KC soccer bows in D-9 finals
CLARION — Both Karns City soccer teams held a 1-0 lead in their respective District 9 Class A title games Thursday night, but neither one was able to close the deal.
KC's girls fell to Curwensville 2-1 while the boys team suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Brockway. Both games were played at Clarion University's Memorial Stadium.
Breann Wood's goal in the 62nd minute of play broke a scoreless tie in the girls game, a matchup of the district's top two seeds.
“We knew the game wasn't over,” said Gremlins' coach Lisa Castiglione. “Curwensville is a very good team and there was a lot of time left. It was just a good battle between both teams.”
The Golden Tide evened the score when junior midfielder Taylor Goodman fired a shot 25 yards from KC's goal. Goalkeeper Emily Schumacher's leap could not prevent the ball from tucking itself just beneath the crossbar.
Less than three minutes later, Heather Thorp's free kick from 35 yards found the back of the net and Curwensville suddenly had a 2-1 lead.
“Our girls have been relentless all year long,” said Golden Tide coach Gary Thorp. “They never quit and good things happen because of that.”
The Gremlins (15-1-2) did manage a corner kick and three throws deep in the Tide's zone in the final five minutes, but each opportunity was cleared by Curwensville.
The first half saw many scoring opportunities for the Gremlins, but no goals.
Sophomore midfielder Caterina Lopresti had several shots sail wide of the Tide's net while Wood had a shot saved in the 31st minute of play.
“We didn't get frustrated and just kept trying to score,” said Castiglione. “We did get the one goal, but unfortunately, it was not enough tonight.”
Schumacher had three saves for the Gremlins while Tiffany Carter posted 10 stops for Curwensville.
The Gremlins' run for a fourth straight District 9 title came up a bit short, but the 2011 campaign was still a special one.
“It was a group effort,” said Castiglione. “Sometimes the ball rolls your way and sometimes it doesn't, but I'm proud of everything that went on this year.”
Phil Esposito was a marked man, but Brockway's star junior still managed to come through in the clutch.Esposito, who scored four goals in a 6-1 semifinal win over Brookville on Monday, tallied all three of the Rovers' goals against Karns City.He now has 103 goals in his varsity career and his latest effort helped Brockway (20-1) capture its first district championship since 1996.“He's known for his 30-yard bombs,” said KC coach Roy Parker, “and we did a good job of taking that away. The problem was, they were able to penetrate our defense and still get the ball to him.”The Gremlins took their 1-0 lead when Justin Ryan's shot smacked off Brockway goalkeeper Ryan Hultman, then hit a Rovers' defender before bouncing into the net in the 33rd minute of play.But before the first half could expire, Esposito struck with his first score on a free kick from 25 yards out. Just 36 seconds remained before halftime at the time of the goal.“That was a big goal,” said Rovers' coach Rich Esposito. “It set us up for the second half.”“He's so big and strong, you have to try to take him away,” said Parker of Esposito. “We shadowed him for much of the game, but when you do that, you lose a forward in the process. I thought we still had a good shot at winning when it was 1-1.”But it didn't take Esposito long before he broke the tie. His second goal came in the 49th minute off a pass from Zach Puhala. He capped his night with a goal in the 74th minute.Hultman had seven saves in net, while KC's David Olszak had 10.Karns City (16-2) will next face District 5 champ Fannett-Metal in the first round of the PIAA playoffs Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.“For a team with just two seniors, we've done a good job this year,” Parker said.
