By Scott Huff
Don’t Stop Believing – Journey (2006)
Central Bucks East and Pennsbury won’t stop believing after the Patriots and Falcons fell in the PIAA Class AAA District One soccer semifinals at West Chester East High School.
CB East dropped a 2-1 contest to Conestoga in one semifinal contest that was settled by penalty kicks (3-1), while Pennsbury suffered a 1-0 setback to Lower Merion in regulation.
The playoff journey will continue for both this Saturday with a 5:45 pm meeting @ WC East between the Patriots and Falcons to determine that No. 3 and No. 4 seeding from District One.
Lower Merion will meet Conestoga in an 8 pm meeting at WC East to determine the PIAA Class AAA District One champion.
Conestoga 2 – Central Bucks East 1
Central Bucks East (#6) lost a heartbreaking contest to Conestoga (#2) by a 3-1 count in penalty kicks. The game was tied 1-1 after regulation.
“Our goal was to win a district title,” said Central Bucks East head coach Tom Gorni. “But we still have two tomorrows. We will have to sit back and see what happens.
“I really thought that we had he better of it during regulation,” added Gorni. “We scored first and had a second goal called back for off sides. But we weren’t able to protect the lead.”
CB East (14-5-3) scored first in the 22nd minute on a goal by Mac Farber on an assist by Lee Sandquist, and had its second goal nullified by the off sides at the 17- minute mark.
Conestoga (20-1-1), though, would tie the score with less than five minutes left in the game to force overtime.
“It went back and forth in the overtime,” said Gorni. “And then in the overtime we weren’t able to bury the shots.
“We played well enough to win,” continued Gorni. “But we didn’t take advantage of some chances early in the game, and that came back to hurt us.”
CB East qualified for the state playoffs with district wins over Boyertown (#27) 4-0; West Chester Rustin (#11) 2-1 (overtime); and Strath Haven (#14) – 1-0 (overtime).
Lower Merion 1 – Pennsbury 0
Pennsbury (#9) was held off the West Chester East scoreboard in its 1-0 PIAA Class AAA semifinal loss to Central League power Lower Merion (#5).
“There will be some disappointment, but it will wash away when we will go back on the field and get ready for Saturday,” said Pennsbury head coach Tom Stoddart. “We played very well against a very good team.
“We controlled a lot of the play, but we were unable to capitalize,” added Stoddart. “We have to put this game behind us.”
Lower Merion (17-1-3) scored its lone goal 10 minutes into the second half against Pennsbury (16-6) on a restart.
Stoddart – who is in just his second year of coaching the Falcons – coached the team to a 17-2 record a season ago. However, Pennsbury was upset by William Tennent in the first round of district play and ended abruptly ended the season.
This year the Falcons have defeated Penncrest (#23) – 1-0; Unionville (#8) – 2-1; and Wissahickon (#1) – 4-1 in district play.
Those three victories will send Pennsbury to the state playoffs for the first time since 2000.
“We still have some big games to play,” said Stoddart. “We feel good about ourselves.”
Don’t Stop Believing.
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