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PURCHASE, N.Y. Matt Christal lined up for a corner kick and decided to change his approach. The Blind Brook senior, who seconds earlier had his corner kick cleared by a Bronxville player quicker than he sent it toward the goal, went with a lot more spin. The result was more than he could have imagined and it sent the Trojans and their fans into a celebratory frenzy.
Christals kick deflected in off of a Bronxville player for the decisive goal with 5:41 remaining in a 2-1 double overtime victory, Saturday, at Purchase College. Blind Brook will play the Section 9 champion at a Section 1 site with the date and time yet-to-be determined.
I got a break when the ball ricocheted off their player and went in, said Christal, who assisted on Lucas McBrides goal at the 23:35 mark of the second half. It feels great to win. We wanted it this year and we got it.
Blind Brook, seeded third, also exacted revenge on top-seeded Bronxville. Last year, the Broncos eliminated the Trojans in a first-round game.
The Trojans came within 45 seconds of winning the game in regulation, but Ned Carpenter picked up a loose ball in the box and deposited it in the net, forcing the extra sessions. Prior to the goal, Blind Brooks defense had limited Bronxville to few good scoring chances. Instead of allowing the goal to deflate them, the Trojans regrouped.
We were in this situation before in my sophomore year when we lost in overtime in regional finals, Christal said. We did not let the goal Bronxville scored get to us. We knew it didnt end the game. Everyone knew we had come here to win.
Bronxville would suffer a major blow in the first 15-minute overtime period when goalie Jack Connors suffered a leg injury. Connors was attended to by the trainer on site and later taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
The loss of their goalie inspired Bronxville to raise its collective level of play and motivated the Broncos even more to win the game. Blind Brook withstood a determined Bronxville team and in the second overtime, applied pressure, resulting in the consecutive corner kicks and eventual game-winning goal.
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