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Loyalsock boys soccer defeats Montoursville in double overtime thriller

By Jon Gerardi 6 min read

As Matt O'Malley ran over to take the corner kick, Loyalsock's Lucas Pearson got into position inside of the 18-yard box. The Lancers knew they needed to put in a goal to avoid going to a shootout, and Pearson knew if the ball was in the air, he was going to go for it.

Pearson read the corner perfectly and jumped up to get his head on it, sending a perfect shot to the near left post.

It didn't take long for Pearson and the Lancers to start celebrating near the bench.

The goal gave Loyalsock a thrilling 3-2 win on a chilly Wednesday night at Memorial Stadium in Montoursville in the first round of the District 4 Class AA playoffs.

"I think I can out-jump almost anyone, and in a one-on-one matchup I'm taking myself every time," Pearson said. "It's just an unbelievable feeling when you score a game winner, especially in the playoffs."

The goal game with 4 minutes, 19 seconds remaining in the second overtime period.

The Lancers and Warriors played an outstanding district playoff game Wednesday night. Both teams came up with defensive plays when needed and Montoursville goalie Mason Lauchle kept the Warriors in the game, especially in both overtime periods.

In the two overtime contests, Lauchle recorded six saves, including some high, and some great diving blocks to prevent game winners.

"I went up to the keeper at the end of the game and said this is probably the best high school goalkeeping performance I've ever seen. He took away a few chances on free kicks, off the line, cleared shots. It was unbelievable," Loyalsock coach Ian Scheller said. "What a performance. Sometimes you don't have words. I kept looking at my assistants and I'd say 'how'd he get it out?'"

"Mason played best game of his career in my mind and knew it was all on him with those deeper shots," Montoursville coach Bryan Pauling said. "He's been working on that (high ball) last couple of weeks to make sure he had best prep he could for this."

Loyalsock beat Montoursville in the regular season, 5-0, and while the Lancers earned a win in Round 2 on Wednesday, the Warriors made Loyalsock earn it. Lauchle ended with 12 saves, and the Warriors did a solid job most of the game forcing Loyalsock to take deep shots.

Loyalsock had five shots on goal in the first half, all of which came from just outside the 18-yard box.

After both teams played fairly even in the first half, Loyalsock came out with more pressure in the second 40-minute period, firing 10 total shots -- four on goal -- and preventing Montoursville from getting many offensive chances.

Loyalsock took an early 1-0 lead 10 minutes into the game when Conner Sullivan scored from just outside the 18. Mason Winslow, however, put in an equalizer just four minutes later when he fired a shot from 20 yards out.

"By getting a goal to tie it back up, it allowed us to continue to play a strategy of a tied game or down one, but if you go down two or three, we become very focused on trying to get goals and most of time you lose by even more because you pull most of defense," Pauling said, noting that's what happened in the 5-0 loss earlier this year to the Lancers.

The 1-1 tie held until 19:19 remained in the first half. That's when Gabe Severn drilled a great shot from outside the 18 to the left post to reclaim the lead.

It took just over 5 minutes into the second half for Montoursville to strike and tie it back up.

Montoursville fired a shot inside the 18, but a sliding Ben Grieco blocked the attempt and the ball bounced back to 25 yards out. Wyatt Fry was in the right place at the right time, taking the loose ball and sending in a perfect shot that curved to the right post and sneaked in to make it 2-2.

Loyalsock nearly won it in regulation with 3:54 to play. Tyler Wescott took a direct kick 30 yards out and sent in a hard shot, but Lauchle managed to knock it down and prevent a goal.

O'Malley then had a direct kick from 30 yards out as well with 12:07 to play in the first overtime period that he attempted to sneak under the crossbar, but Lauchle again came up with a great block by getting his fingertips on it and tipping it backwards.

"He had a great game, he's incredible. I mean it sucks (he was blocking our shots), but he's making some crazy saves. There's nothing we could do about that," Pearson said of Lauchle.

With 4:05 to play before halftime, Montoursville appeared to score a game-tying goal which would have made it 2-2 and shifted some momentum at the half. But Fry's goal, which he scored past Grieco, was waved off due to him being called offside.

Loyalsock ended the game with nine corner kicks, and came up routinely with some great shots from them, including the game-winner in double overtime.

"The important thing is we know when we get into the final third if we can play a dangerous ball, we have guys who can go up and get it," Scheller said. "We have some very athletic players and from that, we know if we get a free kick or a corner, that's at least a half chance. Then you force goalkeeper to make a decision. Playoffs especially it's about the little things.

"We focused on set pieces a little bit because you know sometimes these games come down to who's going to win those balls in the air."

With the win, Loyalsock advances to play Lewisburg in the District 4 Class AA quarterfinals on Saturday at Selinsgrove at noon.

Loyalsock 3, Montoursville 2

L--Conner Sullivan, 30:22. M--Mason Winslow, 26:03. L--Gabe Severn, 19:19. M--Wyatt Fry, 34:49. L--Lucas Pearson (Matt O'Malley corner), 4:19.

Shots: L 16, M 4. Corners: L 9, M 1. Saves: L 2 (Ben Grieco), L 12 (Mason Lauchle).

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