Nov 6, 2012 3 min read

BRIDGEVILLE – The Canon-McMillan boys soccer team continues to experience a season of firsts.

And the Big Macs continue to do so by mowing down the WPIAL’s best.

The program’s first WPIAL title came courtesy of a win over Upper St. Clair this past Saturday, and Canon-McMillan’s first PIAA Class AAA tournament victory was a 2-0 defeat of Peters Township in the first round of the state playoffs Tuesday night at Chartiers Valley.

“Coming into this year, we had our sights set on those two teams,” Big Macs coach Larry Fingers said. “We wanted to go at them. Last year, we tried to play a certain way where we kept them under control and were hoping for something. This year, we made a promise to each other that we would pin our ears back and go after all the teams we play until someone shows us that we can’t play that way anymore.

“We’ve made it to this point without having to change our mentality.”

Ivan Viveros and Corey McCurdy scored goals for Canon-Mac, which has given its fan base a serious dose of soccer fever through an improbable postseason run.

The next step for this unlikely PIAA Class AAA quarterfinalist shouldn’t be tough to guess; the Big Macs (19-4) will play Upper St. Clair Saturday, site and time to be determined.

“I’ve been here two years now, and soccer really has never been a big thing in Canonsburg,” McCurdy said. “Now, we have everybody coming to the games; we’re the talk of the town. It’s been fun.”

This postseason has been nothing short of a dream for Canon-McMillan.

The Big Macs were seeded 13th in the WPIAL draw, which was viewed as a motivator after the Big Macs played Peters Township and Upper St. Clair to within one goal four times.

That chip-on-the-shoulder mentality translated into a first-round upset of No. 4 seed Central Catholic, along with wins over Franklin Regional, Peters Township and Upper St. Clair.

Now, such wins are the norm.

“I told them when the game was over, don’t run out on the field and don’t throw water. Be businesslike about it,” Fingers said. “We still have big work to do Saturday.”

Viveros gave Canon-McMillan a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute when he finished a cross with his head.

Then, an unlikely play – well, unless you’re a hockey team’s power play unit – gave the Big Macs a 2-0 lead.

McCurdy took a free kick from about seven yards outside the 18-yard box. While McCurdy sent a slow bouncer toward the goal, Matt Wherry screened Indians goalkeeper Neil Harrison.

The result was a goal for McCurdy in the 71st minute that produced the first two-goal game between Canon-Mac and Peters Township (15-3-2) or Upper St. Clair in seven meetings this season.

Goalkeeper James Hathaway stopped a penalty kick for the second consecutive game to preserve the shutout, denying Mark Enscoe in the game’s 77th minute. Like his stop in the WPIAL final, Hathaway dove to his left.

“One of my teammates told me that the percentage of saving it is like 22 percent, and I saved two in a row the last two games,” Hathaway said. “I must be pretty lucky.”

Maybe more skill than luck.

After all, it’s a statement that could likely define the Big Macs’ entire postseason.