Garden City boys soccer's Jack Shorr propels Trojans into another state final
Garden City's Jack Shorr, right, celebrates with Jacob Cooper after scoring during a state boys soccer Class AA semifinal on Friday in Middletown. Credit: Adrian Kraus
MIDDLETOWN — The return ticket to the state final was suddenly in question.
Harrison had just pulled even with the defending AA boys soccer champs from Garden City 6:37 into the second half of this final four game Friday night at Middletown High.
“I think these boys have done a great job all season of when that goal goes in, dealing with that adversity really well,” Trojans assistant coach Luke Connolly said.
And they did it again.
Jack Shorr will always remember the state semis from his senior year as the Garden City forward scored the tiebreaking goal and followed with another to send the Trojans in the direction of a 4-1 win over the Section 1 champion Huskies from Westchester.
“States have pretty much been our goal since the beginning of the season,” Shorr said. “I didn’t really want our season to end now.”
One way or another, the season for the 19-2 Trojans will end Saturday.
They will fight for the title here at 1 p.m. against Cornwall Central. The Section IX champ scored three goals in the final 10 minutes to stun Section V’s Churchville-Chili 3-2 in the other semi.
“So we know [Saturday] just be ready the whole game,” Shorr said. “They can pretty much any moment flip a switch and just come back.”
Last November, the Trojans took the program’s first state crown. To be in the state championship match two years running is quite an achievement in itself.
“It’s unbelievable for this soccer program and this soccer community,” assistant coach Sean Brady said. “It’s a community effort, and it’s unbelievable to be back in the state final for the second year in a row. It doesn’t just happen. It’s a lot of hard work that goes into it.”
After Dylan Fisher scored in the first half, Ellis Boyle equalized it for Harrison (18-3-2), sending a shot from the right side of the box past Michael Karcher, who otherwise made six saves.
But Shorr put Garden City back in front, converting from in close on the right off an assist from Jack Costa with 25:51 remaining. Then Shorr scored again from in close on the right with 12:50 left.
“They’re overall very good on every line, from the goalie down to everything,” Huskies coach Alejandro Galeano said.
Oliver Williams fed Costa for an exclamation point on the victory. The senior midfielder scored with 1:49 showing on the scoreboard clock.
“We want to keep the state title as the goal for Garden City soccer now,” Costa said. “I feel like we’re Garden City. We win. We continue to win. And we have won in the past. So we want to have that for every sport.”
