Staff Report

Aaron Gallusser and Ryan Graig scored first-half goals Tuesday to lead host Oneonta to a 2-1 boys soccer victory over Unatego in the opening round of the Section Four Class B Tournament.

Unatego’s David Havens scored the final goal with 8 minutes, 11 second left in the opening half.

"When they scored the momentum changed," said OHS coach Alex Brannan, whose fifth-seeded team outshot the 12th-seeded Spartans, 17-4. "When that happened, anything can happen. We were fortunate it was at the eight-minute mark. They dominated the last eight minutes. We got the kids settled in (at halftime) and we held it OK."

Star photo by Anita Briggs Oneonta’s Aaron Gallusser tries to beat Unatego goalie Andrew Giangrant to the ball during the first half of Tuesday’s Section Four Class B Tournament opener at the Wright National Soccer Campus. Gallusser scored to help fifth-seeded Oneonta to a 2-1 victory over No. 12 Unatego.

The Yellowjackets (6-8-3) visit No. 4 Seton Catholic Central (8-4-2) at 3:30 p.m. Friday. The Saints beat OHS, 2-0, during the regular season in the Southern Tier Athletic Conference.

"We gave up a foolish goal and one was a penalty," Brannan said of the first meeting with SCC. "We feel we can play with Seton. The kids can’t take anything for granted because anything can happen."

Unatego, which got 12 saves from Andrew Giangrant, finished 4-8-5.

See SECTIONAL on Page 16

Continued from Page 13

Oneonta 2, Unatego 1[an error occurred while processing this directive]

SECTION FOUR CLASS B FIRST ROUND

Unatego 1 0 _ 1

Oneonta 2 0 _ 2

12-Unatego (4-8-5): Davis Havens 1-0, Garrett Kafchinski 0-1.

5-Oneonta (6-8-3): Aaron Gallusser 1-0, Ryan Graig 1-0, John Bellinger 0-1.

Shots-corner kicks: U 4-4; O 17-11.

Goalies: Andrew Giangrant (U) 12; Chris Hayen (O) 1.

Class C Boys

Groton 3, Sidney 0

Eric Harris had three goals to lead ninth-seeded Groton to a road victory in the opening round of the Section Four Class C Tournament.

The No. 8 Warriors (9-7-3) played the majority of the game without center midfielder Troy Hawley, who experienced back pains. Sidney was already playing without top scorer Mike Guerriere, who broke his right leg in a loss to Bainbridge-Guilford on Oct. 15.

"We just couldn’t mount much offense," said Sidney coach Steve Hornung, whose team finished 9-7-3. "We were playing without the most experienced kid I had left after Mike went down. I think that had some impact on our offensive trouble. Certainly, the other team played very well."

Groton 3, Sidney 0

SECTION FOUR CLASS C FIRST ROUND

Groton 1 2 _ 3

Sidney 0 0 _ 0

9-Groton (7-10-1): Eric Harris 3-0, Austin Tompkins 0-1, Kyle Eggleston 0-1.

8-Sidney (9-7-3): None.

Shots-corner kicks: G 12-6; S 7-1.

Goalies: Kyle Yunger (G) 6; Nate Mahlmeister (S) 7.

Walton 3, Oxford 2

Cody Tweedie scored with 9:10 remaining to lift No. 10 Walton to an upset in the opening round. Trent Wood tied the score 1:10 earlier.

The seventh-seeded Blackhawks (9-5-4) played without top scorer junior Kilean Maynard, who is at a Youth Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

"We were sorely missing out best player," said Oxford coach Tim Paden, whose team got two goals from Scott Seiler. "You could tell he wasn’t on the field. The tempo was slow.

"To Walton’s credit, they bring a phenomenal attack," he continued. "They just needed some confidence. Our slow play gave it to them and they brought it. When they believe in themselves, they have as dangerous attack as anyone in the league."

Bryan Backus also scored for the Warriors (6-7-3), who play No. 2 Elmira Notre Dame (10-4-1) at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

Walton 3, Oxford 2

SECTION FOUR CLASS C FIRST ROUND

Walton 1 2 _ 3

Oxford 1 1 _ 2

10-Walton (6-7-3): Bryan Backus 1-0, Trent Wood 1-0, Cody Tweedie 1-0, Blake Shaw 0-1.

7-Oxford (9-5-4): Scott Seiler 2-0, Andrew Hubman 0-1.

Shots-corner kicks: W 12-2; O 12-6.

Goalies: Brian Schuppel (W) 8; Larry Gill (O) 7.

Class C Girls

Cooperstown 3, C-M 0

Anna Kieler scored twice as defending Section Three Class C champion Cooperstown opened the 2006 tournament with a home victory over 13th-seeded Cato Merdian.

Lindsay Soraci also scored for the fourth-seeded Redskins (13-4-2), who host No. 12 Little Falls in a quarterfinal Thursday.

"We came out strong in the beginning and we played a great passing game," Cooperstown coach Jennifer Pindar said. "The girls were in the right spots to make their shots."

Jen Wehner made three saves to earn the shutout for Cooperstown.

Cooperstown 3, C-M 0

Cato-Meridian 0 0 _ 0

Cooperstown 2 1 _ 3

13-Cato-Meridian (6-11-1): None.

4-Cooperstown (13-4-2): Lindsay Soraci 1-0, Anna Kieler 2-0, Jenni Potrikus 0-1, Laura Rowley 0-1.

Shots-corner kicks: C-M 3-0; Coop 28-6.

Goalies: Amber Grader (C-M) 18; Jen Wehner (Coop) 3.