Upper St. Clair clinches section title in soccer
Winning the Section 5-AAA boys’ soccer title brings a sigh of relief as well as some grief to the champion. Just ask Upper St. Clair. Twice this season, the Panthers edged Peters Township, 1-0, on Sept. 18 and 2-1 on Oct. 2, to clinch the championship.
With the win, USC, which has won the past two state titles, improved to 9-0 in the section. The Panthers are 13-0-1 overall. TopDrawerSoccer.com ranks USC No. 3 in the state and No. 19 in the country. The organization also rates Peters Township No. 5 in the state. The Indians are 11-2 overall. They slipped to 7-2 in the section, which they won last year along with the WPIAL banner.
Giving a nod to USC’s valiant opponent, interim head coach Mike Blatz said Peters Township “worries” him as the Panthers prepare for postseason play. “I’m concerned about playing that team again.
“They really take us out of our game. They limited our ability to pass the ball. They put a lot of pressure on us. Plus, they have some great athletes. They worry me. They are tough to beat.”
Indeed the Indians are. USC needed a goal from one of its top defenders to win last week. With approximately 2:30 to play, Garrett Blake scored the game-winning goal. Blake is well known for his restarts and play initiated off a throw-in from him.
“Garrett is one of those guys that does not get a whole lot of individual attention, but he is known by opposing teams and all the coaches prepare to play for him. He is such a dynamic player. He has an impressive arsenal of skills.”
Blake, who hopes to pursue a professional career as a petroleum engineer, is best known for his long throw-ins, not his ability to score. “But he can,” noted Blatz.
Blake also anchors a strong backline for the Panthers, which includes Doug Hapeman, Hayden Bernhardt and Aaron Fultineer. A sophomore, Fultineer is a newcomer to the group of seniors, who have seen action in three state finals. The foursome has registered seven shutouts, five straight until surrendering a tally against Peters Township.
Noting the unit’s slow start (11 goals in the first four games) because of injuries, Blatz said the group is healthy now.
“We are not a fortress, but they’re tough to score against. To hold a team like Peters Township to one goal in two games is testament to their skill,” he said.
USC’s strong defense is bolstered by the emergence of Ken Rapko. The senior, who also excels in baseball, is in his first year as a starting keeper for the Panthers.
“Ken had an outstanding performance against Peters,” noted Blatz. “He has tremendous athleticism and instincts. We’ve told him to be patient. ‘Let the guys in front of you do the work.’ He’s really improved from game to game.”
While Robbie Mertz has given USC a consistent effort – the senior midfielder produced the first goal on a spectacular strike with 5:26 to play in the first half – the Panthers have benefited from the play of Tom Davidson, Adam Heil, Stefano Paolina and Gino Pezzone as well against the Indians. Heil is a junior captain, Pezzone, a junior defender, Paolina a sophomore midfielder and Davidson, another sophomore who gave the team ‘quality’ minutes against the Indians.
USC winning the section crown speaks of the talent on the club says Blatz, who took over the team when head coach Uwe Schneider suffered severe injuries in a fall from a ladder earlier this summer. Blatz only saw the 2013 state championship team on videotape, but he notes the dedication of this year’s players, including seniors such as Joseph Bell, Zack Cherup, Jake Russell, JP Schrott and captain Shayne Sibley.
“I know the guys, like Troye Kiernan, that graduated and they were great players but at the end of the day, we still have good players here. So this was satisfying to win given the program,” Blatz said. “This speaks to the character of this club. The players all work hard and they are disciplined. Plus,” he added, “they love to play soccer.”