Nov 5, 2019 4 min read

GREENSBURG – The clock struck midnight on the Comeback Kids.

It didn’t matter that the opponent’s style – choppy and chippy – mirrored the way the Canon-McMillan boys soccer team has grown so accustomed to winning. Or that Offutt Field, nestled in the middle of downtown Greensburg, was seemingly tilted in the Big Macs’ favor throughout the entire first half.

Scoring chances ended the same way throughout the night for Canon-McMillan – with heads down in frustration and then eyes looking upwards toward the night sky in disbelief.

The goals, dramatic and much-needed during its run to a WPIAL title, never came Tuesday night.

Trailing nearly the entire match, the late-minute magic for Canon-McMillan finally wore out as the Big Macs fell to Palmyra, 1-0, in a PIAA Class 4A boys soccer first-round match.

“I think Palmyra had a chance or two on goal and scored on one of them. We had a lot (of chances) and didn’t (score),” said Canon-McMillan coach Larry Fingers. “That’s how it works.”

The loss ends a thrilling ride through the postseason for Canon-McMillan (15-4-1). The Big Macs won in the district quarterfinals in overtime, upended top-seeded Plum in the semifinals on two goals in the final six minutes and scored with 1:02 left in regulation before stunning Mt. Lebanon in overtime to win the WPIAL championship last Thursday.

Palmyra (18-2-2), the fourth seed out of District 3, wasn’t going to allow such excitement, knowing enough of the Big Macs’ late heroics.

“We saw them on TV in the district finals,” said Palmyra coach Jerry Hoffsmith. “We knew about their set pieces, throw-ins and that they play a full 80 minutes. That’s what we saw the whole game.”

Palmyra scored what ended up being the lone goal in the seventh minute. A free kick from Alec Haldeman from 31 yards out skimmed off two foreheads, the last being that of Matthew Hines, who directed the ball into the net behind Big Macs goalkeeper Alex Hilbert for a 1-0 lead.

“Massive,” Hoffsmith said about the early goal following a three-and-a-half hour bus ride. “It was absolutely huge.”

It didn’t come without plenty of push from the Big Macs, specifically in the first half when they were turned away on four corners and 10 long throws into the box by Tommy Samosky. Both had resulted in several goals throughout the season for Canon-McMillan, a team that thrives in the air.

A Samosky throw got tied up in the feet of Kaiden Reamer with room in the box but produced no shot with 17:50 left in the first half. Less than 10 minutes later, Canon-McMillan’s leading scorer, Joey Fonagy, was in on goal but turned away by a sliding defensive play from Almyra’s Mackenzie Fairs.

The best first-half chance for the Big Macs was in the 36th minute. Fonagy, nearing the end line, flicked a ball over his head. C-M’s Mason Le kicked it. The ball rattled off the post and out.

“To be completely honest, the field was titled most of the game,” Fingers said. “We were really happy with where we were at. If you were a neutral person in the stands or came off the street in the middle of the game, you’d probably say we won the game.”

Forced to press more as the second half progressed, the few prime opportunities for the Big Macs came in the final three minutes. A free kick in a threatening spot was punched out by Cougars goalkeeeper Jordan Smith, then C-M played a ball into the box that found several feet and nearly the net before the Cougars cleared to midfield.

“At halftime, we told our kids the plan for the second half,” Fingers said. “If we hadn’t scored by a certain time, we’d move into different layers. It’s hard because you plan for certain things, you do the right things and things don’t go your way based on circumstances. I told them that we aren’t going to win every game. Unfortunately, that happened tonight.”