Our Lady of the Sacred Heart had little trouble advancing to the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class 1A boys soccer tournament, pummeling Bishop Carroll, 8-0, Tuesday at Forest Hills High School.
Four different players scored in the first 40 minutes, with Aaron Callahan, Brady Hernandez, Isaac Tarbuk and Owen Minzer each contributing one goal.
Wyatt Walsh, Colin Hernandez, Callahan and Minzer each added goals in the second half for OLSH, which improved to 19-1 in its first game since losing to Bentworth, 3-1, in the WPIAL championship game on Oct. 30.
Patrick Altmar registered the shutout in goal for the Chargers, who next will take on Lancaster Mennonite in a quarterfinal game at a time and location to be announced later. Lancaster Mennonite, the third-place finisher in District 3, advanced with a 3-1 win over District 5 champion McConnellsburg.
Lancaster Mennonite is the defending Class 1A champion, having beaten Bentworth, 1-0, in last year’s title game.
OLSH coach Brandon Scott said he thought his team played well Tuesday.
“The group showed composure, patience and a willingness to problem solve in real time,” he said. “We stayed connected in all three lines, and when we needed to adjust or make small tempo changes — we did. There were stretches in both halves where we controlled the rhythm of the match and dictated where/how the game was played.
“That is what I was most pleased with. We still have areas to clean up, obviously, but overall the quality was good. The boys were intentional defensively, won important one-on-one moments, and our decision-making in possession was much sharper compared to earlier in the season.”
Scott said his players did not dwell too long on the WPIAL title game loss to Bentworth, saying that the group handled it “really well.”
“Of course it stung in the moment — any playoff elimination game does,” he said. “But this group has been extremely mature and extremely accountable all year. We addressed it briefly that night, we talked through what we could control better, and then it was over.
“I didn’t have to go deep into motivation. They were very self-driven to turn the page and get ready for the next opportunity. Our focus was immediately on response and growth, not dwelling on it. They’ve been locked in on (Tuesday’s) game since the next morning.”
Scott said he knows Lancaster Mennonite will be a tough test, given its pedigree as a defending state champ.
“It will be a great contest for our boys,” he said, “but I think we’re ready for it.”
DuBois 4, Moon Area 2
The Tigers were eliminated from title contention in the PIAA Class 3 girls tournament by dropping their first-round game to the host Beavers.
DuBois, which earned its PIAA tournament berth by winning the District 9 tournament and beating Obama Academy in a play-in game, led 3-2 at halftime and tallied one final goal in the last 40 minutes.
No scoring details were available. Moon, which finished its season 19-3, placed third in the WPIAL tournament.
SOCCER HONORS
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart’s Owen Minzer is one of 13 players from the western half of the state to be selected to the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association’s All-State team, which was announced Tuesday.
Also named to the all-state team from Western Pennsylvania were Adam Kuchera, Canon-McMillan; Rocco DiDominico, Fox Chapel; Caden Loveland, South Park; Ryan Moessner, Bentworth; Xavier Ware, Hampton; Owen Eastgate, Seneca Valley; Colin Froelich, Peters Township; Thomas Bridges, Franklin Regional; Austin Kolankowski, Plum; Xavier Jackson, Bethel Park; Mark Bence, Shady Side Academy; and Dylan Klinger, Charleroi.
PIHL HOCKEY
Moon Area 5, Meadville 4
Gio Thompson scored the tying and winning goals in the third period to lift the Tigers past the Bulldogs in a Varsity Class A matchup Monday at the RMU Island Sports Center.
Moon jumped to a 1-0 lead on Ryan Muldowney’s goal in the fourth minute of play, with Logan Rieke getting the assist.
But Meadville answered with three consecutive goals, the last two by Patrick Mahoney, to take a 3-1 lead before Moon’s David Gallup netted one in the final minute of the opening period to make it 3-2.
Each team scored once in the second period, with Gallup finding the net on a short-handed goal, and the Tigers trailed 4-3 entering the final period.
Thompson’s power play goal off a Rieke assist tied the game just 32 seconds into the third period, and Thompson put in the game-winner off an assist from Gallup with 10:33 to play in the game.
Moon is tied for first with Quaker Valley in points with 18. The Tigers have a 5-1-1-1-0 mark while the Quakers are 6-1-0-0-0.
Montour 4, Hampton 3 (OT)
Trey Varga’s goal just 46 seconds into overtime was the difference as the Spartans came back to beat the Talbots in a Varsity Class A matchup at Frozen Pond Arena Monday night.
Varga also scored the game-tying goal with just 33 seconds remaining in regulation, with assists from Aidan Jennings and Donnie Seremak, to force overtime.
Luke Zacharias scored the opening goal of the game for Montour, with assists from Niko Sikorski and Varga, and after Hampton went up 2-1, Braden Kulak scored a short-handed goal off an assist from Seremak eight minutes into the second period to make it 2-2.
Hampton scored five minutes into the third period to go on top 3-2, but Varga tied it with his late goal and won it in overtime for Montour, which improved to 1-3-1-1-0.
VOLLEYBALL HONORS
Two players from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and one from Carlynton were recognized by the WPIAL Girls Volleyball Coaches Association, which announced its annual all-star teams this week. Thirty players in each of the four WPIAL classifications were honored.
Leah Parker, a 5-foot-5 senior right-side hitter, was named first-team All-Class 2A, and Sophia Wasko, a 5-1 sophomore Libero, was named to the second team.
Carlynton middle hitter Amelia Babish, a 5-10 senior, was named to the third team.
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