HS Boys’ Soccer: Lourdes earns 1st Schuylkill League playoff win; Cards advance
Players from Tri-Valley and Lourdes are announced prior to Saturday's second Schuylkill League boys' soccer quarterfinal at Schuylkill Haven's Rotary Field (Photo by Leroy Boyer).
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Tommy Kodack and his Lourdes’ boys’ soccer team have been building for four years for moments like Saturday.
In a misty rain on the turf at Schuylkill Haven’s Rotary Field, the Red Raiders achieved something no other Lourdes soccer team has ever done.
Win a Schuylkill League playoff game.
Majed Kanafani scored two goals, Nathan Yablonski had a big game in net and Lourdes stunned Tri-Valley 4-2 in a Schuylkill League boys’ quarterfinal.
The victory advances the Red Raiders (10-9), the third seed from Division I, to Tuesday’s semifinals, where they will play Division I champion Blue Mountain (15-3) at 7 p.m.
In the first boys’ quarterfinal Saturday, Tanner Kolb’s second-half goal lifted Pine Grove to a 1-0 victory over Shenandoah Valley. Pine Grove (15-4) will face Division II champion Minersville (15-3) in the first boys’ semifinal at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
“These kids have worked hard,” Kodack said. “These kids have been building for a while. We won Division II two years ago and got bumped up to Division I. We have the numbers to play junior varsity. That’s where this stuff starts.
“We just keep bringing kids in. Every year we keep growing numbers-wise and that’s a huge help. Having these kids come out to play a sport that’s not very popular in the Coal Region … Shamokin and Mount Carmel, that’s football country right there and not this kind of football.”
Lourdes was making just its third appearance in the Schuylkill League playoffs. The Red Raiders were the Division II runner-up in 2004 and lost 6-1 to Blue Mountain in the league semifinals. Two years ago, Lourdes won the Division II title and was upended by Pine Grove 1-0 in the quarterfinals.
Saturday, the Red Raiders set the stage for their signature win by scoring a pair of first-half goals. Freshman Orrin Mariano opened the scoring at 26:52 off a feed from Kanafani before Kanafani scored after a scramble in front at 34:53.
“Orrin Mariano is a big piece to our puzzle and he’s only a freshman,” Kodack said. “Funny thing is he’s not even a striker, he’s a goalkeeper. We were fortunate we had somebody with good touches up there.
“Majed Kanafani plays hard all the time for us.”
Lourdes expanded its lead to 3-0 at 47:06 when Brody Brinkash advanced up the right side and made a great counter shot into the left side of the goal.
Tri-Valley (12-7) answered with a pair of goals by Garett Leitzel to slice the deficit to 3-2 with 24:21 remaining, but Kanafani’s goal on a penalty kick at 65:56 effectively iced it.
A key to the Lourdes’ victory was its defense.
The Red Raiders held the Schuylkill League’s leading scorer, Nathan Hillard, scoreless as senior Sam Schauer marked the 60-goal scorer the entire game.
On the back end, goalkeeper Nathan Yablonski made eight saves, including a pair of spectacular ones in the second half.
“Sam Schauer stepped up today,” Kodack said. “Nathan Hillard is a great player and we knew we had to stop him to win the game.”
Added Tri-Valley coach Phil Barry: “We rely a lot on (Hillard). Sixty goals in a season, that’s unheard of in the Schuylkill League. When a team relies too much on one person, you see what happens.
“In the second half we played a lot better as a team. We realized they were man-marking Nate, double-teaming, triple-teaming Nate. We had other guys step up, next man up. That’s what we have to have, that mentality, or we’re going to have a short district run.”
