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PURCHASE, N.Y. - Horace Greeleys varsity boys soccer team capped off its Cinderella run through the Section 1 Class AA tournament behind the foot of senior Jeremy Kesselhaut, who scored both Quaker goals in a 2-1 win on over John Jay-East Fishkill on Saturday at Purchase College.
Ever since the first section game, we just kept saying We believe, said Kesselhaut.
The journey began last Friday for the 13th-seeded Quakers when they pulled off a 1-0 upset over No. 4 Suffern in the first round. From there, they took down No. 5 Scarsdale and No. 8 Clarkstown South, both by the score of 3-0.
We just knew that our belief would keep us going. It could fuel us to victory, said Kesselhaut. We just kept the momentum going.
After a scoreless first half, which saw the tempo shift back and forth between Horace Greeley and John Jay-EF, Kesselhaut put Horace Greeley ahead with 32:19 remaining. After breaking away from the John Jay defenders, Kesselhaut used his left foot to get the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Last game, I blew some chances," Kesselhaut said. "In practice yesterday I just fought really hard to get this team back and to finish those opportunities. I just went right for the goal, kept my eyes on the ball, and right when I needed to I looked up and put it right exactly where I wanted to.
Following Kesselhauts second goal with 9:20 remaining, John Jay-EF fought back and put a barrage of shots on net. The celebratory mood among the Horace Greeley fans suddenly grew tense when the Patriots finally got on the board with 5:12 remaining. It was the first goal Horace Greeley allowed in the entire tournament.
The Quakers, however, were able to regain their composure and held on to win their first section title since 2007.
Who would have thought? said Kesselhaut. We just kept believing. This team is very special.
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