“Ross has played a big role all year for us, and today was no exception,” Newton North coach Roy Dow said.

The Tigers’ defense was elastic, bending but not breaking. The backline of Gianluca Monti Guarnieri (senior), Peter Reale (junior), Owen Knapp (sophomore) and Lorenzo Grimaldi (sophomore) neutralized threats outside the box.

That didn’t stop senior goalkeeper Gabino Talisayon ​​from providing moments of brilliance. He commanded the box and made a sliding right-leg save to deny junior Luke Dougherty in the 70th minute.

“His quality is real,” Dow said. “His mastery of the 18-meter penalty area is real. It’s dynamite. He’s great. He’s going to play at the next level and I think throughout the tournament he showed why.

The Tigers refused to take the ranking into account. They believe they can play with anyone. With NYU commit Talisayon ​​returning from injury, the Tigers have given up just one goal in four games.

“They are committed to making a story and getting a sense of what it means to be part of something bigger than themselves,” Dow said.

The story has not yet reached its end.

“Football, the 80 minutes we played, is a game of moments,” Talisayon ​​said. “What comes out of this isn’t about moments; it’s about consistency and hard work, every day. This is what our team did. We didn’t skip any days. We did not relax. It’s something the team has put more effort into than anything else in their lives. It’s something special for all of us.

Cam Kerry can be contacted at [email protected].