Vestal is the lone Section 4 boys soccer team still in the hunt for a state championship following a dramatic overtime victory over Section 11’s Smithtown West on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Chenango Valley High School.The Golden Bears’ 3-2 victory in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA regional final/state quarterfinal preceded Elmira’s 4-0 Class AAA loss to unbeaten Baldwinsville, the state’s top-ranked team.Other regional finals Saturday involving Section 4 teams:Maine-Endwell fell to Section 6’s Lewiston-Porter, 7-1, in Class A.Binghamton Seton Catholic Central lost to Section 3’s Cooperstown, 4-1, in Class C.Edmeston lost to Section 2’s Northville, 2-1, in Class D.More: Horseheads girls, Vestal boys roll in Section 4 Class AA soccer finalsClass AA: Vestal 3, Smithtown West 2 (OT)After Section 11’s Smithtown West rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit with a pair of second-half goals, Tyler Burgin notched the tying goal for Vestal with 1 minute, 39 seconds left in regulation.The winning goal came with 6:43 remaining in the first 15-minute sudden-victory overtime. Elsan Toric won a 50/50 ball with the Smithtown West goalie, then calmly booted a shot 30 yards into an open net to give the Golden Bears the victory.Jacob Nelson of Vestal scored the only first-half goal.Smithtown West’s goals came from Tyler Stelma and Tony Garcia, the latter giving Smithtown West the lead with 6:32 to go in regulation.Up next: Vestal (11-3) will face Huntington, another Section 11 foe, in a state semifinal at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14 at Middletown High School. The championship game follows at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 15.More: Fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger pays visit to Elmira High boys soccer teamClass AAA: Baldwinsville 4, Elmira 0Section 3’s Baldwinsville got goals from four players in a victory over the Express at Chenango Valley.Brayden Mooney scored for the Bees (19-0) in the first half. Brady Vislosky, Cole Szlosek, and Ethan Wener added second-half goals.”We knew we were going to have to play a great defensive match in order to keep that match close,” Elmira head coach Derek Hamilton said.”And to be fair, I think we made a couple mistakes that we don’t typically make today, and that led to goals. With that being said, Baldwinsville wears you down. They had a ton of possession, created a ton of opportunities, and sometimes it’s hard to consistently defend all those opportunities.”Elmira beat Ithaca, 2-1, for its third consecutive Section 4 Class AAA title. The Express will lose 12 seniors from this team.”Really good team. No shame in that loss at all,” Hamilton said of Baldwinsville. “They’re undefeated for a reason, they’ve given up four goals in 19 games for a reason. Really good side. Have to be the state champion favorites right now.”But as far as our boys, we put a great effort in today, great effort all season. I think if you told us we were going to lose nine seniors and win the section championship the next year, I don’t think many people
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