Just hours before the Flyers' Tuesday afternoon matchup with the Firebirds of Kellenberg, the United Soccer Coaches most recent poll was unveiled. After starting the season unranked, Chaminade's varsity soccer team found out that they would be taking the pitch that day as a top-five team in the country.

"This is a recognition of our hard work; we haven't backed away from a competitive schedule," said head coach Brian Anselmo upon hearing the big news in advance of his team's match. "The ranking is nice, but we can't make a big deal about this. I told the team that we couldn't take anything for granted. Stay humble, work hard, and stick together!"

Even though the top-five ranking was on the mind of the footies, they had a larger goal on which to focus. With a win, the Flyers would clinch the top seed in the playoffs and host a home playoff game in the semifinals. Additionally, Chaminade seemed especially motivated to celebrate Senior Day at Gold Star Stadium. 

Kellenberg entered the road match sporting a 5-2-1 record in October. Coming off a nail-biting loss against St. Anthony's, the Firebirds were eager to claim a victory against Chaminade with the second playoff seed in their sights.

The two teams last met in late September in Uniondale, where Chaminade snagged a commanding 5-1 victory over the Firebirds, highlighted by a Blake Donohue performance in which he tallied a goal and an assist. Since then, Chaminade has won five of six, posting six straight clean sheets in the process.

On a warm, sunny afternoon, Luca Coschignano of Kellenberg kicked it off, and the game was underway. In the first 10 minutes of the match, Chaminade controlled possession, but they couldn't break the ice. The Flyers peppered shots around the net of Kellenberg goalkeeper, Michael Illiano, but could not convert. 

The dam finally broke for Chaminade in the 12th minute, when a throw-in from Donohue gave the Flyers a golden opportunity. Donohue flung the ball near the far post, and it trickled in the vicinity of senior midfielder Jack Velentanga. Veletanga curled to the ball and got tugged to the ground by the Firebirds' Coschignano. The whistle blew, and Veletanga was given a penalty kick.

As he stepped into the circle, he placed the ball down, set himself up, jogged to the spot, and put it on net. The shot tickled to the right side while Illiano dove to the left; the ball bouncing into the back of the net to give Chaminade a 1-0 lead.

Just three minutes later, the Flyers found another gem of a chance. After a throw-in from the far side by Donohue, the ball ricocheted off the head of Kevin Duffy and bounced to a slashing Danny Bonilla. From ten yards out, Bonilla played it to himself and fired it past Illiano to give Chaminade a 2-0 advantage.

Bonilla added to his tally later in the game. In the 20th minute, Antonio Testani, a senior from Franklin Square, crossed it in from the corner perfectly to the head of Bonilla, who angled it into the net, extending the Chaminade lead to 3-0.

After the game, Coach Anselmo raved how Bonilla has played this season: "He is one of the best players in the league. We expect performances like the one he had today from him."

It was more of the same dominance from the Flyers to end the first half. Senior Antonio Ruffo veered the ball into the net off a Testani corner; then, Claudio Reres split through two defenders and nailed it past Illiano to make the score 5-0 at intermission. 

The second half was much like the first; Chaminade controlled the pace of play, and they had smart possessions, deliberately picking their spots to be aggressive and making the right pass every time.

Reres tacked on the Flyers' sixth goal in the second frame, bringing the senior's total for the game to two.

"We know how talented he is," said Coach Anselmo when asked about Reres's contributions. "We were waiting for him to break out. We knew if he was aggressive, he would make a difference, and he did exactly that today."

Junior Gianluca Falanga upped the goal total to seven on the day for Chaminade, who went home happy, winning by a final score of 7-0. It was the Flyers' seventh straight clean sheet and their fourth straight game with at least three goals scored.

The number-one playoff seed was now in the hands of the Flyers.

"I am proud of the guys because it is recognition of our hard work and consistency," said Coach Anselmo. "This is only the first of many goals that we look to accomplish. It is one goal checked off the list, but we are looking to check off more in these upcoming weeks."

The Flyers hope to conclude their stupendous regular season with an impeccable conference record as they duel St. Anthony's on Thursday night in South Huntington. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Looking to rebound after the loss, Kellenberg squares off against St. Mary's on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in Manhasset.