Oct 23, 2012 3 min read

MCMURRAY – Coaches aren’t afraid to play the disrespect card when the playoffs begin, and Canon-McMillan High School boys soccer coach Larry Fingers was no different.The Big Macs had posted a 14-4 overall record in WPIAL Class AAA, with the four losses coming at the hands of the top two seeds in the Class AAA bracket, Peters Township and Upper St. Clair. Despite that, the Big Macs received just the 13th seed, meaning a first-round date against fourth-seeded Central Catholic.On the field, the game was about as lopsided as one might think. But it wasn’t the way the bracket indicated it should’ve gone.Josh Kruczek’s goal in the 59th minute was the only one of the game, and Canon-McMillan knocked off Central Catholic, 1-0, Monday in a WPIAL Class AAA first-round game at Peters Township.”We felt our seed was a little unjust, and we used it a little bit to our advantage to motivate us,” said Fingers. “Even Central Catholic asked us how we got a 13 seed.”The Big Macs (15-4) play No. 12 seed Franklin Regional – a 3-2 winner over No. 5 Ringgold – in the quarterfinals Thursday at a site and time to be determined.Maybe the Vikings were nervous about the matchup. Considering how the game played out, they had good reason to be.Apart from the opening 10 minutes, when Central Catholic controlled possession – but failed to generate any scoring opportunities of note – Canon-McMillan (15-4) was the team dictating play. Like the Vikings, however, the Big Macs were struggling to get good looks on goal.That changed in the second half as Canon-McMillan’s attack kept growing stronger and stronger. Finally, it was Kruczek with the breakthrough off a great run by Corey McCurdy, whose cross was deflected to Kruczek. The sophomore then powered a shot into the top corner.Both Kruczek and McCurdy had recently re-entered the game as substitutes.”We thought we could exploit their left back,” Fingers said. “Kruczy was clinical. That’s why he’s our center forward.”It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. With 16 minutes remaining, off a Central Catholic corner kick, the Vikings clanged a shot off the crossbar then had several more chances during the sequence. But the subsequent shots either hit a defender or the post again.The Big Macs finished with a 10-6 shots advantage, including 5-1 in shots on goal.”We don’t want this to be the only (playoff win) we have,” said Fingers. “We have another challenge on Thursday. We really want to push this program to the next stage.”Serra Catholic 5, Beth-Center 0:Third-seeded Serra Catholic got two goals 16 seconds apart in the 14th minute and cruised past Beth-Center, 5-0, in a WPIAL Class A first-round game Monday at Peters Township.Mike Mercea netted a hat trick for the Eagles (14-2-1), who also got goals from Josh Lohr and Tyler Gerbur. Bulldogs goalkeeper John Berdar made 12 saves.Beth-Center finishes with a 9-7 record.