Chaminade soccer heads to CHSAA state final thanks to goals by Blake Donahue, Jack Veletanga
Chaminade's Blake Donohue celebrates heading in the first goal in the CHSAA state soccer semifinals at St. John's on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. Credit: /James Messerschmidt
This was back in September when the season was just six games old. Jack Veletanga spelled out what this Chaminade boys soccer team wanted to achieve. The Flyers were shooting high.
“Our end goal is the state championship,” the senior midfielder said, “and every single day is just progress toward that.”
Now there is just one game day left in the season for the nation’s fourth-ranked team and NSCHSAA champ, and the grand prize is sitting right there for them if they can take it.
Cornell-bound senior striker Blake Donahue contributed two goals and one assist and Veletanga had one goal and one assist, and Chaminade defeated St. Francis Prep of Queens, 3-0, on Friday night at windswept Belson Stadium on the St. John’s campus in the CHSAA AA state semifinals.
So the Flyers will play for the championship at 7:15 Sunday night back on this same turf against Fordham Prep, a 5-3 winner over Canisius of Buffalo in Friday night’s other semi.
“I’m so excited right now,” Donahue said. “I didn’t get to play the last two years. I was playing in MLS [Next]. To play my senior year, it’s really great playing with all my friends. And to make it to the final, there’s no better dream for me.
“I think we’re on a hot streak right now, and I don’t think we’re going to stop.”
They will be chasing their first state title since 2021.
“Excited; also feel [it’s] deserving,” coach Brian Anselmo said. “I thought we played a really good game today. Our offense just kept at it … But our defense also was solid.”
Chaminade will bring a 17-1-1 record into the title game. It has outscored the opposition 73-8 and has posted 15 shutouts.
Donahue gave Chaminade a 1-0 lead 3:14 into this latest game, putting a header past Michael Di Cocco off a feed from Veletanga.
Then Donahue fed Veletanga in the left side of the box, and he doubled the margin with 25:50 left in the half.
Antonio Ruffo helped Keegan Portsmore hang on to his shutout in the second half by clearing a ball off the line.
Donahue capped the scoring with 1:21 left on a free kick from about 25 yards that beat Nicky Rana.
“They scored two in the first 15, so it’s hard to come back,” Terriers coach Franco Purificato said after his team finished at 17-3-1. “They’re a great team.”