McGuffey Belle Vernon
BELLE VERNON – In a Section 3-AA boys soccer first-place showdown Tuesday night, Belle Vernon protected its home turf and downed McGuffey, 2-1.
“McGuffey’s a good team and they came out with a different game plan that what we expected,” Belle Vernon coach Alan Yeschenko said. “We adjusted to what we drew up on the board at practice (Monday) and that’s how we ended up scoring both of our goals.”
McGuffey coach Brian Gillespie was disappointed after the match, but he knows there is a lot of soccer left to be played this season.
“I think we made too many mistakes,” he said. “We possessed the ball very well and dominated parts of the game.
“I love this team, but we have a habit of making teams look really good and we did that tonight with two possessions. My hat’s off to (Belle Vernon) though.”
McGuffey (5-2, 7-3) slowly took control of play in the first half, but it only had one solid shot over the first 30 minutes.
The Leopards (6-1, 7-2) took a 1-0 lead with 15:26 left in the half.
Trevor Kovatch placed a shot on goal and it bounced off McGuffey keeper Dakota Goodman. Dylan Rathway played the rebound and kicked it into the back of the net to give the Leopards the advantage.
The duo swapped roles a little more than 10 minutes later, with 4:43 to go in the first half, when Kovatch scored off an assist from Rathway to give the Leopards a 2-0 lead that they would hold more than halfway through the second half.
Belle Vernon had four shots on goal in the first half with McGuffey having three.
McGuffey cut the Belle Vernon lead in half with 17:45 to play when Mason Piatt scored on a header off a corner kick.
“That was fantastic service from their corner and the finish was really good,” Yeschenko said. “We have to clean up a few things because as we see more of the better teams, plays like that will come back to get us.
“We can’t give up a goal on the corner like that. We have to talk about our reading of a moving ball. We just need to keep it simple and take care of bumps and bruises.”
Seconds after Piatt’s goal, it appeared McGuffey would tie the match. However, Dylan Stewart played the ball on the left side and dribbled across the mouth of the goal but shot it wide right by inches.
It would be McGuffey’s last great scoring opportunity.
Gillespie spoke about what the team has to do moving forward.
“Our big guns, Dylan Stewart and Larry Goodman, they just have to come out and score goals,” he said. “Our goal today was a total effort on a header. Love what he does. He gives energy. I have to get more energy from my guys, and we can still win the section.”
Both teams are home for section matches Thursday as McGuffey hosts Waynesburg while Belle Vernon plays Southmoreland.