South Fayette’s run ends in 2nd OT
South Fayette goalkeeper Andrew Pine reacts after Lancaster Mennonite scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime of Tuesday’s PIAA Class AA semifinal at Mansion Park in Altoona.
Nick McKee of South Fayette, left, and Khup Dai from Lancaster Mennonite battle for possession.
ALTOONA – The nine seniors on South Fayette’s boys soccer team huddled in a circle on the track surrounding the Mansion Park playing field. With tears streaming down their faces, the rest of the Lions thanked the group for the dedication that led the Lions just inches away from reaching the PIAA Class AA title game.
Despite losing in the WPIAL semifinals, the Lions won two straight games behind the play of the senior class to reach the PIAA Class AA semifinals for the first time in program history.
The improbable, historic run ended Tuesday night.
Lancaster Mennonite sophomore midfielder Sebastian Acosta scored 16 seconds into the second overtime to lift the Blazers over South Fayette, 2-1.
The victory propels Lancaster Mennonite (24-2) into the championship game Saturday in Hershey, while the Lions’ season ends with an 18-5-1 record.
“We’ve always tried to find a silver lining,” South Fayette head coach Rob Eldridge said. “The character of these seniors has gotten us to this point. It’s a disappointment to see it end like this, but their tenure is an inspiration.”
Despite controlling play throughout the second half and into the first overtime, one minor mishap led to the loss. The Lions committed a foul deep in their own end to give the Blazers a free kick from 20 yards.
Lancaster Mennonite head coach Fred Winey took the opportunity to insert Acosta in the game with senior Erik Peachey nursing an ankle injury suffered on the previous play. Entering the game, the sophomore only appeared in five varsity games this season, but he made the most of the opportunity.
Junior midfielder Kyle Richards took the set piece for Lancaster Mennonite and his kick bounced in front of South Fayette’s net. Acosta redirected the loose ball into the open net for the win. It is the second game-deciding goal in a week for Acosta.
“It’s a privilege to be put in a position like that to help the team,” Acosta said. “I’m glad I can help them. Hopefully, it stays this way for Saturday.”
The Blazers struck first when Peachey scored in the 15th minute. Acosta’s brother, senior David Alejos, sprinted up the far sideline and lobbed a pass toward the slot where Peachey was running toward the goal. The ball led Peachey perfectly, and he redirected it over South Fayette goalkeeper Andrew Pine’s head for the 1-0 lead.
Lancaster Mennonite hit the crossbar four times in the game, including twice in the first overtime. Alejos came within inches of scoring early in the first overtime. The rebound when he hit the crossbar went straight to Richards, whose shot went into Pine’s arms.
The Lions struggled in the first 30 minutes before controlling the pace in the final minutes of the first half and throughout the latter portion of the game. Their aggressive style and adjustments paid off in the 60th minute, moments after Alejos hit the crossbar.
On the counter attack, South Fayette senior Nick McKee placed the ball within the six-yard box. Zach Lutz and Jake Thomas could not get a foot on it, but sophomore Jeremy Zura shed a defender and shot it into the open net to tie the score, 1-1.
“We wanted to make sure we created opportunities for ourselves and that gave us a chance,” Eldridge said. “We went above and beyond what people expected of us.”
With less than 10 minutes remaining, McKee’s header off a corner kick by Thomas went inches wide and the Lions continued to press to create chances with the midfielders distrupting the Blazers’ attack. South Fayette finished with 10 corner kicks.
South Fayette almost won the game 10 minutes into the first overtime when sophomore Tom Iagnemma and senior Ben Meindl could not capitalize on a loose ball in front of the net with three Lancaster Mennonite defenders scrambling and the goalkeeper lost sight of the ball, but it was knocked away.
“(South Fayette) has a lot of guys who are good individual players,” Winey said. “We lost discipline at times and they got numbers up. Our keeper made a few nice saves and I lost track of how many balls we hit off the crossbar. We knew after they scored that first goal they’d have a ton of energy and it was hard to keep rhythm against a team that, plays a straight-forward game.”
A balanced attack with an emphasis on defense allowed the Lions to overcome a slow start.
“I thought we were the better team in the second half and throughout the overtime, but we were unlucky,” Eldridge said. “We just couldn’t cash in on a few of those big chances.”