SCORES

Another Section 2 Class AAA final that was an instant classic. The fans were packed in Queensbury to see two state ranked teams in Shaker and Saratoga battle it out for the section championship Saratoga came out in style moving the ball around and controlling possession. Ryan Farr scored 24 minutes into the game to give Saratoga a 1-0 lead and that was how the first half ended. Shaker was absorbing pressure, but began to look dangerous on the counter attack with Kofi Sarfoh slipped in Owen Brant 15 minutes into the second half to level the game. Saratoga had the advantage in shots and corner kicks, but Shaker's PJ Strand made several great saves in net to keep the Blue Bison in the game. Shaker received a red card (second yellow) with about 10 minutes to go in the game, but if anything their intensity picked up. Shaker's Patrick Flaherty was all over the field winning the ball and less than a minute into overtime Kofi Sarfoh found Owen Brant for the game winner and Shaker the section crown. An incredible game between 2 great teams. Instant Classic!

The Shaker MOD 9 team ended the season the way they started with a match against Ballston Spa this time at home. It was a warm sunny afternoon - perfect for the last game of the year. Shaker came out fast with an opening goal from Alessio Clermont in the opening of the minutes of the 1st. The bison moved the ball extremely well switching the point of attack and frustrating the B-Spa midfield and defense. Shakers defense continued their habit of being solid in the the back and not giving the opposing strikers any room or time to possess the ball and create an attacking opportunity. The Scotties played physically and challenged every pass and possession, Shaker moved on and off the ball quickly making it hard for the Ballston Spa defense to gain any advantage against the Shaker's attack. Shaker came to play in the final game of the year completing an undefeated season. The Blue Bison saw scoring came from 8 different players in this match Alessio Clermont, Aiden Donohue (PK), Gerardo Lopez, Rayan Riaz (PK), Collin Sickinger, game captain Keffy Diefenderfer, Jonathan Teiji and Avery Subik. Goal Keepers Avery Subik and Gavin Maioriello combined for their 9th shoutout of the season.

#2 Shaker squared off against #3 Shen in the sectional semi-final at the neutral site of Guilderland High School. It was a blistering pace from the start and Shen was able to get on the front foot early and looked dangerous going forward with several good attempts on goal. Shaker was able to grow into the game as the first half progressed and around halftime the game was back and forth and the score was 0-0. About 5 minutes into the second half Shaker scored on a Nathanael Chung corner that was headed down by Patrick Flaherty and Griffin Ryan got on the end of it for the eventual game winner. The next 30 minutes saw Shen on the full out attack generating several good chances, and Shaker had a few counter attacks that looked dangerous. Shaker was able to preserve the shutout behind the excellent goalkeeping performance of PJ Strand and the defense was anchored by Mason Perry. Shen had the majority of the possession and had 6 corners to Shaker's 3 and 8 shots to Shaker's 5. A classic Shen-Shaker sectional game that was exciting to watch!

The Modified 7/8 team closed out their season on the road with a 9-0 win over Bethlehem. Alek Brehm opened the scoring and had his first hat trick of the season. A number of players scored their first goals of the season — Rhyder Hayes, Angelo Kabore and Mason Kite (who had two goals). Ben Harkavy also had his first two assists of the season. Evan Clemente and Ziada Fageir also had goals. Garrett Levy made two saves in the fourth quarter to preserve the clean sheet.

The Bison traveled to Bethlehem on a great afternoon for the last away game of the season. Shaker got off to a slow start absorbing an aggressive pressing attack from Bethlehem. Most of the first 10 minutes were played in Shaker's half, the defense held strong and did not allow any good looks on net and anything that found it's way through was turned away by GK Avery Subik. Shaker gained some possession through the midfield and gained confidence moving into the attacking 3rd. Braddigan Lanfear took a ball down the left side and cut back hard against the defense on to his right foot just outside the 18 and blistered a shot to the upper right corner to give Shaker a 1-0 lead at halftime. The second half saw all of Shaker's players see significant action from a relentless attack from the Eagles. Everyone played strong, confident and patient on the ball. As the game moved to the 4th, the Eagles switched up formations pushing more numbers in the attack looking to equalize, Shaker's midfield and defense countered by dropping deeper and absorbing the pressure - some well times clearances relieved the pressure and led to a few counter attacking opportunities. As it turned out the one goal from team captain Braddigan Lanfear was all Shaker would need to secure the win over a very tough, physical Bethlehem team. This will continue to be a great match up as all the boys move up through the teams.
For the first time this season we played a 5th quarter at the request of the home team. Shaker came out strong scoring two goals in quick succession, the first goal came from game captain Eddie Larson who pushed up from his right back position and got on the end of a punch clearance from the Eagles GK the ball fell to him on his right foot at the 18 yard box. Eddie put his laces through it and blew it past the keeper who was trying to recover from his initial save. The second goal was from Kefyalew "Keffy" Diefenderfer who split a pair of defenders and placed a shot into the side netting past the diving keeper. Shaker maintained possession and recycled the ball through the Keeper Gavin Maioriello for the balance of the match. It was a well played physical, "character building" game for sure.

The Shaker Modified 7/8 team continued their strong season with a 4-0 win at home against Guilderland. The Bison opened the scoring in the second quarter from a shot by Dan Portocarrero that looped over the goalie's hand. Shaker found Guilderland difficult to break down until the fourth quarter. The second goal came when Alek Brehm dribbled down the left flank, had a shot, collected the rebound from the save and passed to Ziada Fageir who tapped it in the empty net. Alek Brehm got his goal a few minutes later when he won the ball off a goal kick and had a strike from outside the box. Shaker rounded out the scoring when Jackson Carter picked up the ball on the left flank, drove down to the end line, and crossed to Mehdi Benantar who scored.

Shaker faced off against Albany on a cool fall afternoon at home. The setting sun gave both teams trouble picking up the ball especially on clearances. Shaker came out fast and scored the opening goal a few minutes into the first half when Gerardo Lopez was slipped a pass between the backs and buried a low shot to the opposite post with the outside of his boot to find the back of the net. The match remained 1-0 with Shaker holding most of the possession, effectively switching the ball and changing the point of attack. The Bison had several good looks at goal but just couldn't get shots on target. That changed when Nolan Sherpa found himself with the ball just inside the 18 yard box and drove a hard right footed shot past the keeper to make it 2-0 just before half time. The second half saw much of the same for the Bison, plenty of possession and "almost" goals, Albany's defense and goal keeper made it difficult for Shaker's offense to get good looks. Jonathan Tleiji gave Albany's defense problems from his center forward position pressing the back four. Jonathan pressed the Albany center back and won the ball from him and went 1v1 on the keeper, who came out fast off his line and forced the shot wide, he was rewarded for his work up front when midway through the half Shaker he pressed a ball played back to the Albany goal keeper and disrupted the keeper's clearance, he then found the ball at his feet and he slotted it home for Shaker's 3rd goal. Shaker defensive crew or Leif Heerwagen, Sam Lin, Liam Gregory, Justin Mendez, Antonio Luzcando, Jack Wicklund, Collin Kelly, game captain Rayan Riaz and goal keeper Avery Subik recorded their 6th shut out of the season and limited Albany's chances to long range attempts. The Falcons are a fast pasted, physical and well coached team and created problems for the Bison with their athleticism all game long.

Shaker advanced through the quarterfinals with an 8-0 home win over Schenectady. The score line does not give Schenectady enough credit though. The game was tied or within a goal for most of the first half, but Shaker eventually wore down the spirited defense Schenectady was playing. Schenectady earned a few corners themselves and had some looks at goal, but Shaker's PJ Strand was able to record the shutout. Goal scorers for Shaker were Owen Brant (2), Brodie Flaherty, Aidan Garland (2), Eric Kim, Jack Keegan, Deen Magdon. Shaker assists were Spencer Subik (2), Brodie Flaherty, Nathanael Chung, Mark Cannistraci, Imran Shukralla, Dylan Carron, Jack Keegan. Schenectady played a clean and hard game to close out their season and Shaker advances to the semi finals.

Shaker traveled up the Northway for a matchup against Shen on a great afternoon for soccer. The bison herd was in full voice for a great rivalry match up. Both teams looked to play possession and were patient in their build ups, there were limited opportunities as both teams looked for the oppositions weaknesses, which were hard to find. After a tactical formation adjustment suggested by Team Captain Aiden Donohue, Shaker rattled off two quick scores, the first from Collin Sickinger and the second by Gerardo Lopez. Shen settled in and seemed to figure out the change in Shaker's formation and kept the Bison off the score sheet until just before the halftime break when Braddigan Lanfear added a 3rd goal.

After the break Shaker conceded a handball just outside the area and Shen capitalized with a flick on header just beyond the reach of the keeper. Shen added a second with about 13 minutes to play to draw within 1. Shen stunned Shaker with the second goal and you could feel the momentum change. After a few plays that required some emergency defending, Shaker regained composure and got back to playing controlled "blue collar" soccer. The bison calmed down and saw out the game to the cheers of the herd of Bison parents. It was a thrilling match, with tactical adjustments on both sides of the ball, on this occasion the Bison made one more play than Shen to earn the win. It was a gut-check match and the MOD 9 team "grew up" as a team against a very good opponent.

The Shaker Modified 7/8 team took on Shenendehowa on the road in a back and forth game that ended in a 1-1 draw. The Bison started the game strong with a lot of possession in the attacking third in the opening few minutes. They were knocking on the doorstep with a number of chances in the box — one produced a goal line clearance from a Shen defender and two more produced corners for Shaker. Shen's defense held strong and they began to grow into the game. A Shen shot hit the crossbar late in the first quarter but the quarter would end without a goal. Shen started the second quarter strong and had Shaker's defense pinned in their own third for much of the second quarter. However, Shaker found the back of the net first with a strike from outside the box by Garrett Levy. Shen would tie the game a few minutes later with their own shot outside the box that Ben Harkavy nearly kept out. Shen would continue to have much of the ball in the third quarter but Shaker held steady. Shen nearly took the lead late in the quarter with a shot off of a corner that was dragged wide of the post. In the fourth quarter, both teams had an opportunity to win the game from freekicks outside the box — Shen's keeper was equal to Ameer Salamah's effort from distance and Ben Harkavy made the save on Shen's freekick. After an evenly matched fourth quarter, the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Shaker hosted Saratoga under the lights in the "Swamp" for a rematch of a game that saw both teams play hard and end in a 0-0 draw. This time both teams came out flying with up and down play spurred on by a great crowd that came to support their teams. Shaker got on the board first as Gerardo Lopez was slipped a ball between the two center backs and buried a shot just inside the far post under the goal keeper who sprinted off his line. The game continue end to end and side to side with both teams having long spells of possession and putting the other under pressure. There were more than a fair share of "almost goals" on both sides. The pressure built and Alessio Clermont cut into the box and was challenged hard by a Saratoga defender, the referee instantly pointed to the spot awarding Shaker a penalty shot. Collin Kelly calmly stepped up and buried the shot to put shaker up 2. The game continued back and forth until Saratoga got on the end of a bouncing ball inside the box and slipped in past the Shaker keeper. Shaker held off a hard charging Saratoga team, as they threw numbers into the attacking 3rd. In the final few minutes it appeared Saratoga was going to tie it up, but Shaker's defense lead by Leif Heerwagen who in the closing minutes of the match cleared a ball off the goal line that was destine to find the back of the net. Goal keeper Avery Subik made several strong saves in the final 2 minutes kept them off the score sheet. Both teams played hard, physical "Blue Collar" soccer. It was a great atmosphere in the "Swamp" for fans and the players.

The Shaker Modified 7/8 team had another solid performance at home against Colonie. Garrett Levy opened the scoring after dribbling a few defenders in the box. Dan Portocarrero added another goal in the first quarter by dribbling past a few defenders, driving in the box and beating the keeper to the near post. Colonie had some chances in the first quarter — one shot in the box was off target and another from over 20 yards out produced a save from Ben Harkavy. In the second quarter, Mehdi Benantar scored off a header from a Dan Portocarrero cross. Mason Lawrence scored the fourth goal of the game off of an Ameer Salamah corner. Ameer Salamah would another goal himself from a strike oustide the box. Colonie pulled one back with a volley off a cross from the right side that found the bottom left corner of the goal. However, Nick Lyons scored two goals in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.

The Shaker Soccer JV team traveled to Bethlehem for their final game of the 2023 season. With the Bison and the Eagles coming into the game perfect, at 14-0 and 13-0 respectively, everyone knew that this would be the biggest game of the season.

From the opening whistle, the game was intense and back-and-forth. Bethlehem started out firing with multiple chances earned off of corners, but couldn't capitalize on any of them. From there, Shaker created a couple of half-chances themselves but couldn't convert. About 25 minutes in, Bethlehem broke through Shaker's backline and got into a 1v1 with keeper Alex Cross, who put the Eagles' attacker under pressure, forcing him to hit the post and keeping the score at 0-0. With about seven minutes left in the half, Tyden Levy struck a free-kick from just outside the box wide, but Sami Terra was at the back post to redirect it into the net - putting the Bison up 1-0. Five minutes later, Harrison Yu drove the line and found Brodie Garland at the top of the box, striking a thunderous left-footed hit to double the lead. Shaker took at 2-0 lead into the break.

Just like the first half, Bethlehem came out at the start looking to put the Bison under pressure. But Shaker withstood the pressure, and kept pushing themselves. Fifteen minutes in, Aiden Brady forced a mistake from the Eagles' backline, winning a ball and getting a well stuck shot off. Fynn Sarfoh was there to clean up the rebound off the save to put the Bison up 3-0 and fully in control of the game. After that, the game continued to be entertaining to everyone watching. In the dying minutes, Bethlehem pulled one back off a glancing header from a late corner.

Shaker took the win with a 3-1 scoreline. The Bison cemented their 15-0 and perfect season today. Finishing with 81 goals on the season, and only 6 given up. A fantastic season by an amazing group of players! Well done boys!

Bethlehem hosted Shaker and won 2-1 in the regular season finale for both teams. Bethlehem got on the board 10 minutes into the game when Muamer Kanic opened the scoring after beating a defender and firing a shot into the top corner. Bethlehem extended their lead with about 10 minutes to go in the first half when Shaker surrendered an own goal on an attempted clear. Shaker pulled within 1 10 minutes into the second half when Spencer Subik's corner was tucked home by Owen Brant. Bethlehem's fantastic centerbacks were able to keep Shaker off the board for an equalizer to see out the victory.

The Bison traveled to Schenectady on a beautiful day for soccer for their second match in three days. The Bison came out strong with an opening goal in the first 3 minutes from a long distance shot by Avery Subik. Shaker kept the pressure on and maintained long periods of possession, their patience was rewarded when Jude El-Hajjar drove the line and cut in behind the defense and slotted the second goal in the near post corner. Trent Lyons and Kefy Diefenderfer each added a goal to bring the score to 4. Schenectady settled in and behind strong play by their goal keeper kept the Bison of the score sheet in the second quarter. Braddigan Lanfear and Alessio Clermont each added a goal for Bison. Game captain Gavin Maioriello started the match in goal and after moving from the netminders position to the field he had an assist and a goal, along with Avery Subik, who took over goal keeping responsibilities in the second half, helped Shaker earn it's 5th shout out of the year. Shaker finished the match with 8 different players scoring including Nolan Sherpa who notched his first Shaker goal.

The Shaker Modified 7/8 team added another win to their season on the road against Schenectady. Mehdi Benantar scored a hat-trick, and Alex Fratine and Oleksandr Fedchyshyn scored their first goals of the season. The scoresheet also included goals from Walid Adjei, Evan Clemente, Nolan Stashenko and Mason Lawrence.

Shaker defeated Columbia 1-0 at home in a thrilling game with the game winning goal coming with less than a minute to play. Both sides had dangerous possessions in the first half, and Shaker had several good looks on goal that were turned away by Columbia goalie Roy. Columbia had a few good chances as well that PJ Strand made saves on for Shaker. Columbia saved a shot off the goal line and Shaker hit the crossbar in the second half before Shaker finally got on the board. PJ Strand threw a pass out to Owen Brant who scored with less than a minute to go. A fast paced game where both teams had opportunities to score.

The Shaker Soccer JV team hosted Columbia in their final home game of the season. The Blue Devils jumped out to a furious start, putting the Bison under immediate pressure from the opening whistle. Columbia capitalized on this, putting themselves up 1-0 after getting a foot on a dangerous free kick. From there, they kept up the pressure, which was disrupting any flow that Shaker was trying to maintain. However, the Bison kept pushing and chances kept coming. In the last 10 minutes of the half, Aditya Singh found Matt Psomas who hammered a left-footed strike to even the game at 1-1. After that, Shaker maintained their momentum into halftime and looked to build on it after the break.

The second half was a battle from start to finish. But within the first 10 minutes, Shaker found a chance to put themselves up 2-1, when an Emeryk Lagace shot forced a rebound, which Harrison Yu put away. Afterwards, the game continued to be up-and-down, but the Bison had the majority of control. The Blue Devils kept themselves in it however, and certainly found a few dangerous chances themselves. However, with the last kick of the game, Fynn Sarfoh tucked home a cross from Harrison Yu.

Shaker finishes their home schedule with a 3-1 victory. They head into their final game against Bethlehem with a 14-0 record.

Shaker mod 9 hosted cross town rivals Colonie on a overcast afternoon. Shaker came ready to play after a 10 day layoff and took control of the match from the tip off. Game Captain Jude - El-Hajjar opened the scoring early in the first and added a second shortly after. Shaker played through a determined and tough Colonie team and managed to add several more before halftime. Goal Keeper Gavin Maioriello posted a clean sheet and turned away three shots. Gavin was a key distribution point as shaker's defenders were under pressure they played back to him and then built possession out from the back line. Colonie played tough and challenged Shaker through the midfield, but today was Shakers day. Multiple players tallied goals for Shaker. Alessio Clermont, Avery Subik, Braddigan Lanfear, Leif Heerwagen, Issac Deyoe got on score sheet.

The Shaker Modified 7/8 team kept their second clean sheet of the season with a 5-0 win on the road against Averill Park. Garrett Levy opened the scoring by driving into the box, beating a defender and slotting the ball into the bottom right corner. In the second quarter, Jayvin Ni doubled the lead with a great strike from over 20 yards out. Towards the end of the quarter, Averill Park had an opportunity to reduce the deficit on a free kick just outside the box but Ben Harkavy came across his line to make the save. The Bison continued their strong performance in the second half with goals from Garrett Levy, Ziada Fageir and Alek Brehm. Averill Park had several counter attacking opportunities throughout the game, but Shaker were solid at the back and snuffed out any chances.

The Shaker Soccer JV team travelled to Averill Park, and took home the 11-1 win. The Shaker goals were scored by John Park, Anthony Tleiji, Fynn Sarfoh, Eyad Sayed, Harrison Yu, Jackson Majewski and Drew Waldorf. Assists were recorded by Emeryk Lagace, Tyden Levy, Eyad Sayed, Aiden Brady, Patrick Gauna and Anthony Tleiji.

A good, hard-fought game by both teams. The Bison extend their record to 13-0 on the season.

The Shaker Modified 7/8 team returned to winning ways in their home game against CBA. They had a strong start after Garrett Levy slipped the ball to Alek Brehm who beat a defender and found the back of the net on a shot to the top right corner. The two nearly combined for a second goal but Alek Brehm hit the crossbar. A few minutes later, CBA found an equalizer on the counter and the first quarter ended 1-1. In the second quarter, Jayvin Ni was close to retaking the lead for Shaker on a free kick that found the crossbar. Ultimately, the score would hold until the third quarter. Shaker would find their second goal when Walid Adjei cut in from the right and played across to Jackson Carter who scored his first goal of the season. Later in the quarter, Jayvin Ni would double the lead with his first goal of the season on a low driven shot from outside the box. In the fourth quarter, Mason Lawrence would also get his first goal of the season with Landon Falzo getting the assist. The two would combine again just minutes later when Mason Lawrence got on the end of Landon Falzo's flick and found the back of the net to round out the scoring.

The Shaker Soccer JV team faced off against CBA on the Swamp at Shaker High School. From the start, the game was up-and-down, but relatively controlled by Shaker. Throughout the first 20 minutes the Bison threw multiple chances at the CBA goal, often through Fynn Sarfoh and Emeryk Lagace, but they couldn't find the back of the net. Eventually, Tyden Levy found Rikhil Katpally for a thunderous header off of a corner, putting Shaker up 1-0. Soon after, Aiden Brady found Tyden Levy in the box, who smashed home the finish to make it 2-0 entering halftime.

The second half looked a lot like the first half. Shaker was dictating the pace of play and pushing for more goals. But the CBA backline and keeper made some fantastic stops. The teams battled to a scoreless half.

Shaker takes the 2-0 win, putting them at 12-0 on the season and their 9th consecutive shutout.

On a perfect weather night for soccer, Shaker hosted CBA. It was Shaker's senior night and Shaker honored their seniors before the game. However, it was CBA who jumped out on the front foot. About 5 minutes into the game CBA's Hunter Bulich punched in a goal to go up 1-0. A few minutes later CBA tallied their second when Owen Everett scored. Shaker was able to regroup and gain control of the game and pulled within 1 about 20 minutes into the half when Owen Brant scored on a free kick. CBA received a red card on the play and went down a player, and Shaker finally leveled the score with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game when Kofi Sarfoh scored from an Owen Brant pass. A large crowd under the lights for both teams and a fast paced game with lots of almost goals.

Shen hosted Shaker in front of a packed house on Saturday night under the lights with a playoff atmosphere and the teams played to a dramatic 2-2 tie. Shen's Ben Tymeson got free on a direct kick only 6 minutes into the game and placed the ball into the back of the net to give Shen the 1-0 lead. The 10 minutes later, however, Shaker was winning 2-1 behind 2 goals from Owen Brant. 1 was a finish from a through ball from Spencer Subik, the other was a free kick. 30 minutes into the first half Shen equalized with a free kick of their own when Advaith Ramani scored. After halftime both teams made defensive adjustments and each team had a few chances, but were turned away by goalkeepers PJ Strand and Sam Tymeson respectfully. The crowd was amazing and the game was fast.

The Shaker Soccer JV traveled to Shen today in a massive rivalry game. From the opening whistle everyone could tell it was going to be an intense, fast-paced game. The first 10-15 minutes was all Shen, creating multiple half-chances, including one in the first 45 seconds. But the Bison remained strong defensively, behind the centerback-duo of Patrick Gauna and Matt Psomas, along with great goalkeeping from Alex Cross. Around the fifteen-minute mark, Shaker started to grow into the game and put pressure on Shen themselves. At the twenty-minute mark, Fynn Sarfoh was taken down in the box, which Tyden Levy step up to take. While he slotted it home, a Shaker encroachment penalty negated the goal. It continued to be a back-and-forth half, with the teams entering the break at 0-0.

The second half was no different from the first half, extremely up-and-down, with both teams generating chances. But now, Shaker was generating the better chances more consistently. Harrison Yu broke through on a break-away, but the Shen keeper made a fantastic save to keep the game even. But five minutes later, Harrison Yu forced a diving save, which caused a rebound and John Park was there to slam it home. From there, Shen continued to apply pressure, but the Bison held strong defensively.

Shaker takes home the 1-0 win over rival Shen, to continue their perfect run at 11-0!

Guilderland visited Shaker and both teams battled to a 0-0 draw. PJ Strand and Ryan Kuk each recorded shutouts respectively in net. Strand had 2 saves and Kuk had 3. Each team had 3 corner kicks. Guilderland had a few chances early in the game, and Shaker had a flurry of chances late in the game, but no one was able to convert. A midfield battle type game that was even throughout.

The Shaker Soccer JV team faced off in an intense match-up against Guilderland today. From the opening whistle it was a battle amongst two great teams. The game was back-and-forth, with both teams being extremely dangerous. About 25 minutes in, Aditya Singh drove the left flank and drew a penalty. Aiden Brady stepped up and slammed it home to put the Bison up 1-0. Shaker took that lead into the halftime break.

At the start of the second half, Guilderland pressed hard out of the gates, looking to throw off the Bison. But Shaker was up for the challenge, and continued to battle right with them. The physicality and intensity of the game was high, as Shaker looked to extend their lead and Guilderland looked to even the score. With about 5 minutes left, Anthony Tleiji slipped a ball across the box that Hamza Sayed put home to double the lead and secure the win for the Bison.

Shaker moves to 10-0 and faces rival Shen on Saturday.

The undefeated MOD 9 boys traveled north to take on a very tough Saratoga Blue Streaks team. Both teams came out strong with plenty of back and forth action in the mid field. Shaker began to own the midfield behind the play of team captain Aiden Donohue. Aiden won the battle in the middle and allowed the Bison to maintain the bulk of the possession, leading to several good opportunities. Shaker broke through Saratoga's back line and appeared to earn a goal after Gerardo Lopez pounced on a ball parried away by the Saratoga keeper and drove it into the back of the net. After a short discussion the officials waived off the goal on a very close offsides call. Saratoga's defense hunkered down after that and took away passing lanes and collapsed on any Shaker player that stepped inside the 18. Shaker had the edge in corners, possessions and shots but Saratoga's defense was disciplined, and the Blue Streak's GK was quick to come off his line and disrupt several breakaway opportunities, while making some very difficult saves. The Shaker defense was equally up to the task limiting Saratoga to 1 corner and only 1 decent shot opportunity that was just off target. Shaker GK, and Team Captain, Avery Subik earned his 4th clean sheet of the year. The match ended in a draw. A much anticipated re-match will take place under the lights on 10/16 at Shaker HS on the "Swamp". Thanks again to the "Herd" that traveled to support the Bison! The Bison are back in action on Friday 9/29 as they take on Guilderland at home.

The Shaker Mod 7/8 team had their first loss of the season in a tough away game at Saratoga. The first quarter — much like the rest of the game — swung back and forth. The Bison found a good bit of possession in the attacking half to start but Saratoga defended well were able to build their own attack. The first quarter ended without a score, partly thanks to two saves by Ben Harkavy. However, Saratoga quickly found the opening goal in the second quarter and were able to control much of the game during the second and third quarters. In the final 15 minutes of the game, Shaker found another gear and played with more intensity as the searched for the equalizer. The nearly got it when Alek Brehm was tripped up in the box and won a penalty. Unfortunately, the Bison were unable to convert from the spot and dropped their first loss of the season.

In a showdown of two undefeated teams at Saratoga, both Shaker and Saratoga left still unbeaten after a 1-1 draw. The first half ended 0-0 after Saratoga's Ryan Farr hit the post and Owen Brant had a great chance for Shaker denied by Valkenburg. About 5 minutes into the second half Owen Brant played Kofi Sarfoh through who found the back of the net on a breakaway for Shaker. About 15 minutes later, Xavier Ruscio fired in a world class free kick to level the game. Both teams generated decent chances after that, but no one was able to find the second goal. An incredibly tight contest where both teams had 6 shots on goal and 3 corner kicks.

The Shaker Soccer JV team made the trip to Saratoga for a big match up against two of the top teams in the league. Out of the gate, Saratoga took control of the possession and looking to go on the attack. The Bison were more than willing it sit back and look for their opportunities. About 10 minutes in, Tyden Levy found Hamza Sayed, who made a streaking run into the box, bot put Shaker up 1-0. Not even five minutes later, Tyden Levy created another goal for the Bison, slipping Sami Terra through - who had a thunderous finish to double the lead. To finish out the scoring this half, Rikhil Katpally made a fantastic run, finding Emeryk Lagace in the box, who calmly slotted the ball home - putting the Bison up 3-0. Shaker maintained that lead into the break.

The second proved to be a back-and-forth 40 minutes. Saratoga came out on the front foot, sticking to their guns and pressing the Bison all over the field. But Shaker held strong, despite several attempts by Saratoga to break through. The Shaker backline of Keene Kellerhouse, Patrick Gauna, Matt Psomas, Eyad Sayed, Anthony Tleiji and Drew Waldorf - along with solid goalkeeping from both Alex Cross and Gannon King - allowed the Bison to secure their 6th consecutive shutout. With about 15 minutes left on the clock, Tyden Levy completed his hat-trick of assists, finding Patrick Gauna on the back post to put the lead at 4-0.

An exciting and tough battle from both teams. Shaker continues their season on Thursday at home against Guilderland.

Today, the Shaker Soccer JV team traveled to Schenectady for a mid-season game. Shaker won 10-0, including goals and assists by Anthony Tleiji, Chris Hansen, Hamza Sayed, Alex Cross, Matt Psomas, Drew Waldorf, Keene Kellerhouse and Jackson Majewski.

A well fought match by both teams.

The Shaker Boys' Mod 7/8 team continued their strong start to the season with another win on the road against Albany. Shaker scored within the first few minutes when Dan Portocarrero scored his first goal of the season. The Bison dominated possession and had several chances after the goal but Albany's defense held strong to close the first quarter at 1-0. In the second quarter, Albany were able to equalize when Shaker had a miscue on a back pass that ended up in the back of the net. However, Shaker retook the lead later in the quarter thanks to a Walid Adjei strike from the right and the half ended 2-1. The third quarter saw a flurry of goals for the Bison. After receiving the ball at the top of the box, Dan Portocarrero ripped a shot that found the top of the goal. Then, Dylan Bailie picked up a loose ball on the right and took a shot outside of the box that was deflected by a defender and found the bottom left corner. Shaker continued the scoring with when Garrett Levy scored a tap in from a Alek Brehm cross. Then, just a few minutes later, Garrett Levy repaid the favor when he played a through ball and Alek Brehm slotted the ball into the back of the net. That goal rounded out Shaker's 6-1 win over Albany.

The Mod 9 squad traveled to Albany on a great day for soccer. Both teams came out fast, there was a battle for the midfield control that lasted the entire game. Shaker pressed and drove several great runs from game captain Jack Wicklund that put Albany's back line under pressure. That pressure was rewarded when Eddie Larson connected with a bouncing ball from his wing position just off the end line and beat the keeper near post for the first goal. The second goal came a few minutes later when Braddigan Lanfear slotted home his shot to make it 2. Albany grew into the game and settled in, from that point the game became much more balanced. The falcon's GK made some spectacular saves (including one that temporarily took him out of the match) to keep them within striking distance. While Shaker held the majority of the possession Albany had some good break away opportunities that were pushed aside by GK Avery Subik. Collin Sickinger found the back of the net in the 3rd to make it 3-0. It was a well played match against an athletic and well coached team. Shaker mod 9 is back in action on Wednesday 9/27 as we travel to Saratoga to face the Blue Streaks. Thanks again to the herd of Bison supporters who lined the sideline and cheered the boys on!

Albany and Shaker squared off under the lights at Albany and the crowd was electric with an unbelievable atmosphere. Both teams flew around the field and the game was fast and physical, but Shaker's Owen Brant received a pass from Spencer Subik and then was taken down in the box. Brant converted the PK himself to put Shaker in front 1-0 about 25 minutes into the game. About 10 minutes later Albany's Hameedullah Zadran leveled the game. The second half saw Shaker put Albany under pressure, but Albany goalie Logan Ferro made several spectacular saves, including stopping a penalty shot. However, Shaker converted one of their corners when Patrick Flaherty headed the ball back into the middle and Kofi Sarfoh found the back of the net to give Shaker a 2-1 win. Action packed night game in front of a fantastic crowd!

The Shaker Soccer JV team traveled to Albany to face off in a fast-paced match on the turf. The Bison got off to a quick start when Brodie Garland found Sami Terra for a nice finish in the box - putting Shaker up 1-0. From there Harrison Yu scored two goals to get a brace on the day, assisted by Brodie Garland and Aiden Brady. The Bison continued to dictate play throughout the half. About five minutes before halftime, Matt Psomas struck a beautiful free kick, which found Emeryk Lagace's head, giving Shaker a 4-0 lead going into the break.

Only a few minutes after the start of the second half, Hamza Sayed whipped in a cross that found Sami Terra - completing his second consecutive brace. From there, Sami Terra found Tyden Levy, who brought the score line to 6-0. With about 15 minutes left, Fynn Sarfoh completed the scoring with a well-struck free kick.

The Bison come home with the 7-0 win.

The Mod 9 squad hosted Nisky for their first home match of the campaign. Shaker started off slow allowing Nisky to gain possession for much of the first 10 minutes of the match. The Bison gained their composure and began to win more possession in the middle of the pitch, the mid filed play of Aiden Donohue, Elliot Zhou ( game captain), Trent Lyons, Jude El-Hajjar and Issac Deyoe began to force the outside players form Nisky to drop in more centrally to challenge for possession, this allowed wingers Braddigan Lanfear, Gerardo Lopez, Eddie Larson, Keffy Diefenderfer and Collin Sickinger the opportunity to run in behind the defenders creating several great cut back cross opportunities. Nisky's physical play especailly in the middle of the field casued problems for the shaker midfield. Shaker began to whip the ball around and kept Nisky off balance despite their physical play. Shaker was rewarded for it's patience in possession with the opening goal off a cut back cross sent into the box by Eddie Larson and finished cleanly by Gerardo Lopez. Braddigan Lanfear struck a free kick around the wall from 25 yards out to bring the score to 2-0. Aiden Donohue cut across the top of the box and drove his laces through a power shot that beat the keeper brining cheers from the Varsity and JV teams that came to support the Mod 9 squad. Keffy Diefender added a well placed shot to the far corner for his first goal of the year. Collin Sickinger picked up a bouncing ball and managed to find a path through traffic in the box finding the back of the net. Shaker's defense played solid allowing very few opportunities for the Nisky strikers and GK Avery Subik managed his backline well, the defense played the ball back to him several times through the game to settle and distribute out of the back to start our attacks. In the 4th quarter Braddigan Lanfear added his second of the day to bring the final to 6-0.

The Mod 9 Squad is back in action Friday when they travel to Albany to face the Falcons.

Shaker Mod 7/8 played a difficult home opener against Niskayuna. The Bison dominated much of the first quarter and took an early lead. Ziada Fageir picked up a loose ball on the left and was able to dribble by three defenders. His shot on goal was saved but Evan Clemente came in to finish the rebound. Niskayuna defended well after the goal and Shaker could not add to their lead despite having a good amount of possession in the attacking half. Niskayuna had an opportunity to pull even off a free header from a corner but Ben Harkavy preserved the lead with a save. In the second and third quarters Niskayuna grew into the game and found more possession in their attacking half. Shaker was able to keep them off the scoresheet until the third quarter when a deflected clearance looped into the net to bring the game to 1-1. The fourth quarter was very back and forth with both teams pushing to find the winner. Shaker pushed forward and Niskayuna found space on the counter. Eventually, Alek Brehm found the bottom left corner after Jackson Carter played him down the line on a throw in to give the Bison a 2-1 win at home.

Shaker earned a difficult home victory over Niskayuna 4-1 in very windy conditions. Both teams had several misplays due to the wind and both teams had several dangerous offensive plays. Shaker got on the board twice in the first half with goals from Owen Brant and Spencer Subik and assists from Spencer Subik and Imran Shukralla. Some great defending by Logan Mitchell Rosa and the rest of the Niskayuna defense kept the game tight and allowed Niskayuna to pull within 1 with only about 10 minutes to play on a goal from Bradyn Lewis. In a furious last 10 minutes that saw 3 goals, 1 by Niskayuna and 2 by Shaker, Shaker was able to extend their lead to close out the game. Owen Brant scored twice to complete his hat trick with both assists going to Kofi Sarfoh. Exciting game settled in the last 10 minutes.

The Shaker Soccer JV team faced off against Niskayuna on a windy, mild day. The conditions provided for a tough game for both teams, and it was very apparent in the first half. Both teams battled throughout the first 15 minutes, going back-and-forth on the pitch with multiple chances for each team. Soon after, Aiden Brady managed to find Tyden Levy to help the Bison break through and grab the 1-0 lead. From there, the teams continued to battle into the break with Shaker managing its one-goal lead.

With the wind at their back now, the Bison looked to attack from the start, and that they did. 45 seconds into the second half, Aiden Brady found Sami Terra, who danced past a few Niskayuna defenders, and put Shaker up 2-0 with a strong finish. Not even 10 minutes later, Hamza Sayed had a blocked shot fall to Tyden Levy, who put away another goal to complete his brace on the day. As the half went on, Shaker continued to dominate with their intensity and pressure. Off a Tyden Levy corner, Fynn Sarfoh headed the ball on and it fell to Brodie Garland, who fired the shot home.

The Bison left with a 4-0 victory, improving to 6-0-0 on the season, with a string of three straight shutouts.

In a game that is much closer than the score line indicates, Shaker battled Colonie to 5-1 victory. Both teams had trouble keeping the ball due to high pressure from the opposition. Owen Brant scored 2 first half goals for Shaker, assisted by Imran Shukralla and Nathanael Chung. Dominick Acosta pulled Colonie within 1 with less than a minute to go in the half when he forced an error on Shaker's backline and then hustled to put the ball in the back of the net. Halftime was 2-1 and Jasiah Goddard looked dangerous on a couple chances for Colonie, but Shaker was able to score 3 goals in 5 minutes with about 20 minutes to go in the game. Kofi Sarfoh and Imran Shukralla (2 goals) both scored for Shaker with assists from Brodie Flaherty, Owen Brant, and Vidun Perera. If Colonie would have capitalized on some early chances it would have been a very different game. Exciting and well played game!

Shaker Soccer JV team faced cross-town rivals Colonie in big game. Both teams came out of the gate playing well and organized. The Bison quickly began bombarding the Raiders' box with crosses, but the Colonie defenders and goalkeeper were up to the task, cleaning up everything that came to them. Just pass the 30 minute mark, Tyden Levy found Harrison Yu wide, who whipped in a dangerous cross and forced an own goal. Shaker would hold that 1-0 lead into the break.

The second half was just as intense, but Shaker really took a hold of the flow, creating many half chances and putting Colonie under constant pressure after a change in systems. But again, the Raiders defense held strong. With about 10 minutes left in the game, Shaker managed to double the lead after Fynn Sarfoh slipped Tyden Levy through on the wing, we beat the on-rushing keeper, and then put in a beautiful cross back post - which Sami Terra finished with a strong header.

Shaker took the win, 2-0, against their rivals. A very fun game, from two well-organized sides.

The Shaker Mod 9 team opened their 2023 season away at Ballston Spa. The rain cleared out and it was a great afternoon for soccer. The game started off choppy for both sides as both teams tried to maintain possession. Shaker's front three pressed the Scotties defense all game creating several turn overs and created great opportunities that were turned away by the Ballston Spa keeper. The pressure that Shaker put on the Scotties defense, particularly by game captain Isaac Deyoe, was rewarded with several corners and throw-ins deep in their territory. In the second quarter Shaker earned a corner and Jack Wicklund stepped up from his right back position and placed a perfect ball in the box that found a rising Aiden Donohue who hit a glancing header into the corner for the opening goal. Both teams settled in and the level of play for both sides improved, Shaker continued to press and maintained long stretches of possessions. Even though much of the game was played in the Scotties half and Shaker held the majority of possession, shots and corners The Scottie's played tough and held strong, it was still 1-0 going into the 4th. Shaker continued to press and created great opportunities but still could not capitalize hitting the post and being the victims of several offside calls as they tried to slip behind the very disciplined Ballston Spa defense. The second goal came when Team Captain Braddigan Lanfear split the defense from his left wing position, cut to his right and laced one past the keeper. With a few minutes left Braddigan tallied his second of the match to lead the Shaker Blue Bison to their first win of the 2023 season. A big thanks to the herd of Bison parents who made the trip to support the Mod 9 Boys, it is much appreciated!

Mod 9 takes on cross town rivals Colonie on Monday at home 4:15pm at Blue Creek middle school.

The Shaker Mod 7/8 team traveled to Ballston Spa to open their 2023 season. The Bison dominated possession straight from kickoff but Ballston Spa proved difficult to breakdown in the first 15 minutes. However, Walid Adjei found the opener for Shaker after a lovely one-two with Ameer Salamah. Alek Brehm added two more goals to bring Shaker's lead to 3-0 by the end of the half. Shaker continued the scoring early in the second half on a breakaway. Nick Lyons ran onto a through ball from Mehdi Benantar and crossed the ball for Landon Falzo who slotted it in the net. A few minutes later, Garrett Levy would combine with Landon Falzo for his first goal. Mehdi Benantar and Ziada Fageir would add goals before the third quarter ended to take the lead to 7-0. Garrett Levy would add another from the penalty spot and Evan Clemente would finish the scoring for the Bison's 9-0 win.

The Shaker Soccer JV team traveled to Ballston Spa to face off for a second time this season. From the opening whistle, the Bison took control and never looked back. However, Ballston Spa put up a very good fight for the first 20 minutes of the game. But then Tyden Levy whipped in a beautiful corner to Sami Terra, who was arriving at the back post and got a head to it, to put Shaker up 1-0. Less than three minutes later, Harrison Yu beat his defender 1v1 and drove into the box, and played Sami Terra with a beautiful outside-of-the-boot pass, and Sami claimed his brace and doubled the lead. From there, Ballston Spa fought back some into the half, but the Shaker defensive line and keeper Alex Cross kept them at bay. The game remained 2-0 at the break.

The second half was still all Shaker, with them increasing their dominance and influence on the game. Early on, Sami Terra slipped a through ball to a running Eyad Sayed, who forced the keeper to make a play, which allowed the ball to fall to Aditya Singh - who slammed home the finish, put the Bison up 3-0. From there, Tyden Levy found Aiden Brady to make it 4-0. Eventually, Tyden Levy found the goal column as well off a nice through ball from Rikhil Katpally, to put it at 5-0. Finally, Brodie Garland rounded out the scoring off a nice pass from John Park.

The Bison, in still a very young season, kicked their play into another gear and put on their best performance thus far.

Shaker earned a tough road victory over Ballston Spa on their beautiful new grass field. Both teams came out fast, but it was Shaker's Owen Brant who scored 2 goals 10 and 15 minutes in assisted by Kofi Sarfoh and Lucas Rivera. To close out the first half Spencer Subik and Vidun Perera scored with assists from Nathanael Chung and Imran Dalil. In the second half Imran Dalil added another assist, as did Owen Brant with goals coming from Kofi Sarfoh and Ryan Griffin for Shaker. Ballston Spa kept fighting and with only a few minutes left in the game Ballston Spa was rewarded for several good changes of field with a goal. Final score was 6-1.

Shaker @ Schenectady Boys Varsity Soccer
Saturday 9/9

Shaker 9 - Schenectady 0

Schenectady Saves
Nova - 9

Shaker Saves
PJ Strand - 2

Shaker Goals
Owen Brants assisted by Adam Singaporewala
Kofi Sarfoh assisted by Spencer Subik
Spencer Subik assisted by Aidan Bailie
Griffin Ryan assisted by Imran Dalil
Griffin Ryan assisted by Imran Shukralla
Owen Brant assisted by Kofi Sarfoh
Mason Perry assisted by Owen Brant
Imran Dalil assisted by Jack Keegan
Deen Magdon assisted by Imran Shukralla

Shaker defeated Schenectady on the road 9-0 on a very hot and muggy Saturday game. In a game that was much closer than the score line indicates, Shaker utilized their bench and kept applying pressure to Schenectady. Shaker had 8 players record their first varsity point including Griffin Ryan, Mason Perry, Imran Dalil, Deen Magdon, Adam Singaporewala, Aidan Bailie, Imran Shukralla, and Jack Keegan. Schenectady's goalie Nova made several great saves to keep Schenectady in the game early, and Chemms Djoubani had 2 close chances to getting on the score board. A clean and well played match by both sides.

The Shaker JV soccer team took on Burnt Hills in a sunny and hot game. Both teams were struggling with the heat early, with play going back and forth. Despite Burnt Hills constant pressing, the Bison finally broke through on a Sami Terra goal - assisted by Keene Kellerhouse. With the, Shaker continued to score over the next 10-15 minutes, with Harrison Yu capitalizing on mistake by Burnt Hills, and another when Tyden Levy slipped Harrison Yu through for the finish. Burnt Hills wasn't out of it though, as they slipped through right before half to put one on the board. Shaker led 3-1 at the break.

As both teams came out of the half, Shaker looked to pick the play up, but Burnt Hills constant pressing caused them fits. Play was back and forth through the first 15 minutes. Eventually, Harrison Yu capped off his hattrick on a mistake by the Burnt Hills goalkeeper to bring the game to 4-1. From there, the game opened up for the Bison. Alex Cross found Tyden Levy off a goalkick, who managed to tuck it past the keeper. Finally, Aditya Singh tucked home the final goal after a scrum in the box, off a Tyden Levy pass.

Despite a tough performance, Shaker managed to show up with a gritty performance, coming away with a 6-1 win.

Burnt Hills @ Shaker Boys Varsity Soccer
Tuesday 9/5

Burnt Hills 0 - Shaker 4

Burnt Hills Saves
Yerina - 4

Shaker Saves
PJ Strand - 2

Shaker Goals
Kofi Sarfoh assisted by Owen Brant
Kofi Sarfoh assisted by Spencer Subik
Patrick Flaherty assisted by Lucas Rivera
Owen Brant assisted by Patrick Flaherty

Shaker defeated Burnt Hills 4-0 on Tuesday in a physical suburban council game. Both teams generated chances from the start, but Shaker got on the board twice in the first 10 minutes with both goals coming from Kofi Sarfoh with assists by Owen Brant and Spencer Subik. 20 minutes into the game Lucas Rivera put the ball into the box and Patrick Flaherty headed it home. Patrick Flaherty then assisted a goal of his own when Owen Brant scored Shaker's fourth goal of the game. Shaker's goalie PJ Strand earned the shutout behind great centre back play of Mason Perry. The game was fast until the final whistle and both teams played well.

Ballston Spa @ Shaker Boys Varsity Soccer 8/31
(Non-League Game)

Ballston Spa 0 - Shaker 1

Ballston Spa Saves
Miller - 9

Shaker Saves
Jack Keegan 4

Shaker Goals
Lucas Rivera assisted by Nathanael Chung

Shaker won 1-0 in their home opener against Ballston-Spa in a non-league contest. Both teams played physical and fast and there were many chances on both ends. The goalie play of Shaker's Jack Keegan and Ballston Spa's Justin Miller kept the scores low, with each goalie making 2-3 great saves. Shaker's Lucas Rivera scored his first career varsity goal, assisted by Nathanael Chung, when he headed in a corner kick to get the lone goal of the game. Ballston Spa had 3 good chances late, but were unable to find the back of the net. The teams will play again for their league contest on 9/12.

The Shaker Soccer JV team faced Ballston Spa in their first home game of the 2023 season! The Bison began the scoring quickly behind a Tyden Levy effort only four minutes into the game. From there, Shaker kept it rolling with four more goals in the half by Aiden Brady, Mudaser Nawaz, Eyad Sayed and Fynn Sarfoh. The Blue Bison took the 5-0 score line into the break.

About ten minutes into the second half, Ballston Spa caught the Bison sleeping and put one in the back of the net, making it 5-1. But that woke Shaker up, who picked up where the left off in the first half. The Bison proceed to score four more goals by Aiden Brady for a brace on the day, Harrison Yu, Gannon King on a penalty won by Tyden Levy, and Aditya Singh. Shaker takes home a 9-1 win in their home debut.

Shaker @ Utica-Proctor Boys Varsity Soccer
8/29/23

Shaker 3 - Utica Proctor 1

Utica Proctor Goals
La Eh Soe

Utica Proctor Saves
Ervin Ferkic - 5

Shaker Goals
Owen Brant assisted by Nathanael Chung
Owen Brant assisted by Kofi Sarfoh
Spencer Subik assisted by Aiden Garland

Shaker Saves
PJ Strand - 5

Shaker opened their season with a tough 3-1 road victory over Utica Proctor. In a fast paced game that went end to end with lots of transitions, Shaker was able to get on the board first 20 minutes into the game when Nathanael Chung played Owen Brant down the line who cut inside to score the first goal of the season for Shaker. Utica Proctor had a lot of dangerous attacks as well and were rewarded a few minutes later when La Eh Soe collected a ball over the top and slipped it into the net. Halftime was 1-1 and Shaker regained the lead 10 minutes in when Owen Brant scored his second of the night from a pass from Kofi Sarfoh. With about 10 minutes left in the game Spencer Subik extended Shaker's lead after a pass from Aiden Garland. First game of the season for both teams that led to a wide open exciting game to watch.

The Shaker Blue Bison traveled to Utica Proctor to open the 2023 season, and left with their first win. From the start of the game, Shaker maintained possession and dictated the play until the end. Shaker's Rikhil Katpally scored the opener off a Brodie Flaherty shot, to put the Bison up 1-0. Despite several chances, including two ringers off the crossbar, Shaker maintained their 1-0 lead at half time.

Early in the second half, with the Bison pushing to extend their lead, Rikhil Katpally put away another ball from an Eyad Sayed goal to double the lead. Soon after, the Bison made a big mistake, putting a goal past their own keeper on a 35-yard ping. With the game at 2-1 now, Utica Proctor began to push even more, but Shaker managed to stay resilient and keep the game under control. The last 8 minutes proved to be an exciting end to the game, with the Bison scoring 3 late goals to seal the game. Harrison Yu tucked away two, with assists from Aiden Brady and Fynn Sarfoh. And with the last play of the game, Mudaser Nawaz hit a banger off a ball from Harrison Yu.

A great start to the season at 1-0!

I really hate to write up this report as it means the end of the season for the Blue Bison of Shaker, and they are a fun group to watch on the pitch. Led by their talented midfielder, #11 Lesedi Sekhobo, they are a skilled group, and I personally came into this match expecting the Blue Bison to have a great chance to make it to Middletown.

Was there a bit of a letdown after that thrilling OT win over Saratoga in the sectional final? I really don’t think so, what I think is that Shaker tonight ran into a Cicero-North Syracuse team with a workrate second to none. These players challenged every play, they cut off passes, they went to every ball hard and 50-50 balls became 60-40 balls as the Northstars played with a dogged determination.

Few first half shots were taken by either side as a lot of the play was in the middle of the field. Sekhobo did make some of his great runs and plays where he shredded defenders and got up the field, but on this night, he always seemed to pass and not shoot at the end of those forward forays.

Early in the first half, Cicero-North Syracuse put on a huge rally as they earned three corners in succession as they camped out in the Shaker box, but couldn’t find the nets. In particular I remember one mad scramble in the box that ended with a hard shot from C-NS, but it went wide of the target. In fact, there were lots of scrums in the Shaker box in the first half, and the Blue Bison defense was under the gun.

A direct kick for the Northstars resulted in a score by #5 Jacob Dietter to break them on top.

Late in the half, Sekhobo’s talent was on display as he split two Northstars, spun by a third and carried the ball forward, but his pass was cut off by the hustling Northstar defense.

Just seven minutes into the second 40, Shaker appeared to tie the match as their low shot rippled the nets, but in a close call, it was ruled the player was offside. The crowd let all in attendance know their displeasure with that call ( sounded like the crowd at a Phillies game! Holy Cow!!)

The dagger happened with four minutes to play when #13, Sean Graves, scored on a counter attack breakaway to make it 2-0, which was the final score. Shots for the game were Cicero-North Syracuse 6, Shaker 3, and corners were 4-2, Northstars.

Coach Dan Fountain and his Blue Bison were a great group to watch play the game and congratulations to them for an outstanding season. For Coach Mike McDaffery and his Northstars, good luck as they now head to Middletown and the Final Four, and if they play as determined as they were tonight, they will be a tough squad to knock out.

Saturday at Colonie, we witnessed the small school game of the tournament. Tonight at Colonie, all in attendance witnessed the large school game of the decade – or at least one of the games of the decade – highly entertaining, plenty of drama, and skill exhibited everywhere on the field – a great soccer match that neither Saratoga nor Shaker deserved to lose.

However, undefeated Saratoga, fell tonight in overtime to Shaker, 4-3, in a rollercoaster of a ride for both teams. After 80 minutes of exciting up and down the field attacking soccer by both, Shaker advanced on a PK just two minutes into overtime.

Back in 2015, Shaker was a sectional co-champion, but failed to advance due to PK’s, so this is Shaker’s first regional journey??? This writer thinks so.

Brendan Degan, who had been a menace all evening to the Saratoga back line, burst by two defenders into the Saratoga box, and was taken down, resulting in a PK. Ben Halek roofed the game winner to make the final 4-3, and a wild celebration broke out for the Blue Bison.

The match started off with two of the most skilled Suburban players punch and counter punch for a 1-1 start to the match. Saratoga’s Ryan Farr, turned on his defender, 11 minutes into play, and as he sped into the box, his low shot to the corner was unstoppable. Less than a minute later came the counter punch as Shaker’s Lesedi Sekhobo intercepted a defender’s pass and from 30 yards, stuck the corner of the net, 1-1.

Every single free kick for Shaker was dangerous. Nathaniel Fesel’s long lofted free kick drifted wide of the keeper and clanged off the post. Saratoga was back on the attack with some nice combination play entering the box, Farr to Owen Winter, back to Farr, with Shaker’s Kyle Harriman rushing out just in time to block it.

Saratoga’s Theo Paladini showed some great decision making and his passes were constantly key to Saratoga’s offense. The two sides went to the half with nearly identical scorelines. One to one on the scoreboard with Shaker taking 4 shots, 2 on target, and Saratoga 3 shots, 2 on target, and Shaker 2-1 in corners.

The second half was a roller coaster for both squads. Saratoga was hot and had the possession edge early as they moved the ball with precision and took the early upper hand. Their quickness stopped Shaker from connecting on as many passes and the Blue Bison were at times losing their shape.

Don’t count Shaker out, however. Eighteen minutes into the second half, Nick Pepe had a line drive service, and Kofi Sarfoh’s header just cleared the outstretched arms of rushing keeper, Ben VanValkenburg, 2-1, Blue Bison.

Sarfoh was far from done. He beat three Saratoga backs into the box, but his shot was wide of the target. Next, Sarfoh’s service sent Brendan Degan racing into the box and with defenders draped all over him, Degan finished to make it 3-1 and this set off a wild celebration on the Blue Bison sidelines as the entire team was really into the match and could almost taste victory. “It’s not finished”, Shaker coach Dan Fountain warned them.

Not finished? As long as your team has Ryan Farr, you are never finished. Farr scored twice in the final ten minutes to tie the game and send it into OT. Farr was double teamed, triple teamed ,and yet he found a way.

Ryan Farr could conduct a clinic and how to turn on a defender and in this match, that is exactly what he did! A mass of humanity was in the box on Farr’s goal to tie it, but Vincent DeVito got the assist, and Farr found a way, 3-3. What a comeback – what a game!!

Then came overtime and between Degan’s hustle and Halek’s shot, Shaker was celebrating long after this match was over. What a match this was, too, congrats to both teams who were winners in my book, and despite the scoreline, both were just that.

Everything was on display tonight, speed of play, skill, work ethic- all by both sides. Two outstanding Suburban teams played their hearts out. For the match: Shaker ten shots (6 on frame) and Saratoga ten shots (6 on frame). Corners were 6-3, Saratoga.

Shaker now moves on into a regional final Saturday night at 5:00 PM at LaSalle Institute where they will face Section III's Cicero-North Syracuse Northstars for the chance to advance into the NYS Final Four in Middletown!

Shaker High School defeated Shenendehowa in a classic semi-final tonight, 2-1. With the win, #2 Shaker will face #1 Saratoga Springs in the championship match next Tuesday night at Colonie HS at 6:30.

Now, if you are playing against Shaker, a lot of your game plan must center on how to contain Lesedi Sekhobo. I mean, Sekhobo is a soccer player who has such quickness and skill, that every player on the other side has to be totally aware of where he is at all times, and his skill was on display Thursday night at Mechanicville HS in the semis, as he had moments of taking over this game.

This game was a wonderful match to watch as it was such a contrast in style, and the nearly filled house seemed to enjoy it just as much as I did by their reactions to the pace and play of the game.

Shen is quite probably the best possession team in Section Two. Their style is to keep possession, probe, and play the chess match, and I have always enjoyed watching this style. Shen is such a different team when Mark Makhatadze is back in their midfield. He has had to miss much of this season due to injury, and he adds so much when he is on the field, even tho' he is still not at full strength. If Shen plays the game like a chess match, Makhatadze is the chessmaster, always thinking three steps ahead of everyone else.

So, there is the picture of this game - Shen keeping possession, and Shaker picking and choosing when to counter and their counter attacks were dangerous, no doubt. Shaker made tremendous decisions in a good way as to when to counter and with what numbers to go forward.

Shen scored first when eight minutes in, Makhatadze placed his corner kick at the far post where Conor Brown headed it back toward the near post, and Lochlain Clarke was there to head it to the net, 1-0. Shaker leveled the score when midway thru that first period, Brendan Degan was taken down in the box. That drew a PK and Ben Halek made sure of it, 1-1.

It looked like it would be 2-1 Shaker at the half when Sekhobo intercepted a pass, blew by two defenders and at the top of the box unleashed a shot - just wide of the target. Thus, the two sides went to halftime, 1-1. Shots at goal for the first forty: Shen 3 (1 on frame), and Shaker 4 (1 on frame). Corners were 3-1, Plainsmen.

In the second half, again, some amazing counters were triggered by Sekhobo and Makhatadze continued directing the Plainsmen possession. Thirteen minutes remained when another quick counter came about as Patrick Flaherty's pass put the Shen goalmouth at risk as Brendan Degan came flying into the box with yet one marker. Degan cut the ball just enough to put the defense leaning the wrong way, then cut it back, and squeezed his shot into a narrow opening to find what turned into the game winner.

Second half shots on frame were 1-1 and at goal were 4-2, Shaker. Corners were 1-1 for the second 40.

Sometimes when I go out to play golf, I enjoy the time so much I wish it could last another hour. That is the feeling from this soccer match - two special teams playing at such a high level- how about OT? Congratulations to both for a tremendous display of soccer tonight.

Second seeded Shaker won a dramatic 2-1 sectional quarterfinal game against #7 Albany on Monday in front of a packed crowd under the lights. The game was moved to the turf due to the rain, and Albany used their size and speed to their advantage putting Shaker under a lot of pressure early on. Albany saw the run of play until Shaker really started to grow in the game and missed several chances, but Shaker was rewarded for their efforts just before halftime when Nick Pepe passed to Ben Halek who fired in the go ahead goal. Albany had chances of their own and drew level when Denis Luila found the back of the net. The game flew from end to end until about 10 minutes left when Lesedi Sekhobo passed to Andrew Kang who fired in a cross that bounced off a player and into the net for the eventual game winner. Both teams had chances in a fast paced great sectional atmosphere quarterfinal. Congrats to both squads for their efforts and Shaker now moves on to Thursday night's semi-finals at Mechanicville High School.

Shaker put their 10-0 perfect season on the line as we hosted Bethlehem at the "Swamp" at Shaker on Friday night. Shaker was led by game captains Lucas Rivera, Divansh Pramanick and team Captain Adam Singaporewala. Both teams were coming off strong performances and this was the last match of the season for both squads. There was plenty of emotion from both teams as they faced off for bragging rights and the top spot for the 2021 season. The game opened with a frantic pace, both teams testing the other from all angles, Shaker pressed high and Bethlehem responded by trying to beat the press with long balls into Shaker's defensive third. Shaker's defense and goalkeepers were up to the challenge. Most of the 1st half saw very few opportunities for either side with both team keepers making some nice saves to keep the match knotted at 0 at the break.

The second half saw the intensity pick up from both sides as they realized the season was 30 minutes from being over. The balance of the game was almost completely played in the middle 3rd of the field where both teams' midfielders played physical, aggressive "blue collar" soccer. Neither team backed down, they both dug in, it was a dogfight. There were a few opportunities on both sides that were quickly thwarted by the defenses. The game ended in a 0-0 tie, an acceptable result for both sides, neither team deserved to lose. It was an entertaining game and a great way to end the season.

The support from the families and parents (especially mine who traveled 2 1/2 hours to watch the Bison in their final game) was great, the positive encouragement kept the team's energy high all season long.

Shaker finishes the 2021 campaign undefeated with a record of 10-0-1. Outscoring their opponents 45-4.

The defense of Matt Psomas, Brodie Flaherty, David Musser and Ryan Griffin (Team Captain) along with the goal keeper trio of Will Hartman, Tyler Shull and Gannon King combined for 8 shutouts and allowed only 4 goals for allowed goals/game of .36 goals/game.

Shaker midfielders Vidun Perera (Team Captain), Adam Singaporewala (Team Captain), Dylan Carron (Team Captain), Aiden Brady, Brodie Garland, Tyden Levy, Cole Murley, John Park, Charlie Bevevino and Shriyan Ahuja dominated possession and disrupted the opposing teams attack with their relentless defensive press.

Strikers Griffin Ryan, Harrison Yu, Imran Dalil and Lucas Rivera and Divyansh Pramanick created problems for opposing defenses all season long with their speed, making great runs off the ball and creating space for themselves or their teammates to finish plays with the ball in the back of the net 45 times this season.

This team was relentless in the pursuit of their goals. We talked early and often about playing with class and dignity and winning would take care of itself. This team is made up of a group of individuals that came together to become a team, supportive, encouraging and holding each other accountable, they never backed down or gave up. I could not be prouder to be part of this program or this team. The future of Shaker Soccer is bright.

Can't wait to see what next year brings! Thanks for a great year.