Peters Township, Canon-McMillan off to Hershey; South Fayette falls in semifinals
Mario Mastrangelo (No. 11) dribbles past Colin Marcavage during PIAA Class AAA boys’ semifinal soccer action at Mansion Park in Altoona. Mastrangelo’s hat trick propelled Peters Township to victory, 3-0, over Lower Dauphin and into the state championship game set for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15 in Hershey.
Andrew Pine reacts in agony after Lancaster Mennonite scored the game-winning goal 1:16 seconds into the second overtime to beat South Fayette, 2-1, and advance the PIAA state championship game in Hershey.
And then there were two. Peters Township and Canon-McMillan advanced soccer teams to the PIAA championships set for Nov. 14 in Hershey while South Fayette faltered in its bid to reach the state finals.
In a Class AAA boys’ semifinal showdown at Mansion Park in Altoona, the Indians of McMurray blanked Lower Dauphin, 3-0. Mario Mastrangelo tallied all three goals. Rylen Faloni and Jake Valley were credited with assists.
With the win, Peters Township improved to 21-2 overall and moved on to face Great Valley (19-5-2) in the finals set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at HersheyPark Stadium. With the loss, the Falcons ended their season with an 18-6-1 overall record.
The shutout marked the 19th of the season for the Indians. Goalkeeper Josh Deymarmin led the defense, which is comprised of Valley, Sean Harrison and Kelson Marison. In addition, the midfield of Faloni, Matt Massucci, Ryan Ponchione, Dylan Weyers and Wes Ward applied the pressure to deny Lower Dauphin any serious scoring attempts.
“We couldn’t be happier with this result,” said PT head coach Bob Dyer. “It is great to see these kids accomplish something like this. No one is happier than my daughter right now. Cal, you’re finally going to Chocolate World.”
The Lady Macs, likewise, are thrilled because they are making their first trip to Hershey in girls’ soccer history at Canon-McMillan High School.
The Lady Macs used a 2-1 victory against Central Bucks East (19-4-2) in Chambersburg to punch their ticket to the Class AAA girls’ state championship game set for 4 p.m. Saturday. Canon-Mac will take on Central Bucks West (19-6-1) in the finals.
Canon-Mac jumped off to a 2-0 lead and held on for the victory. Midway through the first half, Sabrina Bryan, scored the initial tally, off an assist from Aideen O’Donoghue. With 23 minutes remaining in the match, O’Donoghue scored off a corner kick.
Kyra Murphy stopped four shots but the Lady Macs surrendered a goal late in the contest. Emma Loving scored off her own rebound of a hard shot that initially was thwarted by Murphy, who has given up just 12 goals all season.
“Kyra is outstanding technically, and she’s big, she’s physical and she commands her goal,” CM coach Dave Derrico said. “In front of her, we have three very strong defenders, so that makes it easier for Kyra to pick her times. She doesn’t give up very many goals.”
The goal South Fayette surrendered stung. Seventy-six seconds into the second overtime, Sebastian Acosta scored, giving Lancaster Mennonite (24-2) a 2-1 victory over the Lions and a berth in the Class AA boys’ state final.
The score ended a Cinderella season for the Lions, who were the third-place finisher out of District 7 and had won two straight PIAA games to reach the semifinals in Altoona. South Fayette finished 18-5-1 for the season.
The Blazers took a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute of regulation on a goal by Erik Peachey. David Alejos assisted.
Ten minutes into the second half, the Lions netted the equalizer. Jeremy Zura registered the goal, which was set up by Nick McKee.
“I thought we were the better team in the second half and throughout the overtime, but we were unlucky,” SF coach Rob Eldridge said. “We just couldn’t cash in on a few of our chances.”