HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' SOCCER: EARLY GOAL HELPS PROPEL CORNING TO 4TH STRAIGHT SECTIONAL TITLE (24 PHOTOS) (2023-10-27)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
CORNING — Less than five minutes into the Section 4, Class AAA Championship game the ball landed on the foot of Corning’s Carter Rosno and the senior did what he’s done so many times this year, found the back of the net.

That early goal helped propel the Hawks, ranked sixth in the state in Class AAA, to their fourth straight sectional title as they beat Elmira 5-2 on Thursday night.

“We have really been talking about combo play, just making quick passes and creating space and they did such a great job of doing that for most of the night,” Corning coach Chad Freelove said. “Possessed the ball well, created space well, had a lot of attacking opportunities and took advantage of those attacking opportunities.”

The early goal helped the Hawks get some momentum going early in the game.

“Real good, sets the tone for the whole game,” Rosno said.

It had been 15 days since Corning last played, in the STAC semifinals, and there were definitely some worries about how they would come out early in this game.

“Absolutely, and the truth is, when you do that (take so much time off), you start going through the motions,” Freelove said. “We did a couple team bonding activities and yesterday’s training was just a great training, and we left yesterday just feeling like if we brought that training over to the game today we’d be okay and the guys did that.

“I hadn’t eaten all day, I was a little nervous. So, when the first one went in, my stomach started letting me know I hadn’t eaten and I should probably do that after I leave.”

The players know how important the early goal was coming off so much time off.

“I was very curious to what we were going to do (after the long layoff), but once we got out there and scored the goal,” Rosno said. “I think we just played very intense. Our finishing on set pieces was very good. We just controlled the ball.”

Corning got the Rosno goal at 35:16 off a Jake Kempton assist. Rosno then set up Charlie Warner for a goal at 22:43.

Taylor Freelove launched a rocket from 20 yards out at 8:41 off an assist from goalie Caleb Anderson to make it 3-0 at the half.

Rosno made it 4-0 at 31:24 of the second half when he was taken down in the box then buried a shot into the left corner.

Ashtyn Traugott-Knoll got Elmira on the board at 24:48 and Kempton drilled a shot off the far post and into the net off an assist from Warner with 9:42 left in the game.

Traugott-Knoll scored with 2:24 left to cap the scoring.

The two goals for Rosno gave him 40 on the season, which has shattered the school single-season record.

“The truth is, because he is such a good scorers teams have to come out wherever he is and it opens up space elsewhere too,” Freelove said. “So, his scoring prowess also leads to others, he had another assist tonight, I think he has eight on the year. So, just being such a strong scorer created space for all his teammates as well.”

Before this year the school record at Corning for a career was 41 goals, Rosno is now approaching that number in one season.

“I hit 40, I am trying to break the all-time in one season,” Rosno said. “I’m two away, it was 41, so I need 42.”

Sam Brenen-Buseck made a number of big saves for Elmira in the game and Anderson made multiple big saves for Corning. Corning’s Logan Durand finished the game in net.

Corning will play the Section 1 champion at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Yorktown High School in a sub-regional game.

The sectional title is nice, but for Rosno the goal is winning regionals.

“It feels real good, but my head is on regionals,” he said. “I want to win that more than anything. (I want it) So bad. Two years I lost regional finals, so I want to win just one.”
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES


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