ROME — For the first scoreless 76 minutes, the Rome Free Academy boys soccer team pressed the Fowler defense and piled up shots on goal.

With overtime looming in the Section III Class AA opening round playoff game at RFA Stadium Wednesday, senior Lucas Yanik got his head on a ball off a corner kick and found the back of the net to give the Black Knights a 1-0 lead.

Eigthth-seeded RFA held the lead and advanced to the quarterfinals to play top seed Fayetteville-Manlius (12-3-1) at 7 p.m. Friday on the road.

RFA put sustained pressure on the Falcons' defense for virtually all 80 minutes. Maintaining possession also had the benefit of preventing the nine seed from counter attacking, which was Fowler's plan for scoring most of the night.

RFA piled up six shots on goal in the first half to Fowler's two, then replicated the effort in the second half. Fowler goalkeeper Shema Diermerci ended with 12 saves while RFA goalie Max Hilderbran had four.

Most of RFA's offense was generated by Collin Gannon. He almost broke the tie with three minutes left in the first half with a looping shot just over the cross bar then almost converted twice in an eight-minute span in the middle of the second half. First it was a shot as he cut to the middle of the field that required a diving save. Then he fired a shot short side that took a kick save to stop.

When the RFA goal did come, it was the team's first converted corner kick of the season, head coach Chad Reese noted. Raheem Taylor sent the kick into the box where Yanik was only a few feet away from goal. He got his head on it and directed it across the line for his fourth goal of the season.

"We were unlucky not to score," Yanik said of the team's many chances. But when his chance came, he converted. "I got a great pass from my teammate Raheem, who has been feeding me all season." He said he knew he'd have an opportunity to get position close to goal on the play. "When it's in the box it's an all-or-nothing opportunity. I saw an opportunity and I buried it."

"We've talked about how set pieces can decide games," Reese said. "It did tonight in our favor." He said the team's fitness put players in position to win corners late in the game, setting up the opportunity to get a goal that way.

Reese credited the defense with keeping the Fowler offense in check. "We talked about playing tight because they're dangerous," he said. "I thought we did well on defense. Pleased with the outcome." He singled out Cooper Engelbert for his work on defense. The coach's message to the defenders was simple: "Don't give them any space to turn."

The game against the Hornets will be a challenge, Reese said. "We have to play our best game of the year to come out of there" with a win. Yanik said the team must communicate and execute, and must continue to create opportunities from the wings as it did Wednesday. "If we lock down our finishing in the box we'll be able to win our next game."

RFA improves to 11-5-1 on the season. The Knights did not play against the Hornets during the regular season.