Un-Four-gettable Final
Salem wins 3-1 thriller from Canton in Regional final

 
   Savage hit nothing but the back of the net with 14:13 to play when he controlled a rebound off a Jake Genrich direct kick and steered it to Walther's left just inside the right post.

  "That was a redeemer, for sure," Savage said, explaining how his tie-breaking goal helped wipe away the memory of the shot he narrowly missed earlier in the half.

  "The ball came across the box to me and there was a lane for me to hit it. I didn't want to put too much on it because I wanted to make sure it was on net and I wanted to keep it low, especially the way the wind was blowing."

  Salem's "Savage" attack struck again with 1:08 to play when Lachlan Savage accepted a pass from Alex Tramel, made a slick move on a Canton defender 15 yards out, and touched the ball past Walther to cap the scoring.

   "The run these kids made was fantastic," said George Tomasso. "Even today, when we a great team like Salem at the  half, they never gave up and earned the equalizer.

  "A 14-win season is a fantastic accomplishment. I'm proud of the seniors and I'm looking forward to the future with all these young kids coming back. We should continue to be competitive in the future."

  Salem will play Holt on Wednesday at a yet-to-be-determined site. It will be the Rocks' first final four appearance  since 2003.

  "I was really impressed with Canton and how they came out with a lot of energy," said Salem coach Ed McCarthy. "For such a young team, I thought they played very well and very hard.

  "I thought our possession was very good today, especially in the first half against the wind. They countered us after a good opportunity for us, which is the sign of a good team. At that point, our energy level went up a lot."

  The Rocks' back line of John Krutty, Tommy Halewicz, Brandon Barfuss and Genrich played its usual solid game.

  "This means a lot, especially after last year when we came this far and lost in the same game," said Krutty. "Our back line is really coming together well. We just have to stay focused the rest of the way."