BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
Here is a quick look at the teams Half Hollow Hills West, Sayville, Mattituck and Smithtown Christian will face in its boys soccer state semifinal games this weekend in Oneonta.
Class AA
Vestal (Section IV)
Opponent: Half Hollow Hills West at 1:30 p.m.
Coach: Jim Murphy
Record: 18-2-1
On Vestal: It used a Matt Kristic goal with 3:00 left in the game to beat Section I’s Horace Greeley 3-2 to earn a trip to the state final four. Kristic is a 30-goal scorer this season. Brian Rose, another of the team’s offensive weapons, scored twice. Vestal has won three straight Section IV titles.
Class A
Byram Hills (Section I)
Opponent: Sayville at 9 a.m.
Coach: Matt Allen
Record: 21-1-1
On Byram Hills: Senior Will Ogden had a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Cornwall in state regional final. Byram Hills’ is on a 17-game winning streak. It lost a game shy of the state final four last season. The Bobcats’ have scored 77 goals this year while giving up just 13. It had to beat Lakeland 2-1 in overtime on a Pat Vierengel goal to get to the regional final
Class B
Spackenkill (Section IX)
Opponent: Mattituck at 10:30 a.m.
Coach: Manny Blanco
Record: 18-1
On Spackenkill: Spackenkill beat Burke Catholic, 1-0, for the Section IX title and Anthony Balbo had a goal and an assist to Josh Maley in a 2-0 win over Red Hook in the semifinal.
Class D
Chazy (Section VII)
Opponent: Smithtown Christian 1:00 p.m.
Coach: Rob McAuliffe
Record: 22-1
On Chazy: Chazy is the top-ranked Class D team in the state and has won eight Section VII titles in the last 10 years. It reached the state final four eight of the last 11 years. Chazy beat Section II’s Sharon Springs, 2-0, in the regional final. Kyle Reynolds and Stetson Fields scored on throw ins by Nolan Ryan