Peters Township wins another WPIAL lacrosse title
Mike Kaplan and his Peters Township boys’ lacrosse coaching staff were so hot under the collar during the WPIAL Class AAA championship contest that athletic trainer Leigh Ann Cowger soaked towels in a cooler full of ice water then wrapped them around each one’s neck.
Kaplan’s players, however, neither wilted under the 86-degree heat at Joe Walton Stadium nor did they succumb to the pressure from North Allegheny as they successfully defended their title with a hard-fought victory, 9-7, on the Robert Morris University campus May 25.
“Today was stressful,” Kaplan said. “I think the heat got to the coaching staff a little bit. But the guys on the field did a really good job fighting through that and here we are. WPIAL champions again. Winning two WPIAL championships is pretty awesome.”
In 2017, Peters Township needed overtime to edge Mt. Lebanon, 12-11. This year, with more than a dozen seniors, the Indians confidently attacked the task of repeating as champions. Even when NA tied the match, 7-7, with 8:21 to play on Matt Osten’s fourth goal of the game, the players kept their cool.
“As much as we don’t want to talk about last year, last year our guys fought through those one-goal games; close games,” he added. “We brought back 14 of them from last year. They had that experience and obviously the results speak for themselves. They came out and they knew what needed done. And they did it.”
Aidan Stopperich knew the Indians needed a goal and with 6:39 remaining, he obliged with the game-winner, off an assist from Ben Delaney.
“I felt a little pressure when they tied it up, 7-7, but we were controlling the game and controlling the pace,” Stopperich said. “I saw Ben behind the net and saw the play develop. He made a nice cut and a nice pass and I was just there to finish it.
“Sure I want to be that guy but it could have been anybody.”
Kaplan concurred. He rated Stopperich’s goal equally with the hat trick produced by Colton Abate, the two from Daniel Bacchiochi and the single scores created by Delaney, Aidan McCall and Nickolas Phelps.
“I don’t look at that one goal as the game-winner,” Kaplan said. “Obviously, that was a huge momentum boost. Every guy that contributed today they were the game-winners.”
True because NA took a 1-0 lead 87 seconds into the contest and McCall tied it followed by Abate’s go-ahead goal, the first of three for the composed senior.
“We’ve been there before. The stress level is through the roof. But, I knew what to expect,” Abate said. Of his championship heroics he added, “I just wanted to come out and do my best and do whatever the team needed me to do.”
After Abate again gave the Indians a 3-2 lead 13 seconds into the second period, Delaney and Phelps followed with scores to provide Peters its largest lead, 5-2. After back-to-back goals from Osten, Abate made it 6-4 with 49 seconds left in the half.
Bacchiochi scored the only goal for the Indians in the third period but NA pulled to within one goal, 7-6 at the buzzer on a goal from Kyle Byerly.
“It was a little closer than I had hoped,” Kaplan said, “but obviously these are two championship caliber teams. NA, historically, is a championship caliber team. When those kinds of teams meet, that is what happens.”
On championship teams, the goalie often rises to the occasion. Luke Hirata did so for the Indians. He made 10 saves.
“Luke he has been huge for us all season long but (in the) playoffs, he came out to another level. He played an incredible (semifinal) game against Lebo. I told him to have a better game (against NA) and he really did. He played even more lights out today.”
The Indians are not stopping with just a WPIAL title. They want to advance in the PIAA tournament. They lost in last year’s first round. They will play their first match May 29 at Hempfield.
“It’s incredible,” Abate said of winning the WPIAL title because it’s his senior year. But McCall added that a PIAA banner is the next objective.
“This WPIAL title is more special this year in a way just because of the senior class and how connected the team is. To do it back-to-back is really special but we want to do better than last year. Winning the state championship is the next goal. That’s where we are headed.”