have meant “everything” to this program.

“They have turned the program around,” he said. “The team that you saw this year was the work that our seniors put in.”

Over the past two seasons, the Beavers have recorded a 26-5 record. Hurlburt pointed to team’s 9-0 semifinal to Chazy in 2022 as the program’s turning point from a good team to a great team.

“It was such a punishing loss, and it was mostly a team of sophomores,” he said. “At that point, we decided that because of them we had to raise everything about our program, not just two months out of the year but 12 months out of the year. So, they’ve made us better.

“And I think Coach McAuliffe makes everyone in the area better,” he added. “But they are in the large part the reason that we were playing the way we played because we didn’t want to lose to them.”