| Warrior Showcase Depth on Way to Historic 4th Straight ACAA Championship |
With several elite players out with season-ending injuries and several other players battling through injuries, the Warriors used a team-effort to capture the ACAA Championship.
In their Friday ACAA semifinal matchup on their home field, the Warriors took on Juniata Christian with a right to go to the ACAA Championship game on the line. After a long day of waiting, the Warriors took to the field under the lights ready to show the league that even without key contributors Gavin Birkett, Stephen Ilgenfritz, Chris Eroh, Kaleb Ritchey and Liam Zwatty available, the Warriors were still the team to beat.
It was a dream start for the home team when less than 4 minutes into the game, central midfielder Zion Hostetter got the ball out wide to fullback Finn Steckel, who found Jackson Shaffer's feet along the touchline, and he spotted the run of Noah Conner towards the corner flag. Noah drove the ball endline and then dropped the ball to the top of the 18, where his brother Chase Conner hammered the ball under the crossbar to give the Warriors the
1-0 lead.
Noah doubled the advantage in the 18th minute when he pounced on a goal kick, dribbled around a defender and finished his 1v1 with the keeper with a
tidy finish to the far post. JCS then responded when they scored off a corner kick 2 minutes later to give the Lions life, and the Lions continued to test the Warriors defense by sending balls over the top. However, sophomore keeper Jadon Clark had an outstanding game with
good positioning and
quick decision-making to
constantly snuff out any danger.
The Warriors responded by bringing in fresh legs as juniors Aidan Kauffman (playing in his first game since being injured in a preseason scrimmage), Max Garvin, and Ben Friscia, with freshmen Ethan Wolfe and Andrew Simmons, all gave good minutes throughout the game. Then with less than 2 minutes to go in the first half, Zion picked up a loose ball in the midfield and used his strength to spin away from two defenders and picked out Dean Wilhelm on the right wing. Dean took a positive first touch toward the goal to draw two defenders and then rolled the ball across the face of the goal where freshman Ky Cook was well-positioned to make the score
3-1 at the break.
In the second half, there was no letdown from either team as both teams continued to battle bravely. Chase Conner added another insurance goal when he lasered a
direct kick from just outside the box under the crossbar to give the Warriors a three goal advantage. JCS responded when a sliced clearance found the back of the net to make it 4-2, but that was the last of the scoring as the Warriors advanced to their 7th straight ACAA championship game.
On a picture-perfect Saturday, the Warriors faced off against Grace Prep in the final and received a boost when Gavin Birkett was able to start despite his injuries. This meant the dominant senior-filled backline of Birkett, Ethan Bennett, Michael Cantine and Owen Rees was able to take the field together one last time in league play. Despite playing many difficult teams during their 18 game regular season, the Warrior defense had only given up 3 goals all year that were in the run of play, with the rest coming off of set pieces. The backline combined with sophomore defensive midfielder Landon Snyder had been instrumental in not just limiting chances for opposing teams but also helping the Warriors to maintain possession and keep pressure on the opposing team's defense.
The 3-time defending champion Warriors came out strong and generated several good opportunities to open the scoring, but it wasn't until the 10th minute that the home team took a lead they would never relinquish. Leading scorer Noah Conner dispossessed a Grace Prep player, dribbled around a defender, and then was fouled in the penalty box. Noah calmly dispatched the resulting penalty kick for his 31st goal on the year and a
1-0 lead.
The Warriors kept applying pressure, and in the 30th minute, senior centerback Michael Cantine won a 50-50 at midfield and took the ball forward with him. Cantine passed to Noah's feet and continued his run. Noah spun around his defender, and then played Cantine in, who beat the Grace Prep keeper to the ball and slotted in
the eventual game-winning goal for a 2-0 lead. Grace Prep responded with a well-taken penalty kick to cut the deficit to 2-1 at the end of the first half.
The halftime talk by the coaches reiterated that the team was playing well, but that in order to fairly reflect how well the team was playing, the Warriors needed to take their chances and they should win by 5 goals. The team responded with a second half onslaught.
First, Noah Conner played in Chase Conner who expertly finished his 1-v-1 with the keeper for a
3-1 lead and his 30th goal of the year. Then, Dean Wilhelm hustled onto a loose ball and carried it up the right wing. After besting three defenders, he squared to Noah for his second goal of the game and a
4-1 lead for the Warriors. A few minutes later, Tristen Conner latched onto a loose ball and played a smart pass to Zion, who touched around a defender and then played the ball wide into the path of Daniel Rees.
Daniel found Jackson Shaffer at the far post for another goal, and the rout was on.
As time ticked down the Warriors played mostly seniors along with freshmen Julian Shaffer, Micaiah Clifton, Benjamin McElroy and Andrew Simmons. When
Andrew Simmons volleyed another goal to complete a 6-1 triumph, the freshmen showed what the NCS coaches have said all year, that all the players on the Warriors roster can compete with the best in the ACAA. The Warriors once again proved their depth and team approach were key to winning the league.
Congrats to the entire boys team for contributing to an unprecedented 4th straight ACAA championship for the program.
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