PCHS soccer teams lose in the playoffs but both score All-League selections

November 6, 2024 at 11:32 p.m.

The 2024 Port Chester boys’ varsity soccer team. Front row, from left: David Dolores, Wali Imafidon, Pedro Barreno, Matthew Ceja, Sebastian Sanchez, Alexander Villa, Emanuel Valdovinos. Middle row, from left: Ivan Gracia, Aldo Gramajo, Jayson Reyes, Alex Sigua, Emmanuel Garcia, Jelson Umanzor, Celso Silva, Brayan Lapoyeu, Rocco Larizza, Jayden Coyt, Marcos Barajas, Juan Gamboa, Denilson Suhul. Back row, from left: Coach John Cafaldo, Jonathan Mendieta, Donovan Monroy, Ivan Henao, Ezequil Munoz, Luiz Almieda, Brandon Flores, Giovanni Arreguin, Enrique Farias, Joao Silva, Daniel Sagastizado, Arthur Oliveros, Lennie Valle, Coach Hernandez. Not pictured: Bertrand Arana-Moreau, Steven Zhinin and Jayden Espinal. (Joseph DeCarlo/Westmore News)

It was the moment of truth for veteran Port Chester head soccer coaches John Cafaldo and Danny Alvarado, a lot of moments actually, playoff game-filled moments for the Ram and Lady Ram mentors respectively.

Because the one-and-done playoffs showed the local coaches that even though their teams were stacked with All-League players and had success during the regular fall season, that success didn't mean a thing once the playoffs started.

The playoffs showcased Section 1's best teams going up against the best teams in a survival of the fittest.  And while both Port Chester teams had memorable regular seasons, they didn't get it done in the playoffs.

The playoff losses

The Rams won their first-round game in overtime against higher seed Ramapo away but got knocked out in the quarterfinals away against Scarsdale, one of the top-ranked teams in the state. And the Lady Rams lost their first-round game against higher seed Mamaroneck away.

The Rams rallied against Ramapo after trailing most of the game by a score of 1-0. But Bertrand Moreau scored the tying goal with about four minutes left to play in regulation and junior varsity call up Ivan Garcia notched the winning overtime goal about a minute into the first extra time period. It was a different story against Scarsdale with the Raiders up 6-0 until Ivan Henao scored a late goal for the Rams that broke up the shutout. But it was too little too late.

The learning experience

"Our season is now officially over, " Cafaldo said after the Scarsdale contest. "We had a very disappointing game at Scarsdale in which we lost 6-1. Although the season ended on a rough note, we had some great growing and learning experiences. We got a lot of our young guys who are going to be the core of the team a lot of playing time. We are going to focus on getting better, stronger and more cohesive as a team in the off season...But we nonetheless had a great season that we can all take a great deal of pride from. We do, however, now know what it will take to get to the level of many of the remaining teams in our conference. So Scarsdale was a learning experience and was very eye opening. Hopefully we continue to grow and get the opportunity to play later in the playoffs in the coming years."

Cafaldo's well-conditioned teams almost always make the playoffs, albeit none have come as close as the 2012 Steven Hernandez-led Rams team which came within one goal of winning the school's first ever state championship in Albany, losing 2-1 in the finals to the defending state champions.

The Ram All Stars

But there was no denying that this was a special Rams 8-5-5 team because Moreau, Marcos Barajas and David Dolores were named to the All-League Team and Dolores also made the All-Section Team.

Alvarado's Lady Rams put together a turnaround season after finishing 3-12 last year and failing to make the playoffs by bouncing back to go 8-8 during the regular fall season and making the playoffs this time around. So even though they lost to Mamaroneck 4-0 in the opening playoff round, they too felt their season was a step in the right direction.

"We are pleased with our season but hungry for more," Alvarado said after the Mamaroneck loss. "So we will work harder in the off-season; most girls who don't play other sports will join my Lady Rams track team and we will start soccer spring training early as well as a summer league if we can get into one. We are looking to get better for next year as we close this chapter. "

But that chapter had some memorable moments for both teams. For the Rams, most of them ironically came against Lincoln when it came to scoring. Alexander Villa scored a hat trick with three goals during a 9-1 win over the Lincs while Brayan Lapoyeu and Brandon Flores both scored twice while Enrique Farias and Henao both also scored.

The top Lady Rams

The Lady Rams also had three players named to the All-League Team with senior captains Gioiella Pastena and Bridget Morocho, who anchored the team's offense and defense respectively, making the first team as did sophomore Gianna Rende while seniors Alison Lopez, goalie Tamara Correia, senior striker Saidy Hernandez and sophomore Kelly Mendoza all earned All-League Honorable Mention.

So, despite neither team making a run deep into the playoffs, it was still a very good year for the Rams and Lady Rams.