ADAMS TWP — One last chance.

With leading scorer Anthony Werth running back on to the field with 2:26 remaining after receiving a yellow card five minutes earlier, Butler had a throw-in deep in Central Catholic territory.

The ball found its way through bodies as the Golden Tornado desperately tried to push it toward the goal. The Vikings eventually cleared the ball downfield and held on for a 1-0 victory Wednesday night at the Mars Athletic Complex.

The PIAA Class AAA play-in loss ended Butler's boys soccer season at 12-8-2. Second-seeded Central (20-2) moves on to face the District 10 champion in the state tournament Tuesday.

“We had our chances tonight,” Butler coach Troy Mohney said. “We found the side of their net a couple of times. We couldn't find the back of their net.”

The Vikings entered the game out-scoring their opponents 91-8. The shutout was their 16th of the season.

The game's lone goal was scored with 25:44 left in the second half. Senior midfielder Jarrod McDowell let loose with a shot from the middle of the field, 20 yards out, that beat Butler goalkeeper Adam Voelker inside the left post.

McDowell netted his 15th goal of the season.

Voelker made four saves on the night, the most notable one on a penalty kick by 15-goal scorer Matt O'Donnell from 12 yards out with just 18 seconds left in a scoreless first half.

“Adam came up big for us there,” Mohney said. “He's very good on penalty kicks. He stops them in practice most of the time, too.

“Central Catholic is very good. They have a lot of athletes and they're extremely quick. We hung with them, though. We played well.”

The Vikings hit a couple of crossbars on the night in addition to the missed penalty kick opportunity.

“There were times we could have added on or scored that first goal earlier,” Central coach Claudio Morini said. “But Butler has a quality team. They're well-coached and full of energy.

“They subbed five, six or seven guys at a time. That's their strategy and it works for them. They were never out of this game.”

The Tornado managed only one shot on net the entire contest, but it was a quality chance. Senior Chris Fiorina's throw-in was deflected over to Werth in front of the net, about 10 yards out.

Werth, a 15-goal scorer, cut loose with a shot that goalkeeper Anthony Tirone made a lunging save on.

“That was our best chance,” Mohney admitted. “We had another one on a good cross to (defender) Ty Savochka, but they closed on him quickly.”

Butler had the onlv two corner kicks in the game, one in each half.

Morini said his team prides itself on defense.

“That's the biggest part of our program,” he said. “We train the kids hard on that all the time.”

The Tornado did succeed in shutting down 29-goal scorer Ryan Sproule, who did not have a quality chance until hitting the crossbar on a semi-breakaway with five minutes remaining.

Werth, a senior forward, paced Butler with 15 goals and 13 assists this season. Paul James had eight goals and four assists, Fiorina five goals and eight assists.

Senior starters for Butler this season were Werth, Fiorina, Voelker, midfielders Cassian Widenhofer and Jake Stutz, and defender John Fleming.

“We started two sophomores and two freshmen this year and you're never quite sure how your season's gonna go when you do that,” Mohney said. “Ours turned out pretty well.

“I'm thankful for our seniors and I'm excited about our future.”