Sharon Academy Heads To Championships

Sharon Academy Heads To Championships

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By Laurie-Jean B. Gauthier

It’s "Sweet 16" as The Sharon Academy ousted their Arlington Eagle opponents in semi-final action Tuesday afternoon in Sharon. TSA’s Hannes Fischer-Byrne was the man of the game, scoring both Phoenix goals in the 2-1 semi-final victory.

The Phoenix were relentless in their pursuit of the victory, as were the Eagles, as both teams played hard and never gave up playing through regulation, plus one full overtime, and nearly seven minutes of the second overtime, before TSA propelled itself in the D-IV Vermont state boys’ soccer championship game.

Sharon managed to keep the ball down field and within scoring range at the start of the action with their tenacity and determination, which eventually led to their claiming the lead at 4:35, when Michael Young-Ward and Fischer-Byrne tag-teamed the ball perfectly downfield and into the strings.

During the second half, Sharon was able to hold the Eagles scoreless through 27-plus minutes, before a fast break provided the Eagles with the opening that they needed. Logan Foster sent the ball over to Matt Belnap who was able to drive right past the defense and into the net for a 1-1 tie, with 13:48 remaining in the game. Sharon made several valiant attempts to finish the game, but Arlington would have none of it, and managed to thwart those attempts.

Tied after 80 minutes of play, it was into OT. Tied again after the first 10-minute overtime, the boys from Sharon huddled and readied for the second overtime.

With almost seven minutes of the second overtime gone, the Phoenix wanted nothing more than to finish things up, and that’s just what happened, when a boot to Otto Pierce on the right wing arrived. Pierce settled the ball, then passed it off to Fischer-Byrne who buried the tie-breaker at 3:04, ending the game and lifting Coach Rob Stainton and the TSA bench onto the field, where they joined their teammates who were already celebrating the victory.

Sharon will now face either the top-seeded Black River Presidents or the #4 Proctor Phantoms in the championship game on Saturday.

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