Nov 6, 2013 4 min read

Name: Max O’Hare

School: Peters Township

Year: Senior

Sport: Soccer

O’Hare’s week: As the goalkeeper for Peters Township, O’Hare recorded two shutout victories last week to propel the Indians to the WPIAL Class AAA boys championship. O’Hare did not allow a goal in four WPIAL playoff games, including shutouts last week against Canon-McMillan and defending state champion Upper St. Clair.

The senior’s performance Friday night was a memorable one, as he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. As USC pressed the Indians’ defense, O’Hare made diving saves against Upper St. Clair’s Joel Hart, who has 35 goals this season, as well as three other players. While Peters Township lost to Upper St. Clair 6-1 Oct. 10, the Indians played shut-down defense Friday – garnering the school’s first WPIAL title since 2010.

The Indians defeated Canon-McMillan, 2-1 Tuesday night in the opening round of the Class AAA PIAA playoffs with O’Hare making a one-handed save on Big Macs sophomore midfielder Alexander Ablak to keep the score tied with eight minutes remaining.

Emotions: The job of a senior leader on a playoff bound team is critical. After each postseason win this season, it was O’Hare who gathered the team for cool-down stretches. He also is the vocal leader for the Indians. Not only does O’Hare fuel his team’s play with impeccable saves, but his goal is to be the voice of a team that features only four other seniors.

“I think emotion is everything in this game,” O’Hare said. “If you don’t have emotion in the game, you are not going to be able to push yourself to the fullest possibilities when you are out there on the field. Each person gets motivated differently, but I need to find the best way to motivate my guys to get them ready.”

As Upper St. Clair bombarded Peters Township with scoring opportunities Friday night, O’Hare made every save in a game that many thought was unwinnable for the Indians. Ever since he was in youth soccer, the senior has made emotions an integral part of his game. With a position that is often not known for leaders, O’Hare has made a point of being vocal.

“He is a very spirited player and he is a leader,” Peters Township head coach Bob Dyer said. “Because of those things, we talk about it all the time in playoffs, every ball is important. Max has focused in on every ball. I think more than anything, it’s just the kids heart and his passion. He wears his emotions right out where everyone can see and I think the kids feed off of that.”

The ritual: Goalies in both hockey and soccer are well-known for pregame rituals. Some stretch the same way, and others refuse to wash the equipment or uniform they have worn during victories. For O’Hare, his current ritual began Sept. 21 against Upper St. Clair.

He does not use the same gloves in practice that he does in games; taking care of his gameday gloves, he wears the same Under Armour for every match and spends his time away from the pitch working on hand-eye coordination with games such as Frisbee.

The experiment has worked. O’Hare has gone 10-1-1 since switching up his routine. The senior’s steady play in goal will be pivotal for Peters Township has they face Upper St. Clair for the fourth time this season Saturday in the PIAA quarterfinals at Chartiers Valley.

“Going into each game you have to make sure you are ready for the game, but before each game, I am always sitting and wondering if each and every other person in the locker room has the same mindset that I do,” O’Hare said. “I am always wondering if we are going to be there tonight or if all of the captains are going to have step it up one more notch to get the team ready for the game.”

Compiled by Lance Lysowski.