After 108 minutes of action in a game tied at one goal apiece, Wellsboro had a golden chance to get the golden goal against Loyalsock with a corner kick in the District 4 Class AA boys soccer playoffs at Wellsboro Area High School on Wednesday. 

Wellsboro’s Coen Tennis made sure his team’s playoff lives wouldn’t be left up to the whims of a penalty shootout that was just two minutes away. Tennis found a bit of space in the chaos, and smacked a loose ball with his right foot into the left side of the goal to send Wellsboro to the quarterfinals, 2-1. 

“We had a nice opportunity with a corner, and Gabe (Cuneo) sent a nice ball in. It bounced around, came right to my foot, and I made a good strike on it, perfect spot, and that sealed it,” Tennis said.

It was a heartbreaking defeat for Loyalsock, who had rallied from a 4-8 start to go undefeated in their final six games to finish 8-8-2 and qualify for playoffs. The Lancers led for much of the game after Caleb Hartsock headed a ball past Hornet goalkeeper Camden Tom in a scrum following a free kick with just over eleven minutes before halftime.

The match, which featured plenty of chances for both teams with an open style of play, somehow stayed scoreless until late in the second half. With just under ten minutes remaining, Wellsboro sent in a set piece into the box. Hornet Mason Nowak was fouled by a Lancer in the penalty area while trying to win a loose ball, and Wellsboro was awarded a penalty kick. 

The match instantly changed to being on the foot of Wellsboro’s David Seeling. Seeling, a senior, had established himself as one of the Northern Tier League’s premier players entering the season. A nagging injury from the preseason has limited his mobility and his effectiveness this year.

But with the biggest kick of his high school soccer career, Seeling came through. He stutter-stepped, then calmly slotted a low shot to the bottom right corner of the goal to tie the match at 1-1. 

“I saw Mason go down figured we were getting the penalty, whistle blew, and I was just confident,” Seeling said.

There was no hesitation on the Wellsboro sideline on who was going to take the penalty. 

“When I saw that it was a penalty kick, he was the first person that came to my mind,” Wellsboro coach Todd Fitch said. “He’s a sparkplug when he’s on the field. He’s smart about the game, certainly skilled in the game, and then in those moments when the pressure is on, he’s just so poised.”

Loyalsock nearly never let the match get to extra time however. With under a minute left in regulation, a slip at midfield by Seeling led a perfectly-played through-ball from David Bjorckman to Dylan Eck. Eck collected the ball and sent a shot across the face of Camden Tom that looked destined for the side netting from close range. But Tom held his position and quickly stretched to hit right, parrying the ball away and preserving the tie. 

“He’s our senior keeper and those are the kind of players you need to step up. And I’ve told Camden that he has played big in big moments, and that was another example,” Fitch said. 

When Tennis scored in the second overtime period, Hornet players mobbed the goalscorer in celebration. Meanwhile, the Lancers were in a state of disbelief. But, considering where the team was just a few weeks ago when the playoffs looked like an afterthought, it’s been a remarkable run. Loyalsock went over 250 minutes without giving up a goal until the Seeling penalty kick, and showed massive improvement down the stretch. 

“Proud is an understatement,” Loyalsock coach Steve Ertel said.

For the Hornets, it’s the third straight year and ninth year in the last 13 with a playoff win, and their mentality at the end of each season is a big key. 

“It’s kind of neat because before we came out of the locker room, we mentioned this the other night, the idea of at this point in season, the thought is, we want one more game,” Fitch said. “That’s been really neat about the teams here in the recent past. This is another example. They want to just keep playing.”

Wellsboro advances to the District 4 Class AA quarterfinals and will face Montoursville at Milton on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Wellsboro 2 Loyalsock 1 

L–Caleb Hartsock, 28:52. W–David Seeling, 70:02. W–Coen Tennis, 108:21.

Shots: W 8, L 7. Saves: W 5 (Camden Tom), L 2 (Connor Lang).