GRAND ISLAND — The final buzzer hit zero and the Lewiston-Porter Lancers and their fans all exploded with delirium knowing they are the Niagara Frontier League champions for the first time since 2022.
“As I was running over to take the throw and waste the last couple seconds away I was like, ‘We made it.’ We ran the straight, we went 15-0 and we won the title. It’s what I think all of us were looking forward to this entire season,” Lew-Port junior James Scully said.
The Lancers got a 4-1 win over Lockport, Wednesday at Grand Island High School’s Gene Masters Field.
Despite the three goal margin of victory, Lew-Port head coach Rick Sweeney felt like his team did not have their best effort in this one. Despite that he admitted it is good to know that his team can win a game despite not having their best game.
The win means the Lancers are now 15-0, with their 15 wins being their most since they had 16 last year.
The story of the first half was one of a back and forth game where Lew-Port chances were able to cash in twice to go into the break up 2-0 on goals by Scully and Luke Leardini. It could have been more lopsided though if not for a pair of remarkable defensive plays from the Lions.
The Lions were able to fight their way back into the game when Shawn Williams fired a missile into the net to trim the visitors’ deficit to one goal at 2-1.
“We controlled that second half by probably 80%,” Lockport head coach Anthony Molinaro said. “Here’s the thing though when you put that kind of pressure on and you can’t finish and they can obviously transition quicker, well, more of our numbers are higher, that’s going to happen. We took a chance, they got us. They pinched us. We felt like we had the momentum but again we just couldn’t get in to finish, hats off to Lew-Port tonight.”
The goal ratcheted up the intensity of an already intense game. The Lancers were the ones who were able to respond the most, as Paul Orsi scored with less than 11 minutes to play and Jack Gollhofer added the final tally to give them the breathing room they needed to get the victory.
This game was the second time the teams have played this season with the Lancers getting a 2-1 win on Sept. 27. As far as the differences between this game and that one, Molinaro said he thought they scared Lew-Port in that game and that in this one they did a good job containing his team.
As the head coach of this year’s team and the 2022 team, Sweeney was able to compare both squads.
“There are some similarities. I think each one, it was a little bit unexpected,” Sweeney said. “I think there was higher expectations the year before and a little bit of a sense that the year prior we left some meat on the bone in terms of what we could have done and what we were capable of. Those are very good, successful teams and I think we came in the next year with a little less expectations, which as coach I kinda like.”
Both team’s seasons will be continuing when they play in the Section VI tournament starting on Wednesday, Oct. 22, with the time and opponent still to be determined.