LA SALLE SOCCER ADVANCES TO CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS
New York, N.Y., Tuesday, November 8, 2022 – The Cardinal’s varsity soccer team advanced to the Championship Match thanks to a 2-0 victory over the Bishop Loughlin Lions in the CHSAA ‘B’ Division semi-final match at the Parade Grounds, in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday. With the win, La Salle (North #2 seed) avenged an early season loss to the Lions and is now 80 minutes away from winning their first ever soccer plaque. Standing in their way, however, are the defending Champions, Cardinal Hayes (North #1), looking to complete an undefeated season, after they beat All Hallows 4-2 in the other semi-final.
For the Cardinal’s defense, Tuesday’s win was their second straight playoff clean sheet (fourth for the season) after they shut down St. Edmund Prep in the quarter-final match. La Salle has gone 160 minutes without giving up a goal and has only surrendered three in their last eight halves. Cardinals’ senior keeper Mickle White wasn’t tested much but when he was, the senior honor student passed with flying colors, stone cold stopping a Loughlin fast break attempt at point-blank range to preserve a 1-0 Cardinal lead late in the second half.
On offense, La Salle once again turned to their senior class for answers. Senior mid-fielder Javier Lopez had two assists on senior striker Veton Dudus, who has a team high and possible school record, 33rd and 34th, goals of the year. In the first half, Lopez delivered a beautiful drop pass over the Loughlin back line that Dudus gathered then beat a scrolling Lion keeper inside the box to the bottom right corner. Late in the second half with roughly three minutes left and almost two minutes after White’s brilliant stop, Lopez, delivered again, this time driving down the left side of the box, he pulled up and put a left foot shot towards the goal, which was swatted out of the air by hand inside the box by a Lions’ defender, resulting in an automatic red card (ejection from the match) and a penalty kick for La Salle. Dudus calmly stepped up to the mark and drilled home PK for the two-goal lead, sending La Salle into the final.
The votes are in! Congratulations to La Salle’s Veton Dudus, Javier Lopez, Aidan Medellin, and Louis Charpentier on being selected to the 2022 CHSAA Varsity Soccer ‘B’ Division All-League Team.
Next Match: 2022 CHSAA Varsity Soccer ‘B’ Division Championship Match on Saturday, November 12th at Randall’s Island Field #10 next to Icahn Stadium. La Salle Academy’s Cardinals will face off against Cardinal Hayes’ Cardinals and kick-off is at 11:30am.
