In late September, after Loyalsock fell to a 4-8 record after a 2-0 loss to Northumberland Christian, the Lancers’ playoff chances looked bleak. The margin of error was slim, and some of the best team in the district were left on the schedule.

But the Lancers stayed alive, winning three of five matches with two crucial draws against perennial playoff mainstays Wellsboro and Loyalsock to gave itself a win-and-you’re-in match at home against Shikellamy on Thursday night.

They made sure not to let the opportunity slip away.

Loyalsock scored two goals within 90 seconds of each other late in the first half as they beat Shikellamy, 2-0, to qualify for the District 4 Class AA playoffs.

“Sometimes you split the season up to play a season within a season. We told the guys, ‘hey, it’s six games, it’s up to you,’ and they haven’t lost. Kudos to the boys,” Loyalsock coach Steve Ertel said.

Loyalsock outplayed Shikellamy for much of the first half, but the Braves were able to keep the ball out of their net. That changed with seven-and-a-half minutes to go in the first half.

Owen Peck took a pass near the top of the box and fired a laser with his right foot that looked destined to go in. But the ball caromed off of the crossbar and back into play. Peck never stopped playing, and found himself with the ball alone near the penalty spot and calmly slotted the ball in the net to give the Lancers their crucial first goal.

The goal, the first of Peck’s career, may have been the most important goal of the entire season.

“I’m not going to stand there and wait around for the ball to come my way,” Peck said. “I’m going to go to the ball.”

Peck has been splitting time between the varsity and junior varsity squads, but his role increased for this game and it paid off.

“He’s been great for us this season. He ad a great JV game at Wellsboro. We plugged him in, he earned the varsity spot and he really kicked it off for us. That first goal helped relax the team,” Ertel said.

The Lancers wasted no time capitalizing on that momentum. Just 79 seconds later, Edmonds got isolated 1-v-1 on a Brave defender. With the ball on his dominant right foot, he faked a shot, cut it back onto his left, and found plenty of daylight, hammering the ball into the side netting to put Loyalsock up 2-0.

“I saw the (goalkeeper) was at the near post, I saw an opportunity on my left, so I just took it,” Edmonds said.

The Lancers had two more great chances to add to their lead midway through the second half. At the 19-minute mark, Gabe Deprenda sent a bullet off of his right foot that just barely sailed over the crossbar, and a minute later, Peck nearly had his second goal on a breakaway.

Two goals were more than enough for Loyalsock’s back line. They’ve played fantastic defense in this great rally down the stretch run, and that continued.

“It speaks volumes about our four in the back and our goalie. They’ve really held it together. And we told the boys early on, we’re not going to score many goals this season, so we have to really build the team from the back, and they take the initiative,” Ertel said.

Loyalscok 2 Shikellamy 0

L–Owen Peck (Gabe Deprenda), 33:23. L–Luke Edmonds, 34:42.

Shots: L 12, S 4. Saves: L 4 (Connor Lang), S 2 (Nathaniel Allar).