Nov 22, 2016 By Eleanor Bailey 3 min read

There is no consolation for being in the Final Four for the Seton-La Salle boys’ soccer team. The Rebels wanted to compete for their third PIAA state championship since 2006, but they were thwarted by Sewickley Academy, 2-0, in a semifinal clash on Nov. 15 at Seneca Valley. The loss ended SLS’s season at 22-3 overall.

“It’s a pretty difficult pill to swallow,” said SLS skipper Ryan Kelly after the defeat.

Regardless of the storied history of the Panthers, the defeat hurt. Sewickley Academy owns four state titles (1997, 2003, 2013, 2015) and runner-up honors in 2016, 2014, 2012 and 2000. The Rebels have two PIAA titles (2006 and 2008) and a runner-up crown in 2009.

“It’s a little bittersweet,” Kelly said of the loss. “We had a very successful season by many metrics.”

Indeed. In addition to their impressive record, the Rebels captured a section title. They scored 94 goals, had a +70 goal differential, third most wins in school history and a “laundry list” of post-season accolades.

“But at the same time, we fell just short of the two games we really wanted to play in,” Kelly added.

Sewickley Academy put the clamps on the Rebels, who finished third in the WPIAL. Ian Deihle scored both goals for the Panthers, who held Daryl Daniels, the district’s leading scorer in check. In fact, Daniels sustained an injury early in the game.

“I don’t think they did anything special on Daryl,” Kelly said. “After the injury, he didn’t seem himself.”

Regarding Sewickley’s strategy, Kelly added, “They were very organized defensively and we had a difficult time finding that final pass that would create a good goal scoring opportunity.” Kelly also noted the Panthers’ experience as they have been in that game four times now and are 4-0.

Despite the defeat, the Rebels played well and did not quit, a fact that pleased Kelly.

“I think the entire team showed some resiliency in the second half,” he said. “We played hard and fought until the end.”

The game marked the end of the careers for three-year veterans such as Chris Stack, Jared Capozza, Ryan Kendrick and Luke Mallon. Stack, like Daniels, was an all-state performer this fall. Jake Gigliotti will be lost in goal. Additionally, Zach Straub and Ian Boland graduate.

“The senior class will be difficult to replace,” Kelly said. “Losing three-year starters is always hard to deal with.”.

The Rebels, however, return Daniels, who scored 35 goals during the regular season. He was the section Player of the Year to go along with his all-WPIAL and all-state accolades. SLS also returns Kellen Krebs, another all-section and all-district performer.

“We return some of our top players so it won’t be a major drop-off,” Kelly said. “As always, we hope guys can step into the open spots in the lineup left by our graduating seniors.”

The Rebels have nine players (two juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen) returning.

“They saw action in at least 20 games this season and our freshmen class looks rather promising, eight of them should see some substantial time next year,” Kelly said. “So, I don’t see any massive drop-off.”