Cougars’ season ends with second straight defeat at Moon
CORAOPOLIS – For the second time in the last four days, things just didn’t go right for the Charleroi boys soccer team at Moon High School.
After losing to Quaker Valley, 5-0, on Monday in the WPIAL Class AA semifinals at Moon, the Cougars made a return trip to William “Rip” Scherer Field on Thursday for a chance at a PIAA berth.
Just like Monday, Charleroi got behind early and couldn’t overcome the consistent pressure from Deer Lakes, falling to the No. 2 seed, 7-1, under rainy, cold conditions.
“We lost a lot in the mid (field) and just couldn’t put anything together,” Charleroi coach Jon Ducoli said. “I couldn’t find the answers tonight. We revamped at halftime, but we just couldn’t cash in. We were without Leo (Iacovangelo, because of a concussion) and that was a big hole to fill.”
After the No. 4 Cougars (18-2) ended the regular season undefeated, their stellar season ends with back-to-back playoff setbacks to the top two seeds in Class AA.
The Lancers (18-1-1) will play the District 10 champion in the first round of the PIAA playoffs Tuesday.
“The effort was there for us, and we were motivated,” Deer Lakes coach Jordan Wiegand said. “We set the tone early. We were able to chip away and break them down. This is our first time in the state playoffs. It was do-or-die, and the kids responded really well.”
After Charleroi registered the first shot of the contest, Deer Lakes’ offense found its rhythm and tallied three straight goals. They were collected by Michael Sullivan (32:19), Devin Murray (15:51) and AJ Dorman (5:19).
The Cougars’ offense found a spark when the Lancers’ goalkeeper was called for a foul in the box and Cullen Woytovich made them pay with a penalty kick goal at the 3:59 mark.
Deer Lakes ended any chances of a Charleroi comeback with a goal from Ronan Renter just four minutes into the second half to extend its lead to 4-1.
Dorman completed the hat trick for the Lancers with a pair of insurance goals at 34:21 and 20:39 marks of the second half. Nick Caro had the final goal of the night for the Lancers.
Nick Goodman was tagged with the loss in net for the Cougars, registering five saves.
Charleroi will lose four seniors to graduation, so the majority of the teams returns next season.
“The boys have nothing to hang their heads about this season,” Duccoli said. “The ball didn’t bounce our way those final two matches. We have a lot to work on next season. We lose a couple of key seniors, and they will be big shoes to fill. The core is there, we just have to continue to build off of this season.”