Roy-Hart, Kendall boys bow in sectional finals

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart’s Peter Martillotta puts a shot on goal which is stopped by Lackawanna goalie Joseph Ahmed and defender Riyadh Ahmed during this afternoon’s Section VI Class B2 title contest at Williamsville South.

A pair of second half goals earned No. 5 seed Lackawanna a 2-0 win over No. 3 Roy-Hart in the Section VI Class B2 boys soccer championship game this afternoon at Williamsville South.

Lackawanna scored what proved to be the game winner at the 29 minute mark of the second half on a shot off a cross by Abdoullaye Ba. The Steelers then added an insurance tally 10 minutes later on a rebound shot by Archie Saeed.

Roy-Hart’s best scoring opportunity came in the first half when Peter Martillotta broke into the goal area but his shot from close range was stopped by the Steelers goalie Joseph Ahmed and defender Riyadh Ahmed. The Rams were also unable to capitalize on four corner kick opportunities in the half.

“If we could have capitalized on a couple of chances we had in the first half it might have been different but it was a great battle by both teams and I’m very proud of the way our boys played,” said Rams Coach Greg Martillotta.

Roy-Hart, which captured the Niagara-Orleans League title for the second year in a row, finishes the season at 13-6.

Section V Class C2
Keshequa 4, Kendall 0
Three first half goals keyed top seeded Keshequa to a 4-0 win over No. 6 Kendall in the Section V Class C2 boys soccer championship game this afternoon at Avon.

“We had a couple of good chances but their goalie made some great saves. They were the better team,” said Kendall Coach Rich Esposito. ” But I couldn’t be more proud of these boys though to get as far in the sectionals as they did.”

Kendall, which finishes the season at 10-8-2, advanced to the finals by defeating No. 3 seed HAC 3-1 in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Bradford/Dundee 1-0 in overtime in the semifinals.

Keshequa advances to the Section V Class C state qualifier game with a 17-2 record.

Roy-Hart’s Caleb Verratti works to keep the ball away from Lackawanna’s Abdoullaye Ba.