The top-ranked Lackawanna Steelers ran away with a 7-1 victory in a Section VI, Class B1 boys soccer semifinal game at West Seneca West High School.

Lackawanna (17-1, 1-seed) came into the game as the favorite in Class B1 as the top seed, and it was clear to see what all the hype was about.

“Lackawanna is a very skilled team, a very well-conditioned team, they move the ball extremely well, and they showed a lot of composure on the ball,” said Golden Cougars head coach Nick Quattrone. “We were caught chasing a lot tonight, and it ultimately got us out of position, which gave them a lot of opportunities to score goals, which they did.”

Within the first 10 minutes, Cassadaga Valley-Falconer (10-7-1, 5-seed) faced four legitimate scoring chances from the top-seeded Steelers, but goalkeeper Donovan Delaney made four huge saves, including two back-to-back saves in the box, while a fifth Lackawanna shot sailed outside of the net before the first 10 minutes passed. Delaney claimed the role of starting goalkeeper after Nathan Bailey suffered a severe concussion late in the year.

Cassadaga Valley/Falconer's Gabe Lundmark moves the ball upfield during Monday's Section VI Class B1 semifinal against Lackawanna at West Seneca West High School. OBSERVER Photo by Tim Frank

“Donovan, ever since stepping into that role of being the number one goalkeeper, has taken it by the reins and just rode with it,” Quattrone said. “He embraces that opportunity to back the team, and keeps us in games with clutch saves, timely saves. He’s been excellent for us since Nathan’s injury.”

Although Cassadaga Valley/Falconer survived the first 10 minutes unscathed, the next 10 minutes were not as kind to the fifth-seeded Golden Cougars.

First, the Steelers capitalized on a feed into the box for a header by Muneer Hussein to notch the game’s first goal. Hussein then followed up with a stellar move around a Golden Cougars defender to center the ball into the box, perfectly on the foot of Hailan Mohsin to double the lead.

Hussein had plenty of reasons to celebrate on the night, and he didn’t miss his chance to do so. Hussein celebrated his second goal of the contest by hitting the griddy, sticking his tongue out while he danced just feet from the Golden Cougars’ bench. Hussein did the same celebration again on the other side of the field after a goal in the second half.

As badly as the game appeared to be slipping out of hand after the third first-half Lackawanna goal, the Golden Cougars showed signs of life right before the break.

After a foul in the box, Cassadaga Valley/Falconer called upon senior defenseman Calvin Hilliker to step up to the line for a penalty kick. The senior came through with a booming kick to the lower right quadrant of the net for the first goal of the night for the Golden Cougars.

“Our mentality changed completely after that. We had a lot of momentum. We came off the field thinking and hoping that there’s still life in this game. There’s still 40 minutes left,” Quattrone said. “Calvin’s goal really sparked us. It gave us some life.”

Unfortunately for the Golden Cougars, the break gave Lackawanna a chance to reset as well. With a team as talented as the Steelers are, starting anew usually is in its favor. It certainly played out that way on Monday.

Lackawanna immediately doubled its goal output within the first five minutes of the second half, with three goals, including two from Hailan Mohsin, his 40th and 41st goals on the season.

“I feel like we weren’t disciplined defensively, and that goes for our offensive players coming back to help defensively, too, it’s not just pinned on the defense,” Quattrone said. “We were caught chasing a little too much, and with a team like (Lackawanna) that moves the ball that well and shows that kind of speed and technique, they are going to bury those every time.”

The Steelers scored their seventh goal of the game with more than 30 minutes remaining in the contest. The final 30 minutes were scoreless for each side.

Lackawanna now advances to the Class B1 championship game against East Aurora, on Friday at 7:30 p.m., back at West Seneca West High School.

Monday, however, closed the chapter on the Golden Cougars’ season, along with the careers of the team’s seven seniors.

“One positive I’ll take from this season is that we had a very strong leadership core that carried themselves in such a good way. They were such good examples for these young players,” Quattrone said. “These young players next year should have a lot of experience from these playoff games, and they can look back and try to mimic what these leaders on the team did, because they were exceptional.”