PIAA BOYS SOCCER: Panthers come short in the final, 1-0-Pittsburgh Post Gazette

HERSHEY, PA.--the smallest guy on the field was the biggest play of the night in the game of football championship PIAA Class AAA boys Saturday night at Hersheypark Stadium.

Unfortunately for WPIAL champion upper St. Clair, T-Ben Donnie plays for other children.

Donnie tap-in goal off a cross by Nick Langanelli only 1: 17 in the second half was enough for unbeaten Conestoga to remain so, taking a 1-0 victory and PIAA Championship trophy back to Chicago.

The loss ruined of upper St. Clair chance to win the first boys soccer PIAA Title since back-to-back Championships in 2003 and ' 04.

The pioneers (24-0-1), ranked nationally by ESPN rise, were mercury-fast offense and defense and upper St. Clair reeling early. But upper St. Clair has gathered even after a quick goal second half by Donnie and only lost leveling chances over the last 10 minutes.

The first was artificial. The Panthers batted the ball in from the right side and Conestoga when a player was unable to remove, upper St. Clair Matt Kiernan received and fired from 12 yards. But Kiernan was slightly the balance when he shot just enough to pull the width of the target ball with 10: 30 remaining.

Then, with Panthers (20-2-2) play with an extra forward and pushing hard, an upper St. Clair strike hits the hand of a Conestoga defender in the box. Everyone, including the player pioneer who drew back his hand, waiting for the whistle. Instead, silence, except for the roar of disapproval from the upper St. Clair bench and fans.

Remained little more than three minutes, and had called the shootout, the Cubs would have had the opportunity to work for the entire second half.

"It is very bad, the arbitrators had a large share of the result," upper St. Clair coach Uwe Schneider said. "But when they did not invite the Handball. All we have seen.

"Ref simply do not have enough courage to interrupt. This is not the issue that was better at this point. We have worked hard to find here.»

Not an opinion Schneider was sour-graping, was not. It was like to be praised for promotions of Conestoga and the excellent work which the upper St. Clair running with an excellent way to keep up once.

"They are not only sports, that is good," Schneider said.

This includes Donnie, who is barely 5 feet. But Donnie is an exciting and intelligent player and instincts kicked in when he saw Langanelli pick up a ball from Bryan Kozlowski and jump down the right side.

First published on 20 November, 2011 at 12: 00 am