Tornado boys soccer falls short in semi, 1-0
WEXFORD — Butler had no shortage of timely goals during its impressive run to Tuesday’s WPIAL Class 4A boys soccer semifinal round.
They needed another to pull even with Pine-Richland and for much of the second half, the Golden Tornado finding the net seemed imminent.
But whether it was an unlucky bounce, clutch defensive play from the Rams or one of eight saves made by goalkeeper Cadan Bennett, Butler never did score the equalizer.
A first-half goal from Colin Zvejnieks was the difference as the Rams moved on to Saturday’s championship game with a 1-0 victory at North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium.
“We switched formations a couple of times in the second, trying to get more bodies forward,” said Butler coach Troy Mohney. “Had a bunch of headers, some shots from the top of the 18 ... We did everything but put the ball in the net.”
The field was titled in Butler’s favor for most of the final 40 minutes, but never more than during a three-minute span beginning in the 71st minute.
A Golden Tornado shot sailed just wide left, then another missed the mark to the right. Aiden Wisda then sent a header from just five yards, but it was outside the post as well.
In the 74th minute, P-R defender Tyler Derks blocked a shot when Bennett was returning to his line. The ball was headed toward the lower left corner of the net.
A free kick from Nick Kilgore in the final minute of the game, followed by a shot from 40 yards, were the last gasps for Butler (13-5-2).
“I thought the first 10 minutes of the second half were pretty balanced,” said Rams’ coach Jordan Wiegand. “Then Butler made a big jump, started pressing us and getting the ball into the box. It made us uncomfortable, but we were able to prevail.”
It appeared as though the game would be scoreless at halftime, but with 30 seconds left before the break, Zvejnieks headed in a crossing pass from Brady Baker. The latter was able to redirect the ball just before it rolled out of bounds.
“That was a great team goal, phenomenal,” said Mohney. “So give Pine-Richland (14-4-1) credit for that.”
Butler goalie Drew Knight made three saves.
The Tornado and Rams are Section 1 foes. As such, they met twice in the regular season, both winning once.
A 1-0 loss to the Rams in late August came a week before the Tornado began a stretch that saw them go 11-1-2 in the 14 games leading up to Tuesday’s semifinal.
“We may not have the most talent, but I don’t think there’s another team out there that battled as much and worked as hard as we did,” said Mohney.
