The Poly Prep boys soccer team has been known for its star power, from goalkeeper Richie Carbone last year to standout strikers in previous seasons.
That identity has typified the current Blue Devils. There isn’t much difference on the current club from the first to the last man on the first team.
“I like it this way,” Poly Prep coach Gerry Stone said.
He has had little to complain about as the Blue Demons finished third in the Ivy League during the regular season with a 13-3-0 mark and have yet to be challenged in its first two NYSAISAA playoff matches.
The Blue Devils advanced to the tournament final with a 3-0 shutout of No. 7 Columbia Prep in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on Friday, booking its four straight trip to the season’s climactic match, where it will meet the winner of No. 1 Hackley/No. 5 Collegiate. Fullbacks Jack Zaykowski and Greg Pietroforte each scored and Jeremy Kochman also found the back of the net.
“We like to push our backs up as often as possible and low and behold today both of them scored goals,” Stone said. “The kids are very unselfish. They are totally into it. They are not looking to be starts. They are supporting each other. Whoever gets the goal gets the goal. It’s been a team effort.”
Poly Prep (15-3-0) did have its struggles against the Ivy League’s elite, dropping two contests to Horace Mann and splitting a pair with Hackley, but did sweep the season series from Collegiate. It reached the NYSAISAA title game last year, too, but fell to Dalton, which has been a source of motivation for the Blue Devils from the preseason until now.
“We’re playing our best, we’re healthy we’re ready for Sunday,” Stone said. “I think we’ll have a great chance. It will be a really tight game. …. One thing we have to do is finish our chances. We create a lot of chance, but we don’t finish as well as we should.”
