There was a seven-minute stretch in the first quarter on Tuesday that didn’t just convince you that Pleasantvile was going to win the Section 1 championship. The Panthers were so dominant, you’d think they were going to be able to pick their score.
But Bronxville reminded Pleasantville there are no givens in the Section 1 playoffs, forcing perhaps the most tense and frustrating three quarters the Panthers had played all season. Pleasantville hung on for a 6-5 victory in the Class D Championship at Yorktown High School, nearly squandering a six-goal advantage and holding on in the closing seconds.
Tournament Bracket: Pleasantville repeats in Class D
Season Results: Pleasantville | Bronxville
Game replay: Pleasantville vs Bronxville on LocalLive.tv
Full Highlights: Pleasantville holds off Bronxville for Class D title:
“We know if we keep it a close game with them, it’s going to be like this,” Panthers senior Daniel Picart said. “We made it a point to come out hot, and we did. But we started to trail off and took our foot off the gas.”
Pleasantville scored all six of its goals from the 7:01 mark in the first quarter until 9.7 seconds remaining in the period. They were kept out of the cage the rest of the way thanks to strong Bronxville defense and eye-popping goal-tending from University of North Carolina-bound star Luke Arrighi.
Picart, Nick Reich and Aidan Cotter each scored twice for the Panthers.
Theo McMurray and Jack Reilly each scored twice for Bronxville. Ben Atkeson had the other goal while Teddy Gramins, Brian Formato and Nick Martinelli each had assists. Arrighi made 14 saves in the loss.
Bronxville had a chance in the closing seconds to potentially tie the game after forcing a turnover with 7.9 seconds to play. Out of a timeout, Brady Dolan had a 60-yard heave down the field that was nearly redirected into the goal. Pleasantville goalie Andrew Nessel made the save to preserve the win.
The Panthers move on to the NYSPHSAA Class D Regionals on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Lynch Middle School in upstate Amsterdam. They will take on the Section 2 champion.
