NYPost.com PSAL boys soccer beat writer Zach Braziller breaks down Sunday’s Class B final on Randall’s Island.
SCHEDULE
11 a.m. – No. 1 John F. Kennedy vs. No. 6 Washington Irving
No. 1 John F. Kennedy Knights
Head coach: O’Neil Spencer
Record: 16-1-0, Bronx B
Player to watch: Stephen Owusu
How they got there: Defeated No. 16 Hillcrest, 5-2, in the second round; defeated No. 8 Hunter College HS, 2-1, in the quarterfinals; and defeated No. 5 Queens Vocational Tech, 2-1 in overtime, in the semifinals.
No. 6 Washington Irving Bulldogs
Head coach: Mark Hayward
Record: 15-1-0, Manhattan B-I
Player to watch: Itamar Alv Pereira
How they got there: Defeated No. 27 Mott Haven, 3-1, in the first round; defeated No. 22 Newtown, 1-0, in the second round; defeated No. 3 FDA, 2-1, in the quarterfinals; and defeated No. 2 Millennium, 2-0, in the semifinals.
Outlook: Kennedy has edged the last two champions, Hunter College HS and Queens Vocational Tech, in the previous two rounds. Are the Knights ready to claim the crown? After consecutive .500 seasons, the high-scoring Knights won Bronx B and have shown they are far more than merely a high-scoring club, allowing just four goals in three postseason matches.
Make no mistake, Kennedy still relies on its attack, led by Bronx B-leading scorer Stephen Owusu and complimentary pieces Edwin Munoz and Bazoumana Coulibaly, who had a team-high 17 assists.
Irving has its dynamic finisher in junior striker Itamar Alv Pereira, who has 28 goals during the regular season and playoffs. Converted sweeper Louis Caballero and stopper Ali Saleh have fortified the back line in front of keeper Kenneth Caballero.
Unlike Kennedy, which was granted the top seed after winning Bronx A, Irving has played the entire postseason with a chip on its shoulder. Despite finished tied with Millennium atop Manhattan B-I, the Bulldogs got the sixth seed while Millennium was second.
“I sort of treated it like the Rodney Dangerfield syndrome – no respect,” Irving coach Mark Hayward joked after his team eliminated Millennium, 2-0, in the semifinals.
The Bulldogs are thrilled to get to this point. They have made the playoffs nine of the previous 11 years, but had failed to get past the second round before this fall.
“It feels great, I just want the best for the kids,” Irving coach Mark Hayward said. “They worked hard all year long, I just want to bring it home. They deserve it.”
