Federico to the rescue in Essex’s penalty shootout win

ESSEX - It took a moment to process, but Paul Federico bounced off his line and raised his arm skyward.

The celebration had already started. Hamza Halilovic fell to his knees, shaking both fists as his body folded to the grass. Other teammates emptied from the sidelines and converged onto a crush of fans and Federico, the hero of Tuesday’s Division I high school boys soccer semifinals.

Federico knocked in the go-ahead penalty kick and then, seconds later, returned to his net and stoned South Burlington’s final attempt of the 4-3 shootout as top-seeded Essex knocked off No. 4 South Burlington to advance to Saturday’s state championship game.

When 110 minutes of soccer — 80 minutes of regulation and two 15-minute overtime periods — couldn’t decide a 1-1 deadlock, the result was put into the hands — and on the right foot — of Federico, the Hornets’ starting goalie.

“I couldn’t really send five (penalty takers) out there and not include Paul. He deserves the right to be able to decide his senior season,” Essex coach Jake Orr said. “We’ve been talking about them writing their own story, creating their own legacy and being a team that, when I’m coaching in five years, I could say, ‘Well back in 2016 this happened.’

“That right there is an amazing story — of somebody stepping up.”

Federico, one of 11 seniors, deposited his penalty kick, in the fifth round of the shootout, high to the right side. And on the ensuing PK by South Burlington’s Mike Flaherty, Federico dove to his right and stuffed the shot with both hands to secure Essex’s 20th D-I title-game appearance.

The Hornets (15-1-1), winners of nine straight, will meet No. 2 Burlington (16-1) in Saturday’s state final at Buck Hard Field.

“There’s no feeling like it. Boys grinded the whole game and we just came out on top,” Federico said. “We’ve worked so hard this season. I couldn’t imagine anything less than not getting to that championship. We are certainly ready for it.”

Essex’s A.J. Whitney and Tristan Salgado and South Burlington’s Ben Lambert and Amerlin Nemeye converted their PKs to keep the teams even through two rounds.

“We won the coin toss and I chose to shoot first with the idea being if you can do your job, you put the pressure on them,” Orr said.

But to open the third attempts, South Burlington goalie Josh Phillips lunged to his right to gobbled up Matt Lyon’s blast. South Burlington striker Patrick O’Hara then sailed his chance over the bar and was met with a hug by Federico.

Knotted at 2 through three rounds, Jordan Calhoun drilled his attempt for Essex and Lukas Kaiser knocked one in for South Burlington.

Calhoun’s conversion was particularly pleasing for Orr, who had drawn up consequences for missed PKs during training sessions since playoffs started last week.

“(Calhoun) missed one and the whole team had to run around the complex, about three-fourths of a mile,” Orr said. “And we told him, ‘Look, we are trying to get you ready to handle the pressure. Who knows if it worked, but he took a beautiful PK.”

In the final round, Federico shined with his kick and save.

“I was standing on the sideline talking to my assistant. Obviously, we were nervous, it’s tied up, in the last frame. I told him if Paul scores, he’s going to be feeling so good, I bet he’ll save the next one,” Orr said. “When he scored, there was such a relief — like now I can win this thing.

“What an amazing job by Paul.”

The Hornets, like they did in the regular-season matchup vs. the Rebels, struck first.

Earning a throw-in deep in South Burlington’s defensive third, Salgado collected a pass and floated a cross toward goal, where Halilovic made a near-post run and redirected with his head for the tally with 16:18 left in the first half.

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South Burlington found the equalizer about six minutes into the second half. O’Hara darted into the box and was taken down from behind to set up Nemeye’s spot-kick attempt. The junior Nemeye, with his left foot, went to his left and underneath the diving attempt of Federico to draw level.

But the Rebels’ pressure soon dissipated, and the Hornets provided the better of the chances for the final 20 minutes of regulation and into the overtime periods.

Whitney had several offerings go wide or high. Jackson Barnes, from the corner of the 18, sent a looping shot that dropped out of bounds, narrowly missing the left post. Ryan Guerino had a rip from the right, about 12 yards out, that spun off Phillips (eight saves) and then cleared by a Rebel defender.

And Lyon delivered the afternoon’s biggest near-miss, a 30-yard missile that Phillips deflected with his hand before it rocked the crossbar in the 77th minute.

“We had a good stretch of play in the beginning of second half and I wish we had tucked away that second goal there, but we weren’t able to,” South Burlington coach David Martin said. “That Essex team is senior-laden and quite a bit bigger than us, more physical and play a different style.”

The Rebels, who beat Essex in a penalty shootout in the 2014 title game, finish at 13-4.

“Our goal this year was to make it to the championship game. We were penalty kicks away from realizing that goal,” Martin said. “We should be proud that we are playing in November, because there are not many people, high school or college, still playing in November. We made it that far.”

And this shootout went the Hornets’ way.

“PKs are a really crappy way to lose a game. But I don’t think there is any shame in winning a PK battle,” said Orr, in his second year at his alma mater. “Both teams fought really hard for 110 minutes and it came down to sending your best five out there.”

Federico finished with four saves.

This story was originally published on Nov. 1, 2016. Contact Alex Abrami at 660-1848 or aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aabrami5