It was a late night on the road for Montgomery’s boys soccer team traveling to Dauphin County to play Williams Valley, but that long road trip was a happy one as Montgomery came away with a decisive 8-1 victory over the Vikings, securing Montgomery’s third straight District 4 playoff appearance.

“It is always a good feeling knowing that soccer will at least continue for a week following your last regular season match” according to Montgomery Coach Michael Sherman. “The boys have worked hard since August to get to this point. An extra match or two is basically their reward for the commitment and dedication they have displayed throughout the season. Playoffs for Montgomery Soccer have gone from a distant goal to an expectation in just a few years. The boys should be extremely proud of how far they have come.”

It took Montgomery some time to settle into an offensive rhythm but when they did, the results were impressive.

Dylan Sherman opened the scoring around 10 minutes into the match on an assist from senior captain Cameron Wilver. The match stayed at 1-0 for much of the first half until Sherman found the net twice in about the span of a minute — assisted by defensive back Cash Hill and Wilver — for the 3-0 advantage at the half.

Following halftime, Sherman connected twice more with senior captain Camden Dalrymple and ended his night with a career-high five goals.

“Dylan had some great finishes showing poise under pressure to capitalize on opportunities. Tonight, we played with purpose and intensity,” Sherman said. “The team as a whole was not pleased with their last outing against Millville this weekend and seemed determined to not repeat the mistakes that resulted in the loss on Saturday.”

Three players went on to notch their first goals of the season during the second half for the win. Cameron Wilver had the opportunity to convert a penalty kick however his initial shot was turned away by an impressive save by Xzavion Tennis. An opportunity for a follow-up presented itself and Wilver took full advantage of the situation to put the Red Raiders up 6-0.

It was then sophomore Collin Gregory’s turn to score his first goal as a Red Raider on an assist from Dalrymple who ended the night with three assists.

Senior forward Porter Hall, playing soccer the first time this season since the age of 6, tallied the last Montgomery goal on an assist from Gregory.

“It was awesome to see so many players find their way into the box score tonight. We were connecting the ball well with decent decision making throughout the match rather than in short sequences which was ultimately the difference tonight,” said Sherman. 

Williams Valley’s goal came via a penalty kick in the 86th minute from Ethan Lebo to take away the clean sheet from Raider goalkeeper Conor Irwin.

Montgomery improves to 9-6 and will look to secure a third-straight double-digit win season on Thursday night under the lights of Red Raider Stadium when they take on Meadowbrook Christian on senior night. The Red Raiders will honor Diehl, Dalrymple, Figard, Hall and Wilver during halftime.

Montgomery 8, Williams Valley 1

M–Dylan Sherman (Cameron Wilver), 10:12. M–Sherman (Cash Hill), 37:16. M–Sherman (Wilver), 38:22. M–Sherman (Camden Dalrymple), 44:48. M_Sherman (Dalrymple), 59:35. M–Wilver, 63:31. M–Collin Gregory (Dalrymple), 69:29. M–Porter Hall (Gregory), 74:17. WV–Ethan Lebo (penalty kick), 86:17.