Kendall seeks win to reach state tourney

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 4 November 2024 at 10:06 am

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Pablo Rosario-Reyes and his Kendall teammates will seek a win over East Rochester Tuesday to earn a berth in the up coming state tournament.

Fresh from ending a lengthy sectional title drought, Kendall now seeks a win to earn a berth in the state boys soccer tournament.

Kendall will face East Rochester for the Section V Class C berth in the state tourney at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Geneseo.

The Eagles bring a 17-1-1 record into the state qualifier while the Bombers are 18-1.

Coach Rich Esposito’s Eagles downed Genesee Valley-Belfast 3-1 on Saturday to capture the Class C2 championship while the Bombers topped Byron-Bergen/Elba 3-2 to claim the C1 title.

The sectional title is the first for Kendall since 1998 which is also the last time the Eagles reached the state playoffs.

Interestingly, one of the Section V officials presenting the awards to the players after Saturday’s game was Soccer Co-Coordinator Gary Pollock, a former Kendall coach who guided the Eagles during the 1998 title season.

Offensively, Kendall has been led this season by Pablo Rosario-Reyes (28 goals, 23 assists), Brandon Barrett (13 goals, 11 assists), Jonathan Esposito (10 goals, 7 assists), William Kludt (8 goals, 1 assist), Colby Hughes (7 goals, 12 assists), Vinnie D’Agostino (6 goals, 5 assists) and Brenden Eichas (6 goals, 4 assists).

The East Rochester attack has been led by Liam Kinney (25 goals, 12 assists), Sean Hogan (14 goals, 10 assists), Perry Francis (12 goals, 13 assists), Elijah Tanner (9 goals, 11 assists) and Sean Lewis (8 goals, 3 assists).

Kendall’s 1998 squad defeated Red Creek 2-0 for the Class C title and then edged CC champion Marion 1-0 in overtime to earn a berth in the state playoffs. The Eagles then defeated Section VI champ Chautauqua Lake 4-2 in the Far West Regional but lost to Hamilton 2-1 in overtime in the state semifinals to finish the season with a 15-3-4 record.

Section V Soccer Co-Coordinator Gary Pollock, center, presents a medal to Kendall goalie Jonny Conte after the Eagles Class C2 title win on Saturday. Eagles Coach Rich Esposito, left, helps to hand out the awards. Ironically, Pollock was the Kendall coach the last time the Eagles won a sectional title and earned berth in the state playoffs in 1998.