Coudersport Holds off C-L Rally in D9 Class 1A Boys’ Soccer Semifinals

Chris Rossetti

Chris Rossetti

Published October 29, 2019 4:20 am
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Nate Megnin Clarion-LimestoneDUBOIS, Pa. (D9Sports) — Just not quite enough.

(Photo: Nate Megnin had C-L’s first goal of the game Monday night)

Down 3-0 at halftime, the Clarion-Limestone boys’ soccer team rallied to get within one go with 12 minutes to go only to allow Coudersport a decisive fourth goal two minutes later, as the third-seeded Falcons beat the second-seeded Lions, 4-2, in the District 9 Class 1A semifinals Monday night at DuBois High School.

“You have to give them credit,” C-L head coach Don Montgomery said. “We rallied and got within one, and they responded. That is playoff soccer. That is what you have to do to move on. They did just that. They answered our goal with another goal immediately.”

A goal by Beau Verdill off a corner kick by Paul Leonhardt late in the 68th minute got C-L within one, but early in the 71st minute Aristotle Smith raced through the Lions defense and put a shot on net that beat C-L keeper Reece Geiger inside the left post to steal the momentum back for Coudersport.

“They scored the goal, and I was like, I am not going to lose this game by senior year,” Smith said. “I just took it. They pushed me in the back and I just used that momentum. I was tripping, but I took one last push. I aimed and shot and I scored.”

The goal was Smith’s second of the contest, as he also scored midway through the 25th minute when he broke free on the left side and beat Geiger to give Coudersport a 2-0 lead.

The Falcons opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Christian Furman broke down the right side and beat Geiger, and then Coudersport made it 3-0 right before halftime thanks to a goal by Jonathan Barroquiero.

Barroquiero cut from his left to the middle of the field before firing a shot that went off the gloves of a leaping Geiger and then hit off the post and went in.

“We came out flat,” Montgomery said. “I don’t know. That was just it. In the second half, they are playing for their playoffs lives, and it showed. They had a lot of heart.”

Coudersport keeper Rosalyn Page had a lot to do with the Falcons holding a 3-0 lead at the half, as she made a couple of key first-half saves including a diving stop on a shot by Verdill early in the 27th minute with the Falcons leading 2-0.

“That young lady was incredible,” Montgomery said. “I made a point to find her after the game and let her know how special a performance that was. You hate to have someone have a game like that against you, but, boy, that is something to watch if you really appreciate the game of soccer.”

Down three at the half, C-L finally got some like midway through the second half when Nate Megnin put home a shot that had been sent wide by Cody Whitling to give the Lions their first strike of the night.

While the loss will sting for C-L, the Lions know they return all but two players from this year’s squad.

“A lot of these guys, it’s the first time they have played in a playoff game,” Montgomery said. “Hopefully, that experience will pay off and we start getting some of these (playoff wins) as they know how to win the playoffs.”

NOTES — The game was delayed about 45 minutes with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half when one of the officials went down with a medical emergency that required an ambulance to be called to the field to assist. There was no word on that official’s condition … Coudersport will play Brockway in the title game at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, at a site to be announced.

BROCKWAY 3, ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 2

DUBOIS, Pa. — Getting goals from three different players and a huge first-half penalty kick stop by Lewis Painter, two-time defending champion Brockway advanced to the District 9 Class 1A title game for the fifth straight season with a 3-2 win over Elk County Catholic at DuBois.

Nolan Swanson and Linkin Nichols scored seven minutes apart in the first half to give the Rovers, who have been to the D9 title game in eight of the last nine seasons now, a 2-0 lead.

But it was a penalty kick stop by Painter midway through the 29th minute and just a minute-and-a-half before Nichols goal that may have proved the difference in the game.

Swanson had scored off a feed from Marcus Bennett to give Brockway a 1-0 lead late in the 23rd minute to give Brockway a 1-0 lead.

But the Rovers committed a foul in the box, and it looked like ECC would tie the game. But Painter came up with the big stop, and then Nichols scored with Eric Young getting the assist to make it 2-0.

Regis Wortman answered with a momentum-swinging goal with just 14 seconds left in the first half to get the Crusaders to within a tally, 2-1, at the break.

But Ryan Lin scored off a Bennett corner kick late in the 50th minute to make it 3-1 Brockway.

Isaac Brock answered back for ECC near the midpoint of the 65th minute to make it 3-2, but the Rovers held off the late charge to secure the victory.

Brockway will face Coudersport, a 4-2 winner over Clarion-Limestone, in the title game at 7 p.m. Thursday at a place to be announced.

NOTES — Brockway won District 9 Class 1A titles in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2018 and finished second in 2015 and 2016. In 2014, the Rovers lost to DuBois Central Catholic in the semifinals, the only time since 2011 they haven’t been to a championship game.

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