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Penns Valley boys soccer falls to SJC in District 6 Class A quarters

By KENNY VARNER 4 min read

WINGATE – The official start to the District 6 soccer playoffs started Monday night when St. Joseph's Catholic Academy matched up with Penns Valley at Bald Eagle Area’s Alumni Stadium, with the winner moving on to battle Belleville Christian School on Thursday.

The Wolfpack notched goals in the first and second half while keeping the Rams at bay, defeating Penns Valley, 2-0, to move on to the semifinals.

"I think collectively, it came down to a few things. I mean, just execution and staying within the match. In matches like this, we obviously have to have composure," said Penns Valley coach Brian Markle. "But collectively as a group, it does not make me any less proud of what we did.”

Early on, both teams tried to establish possession, and it would be Penns Valley that had the first opportunity. However, they just missed a breakaway chance as the St. Joseph's backline – consisting of Owen Badger, Andy Gellen, Jacob Andreyo, Cam Walsh and Pete Rossman – got the stop.

The group proved to be quite a force to be reckoned with as it shut down the transition game early on. Penns Valley had a strong backline as well, refusing to give up an easy goal.

After a back-and-forth first half, both teams attacked but neither could find an opening in the other's defense. However, as the first half reached the midway point, the Wolfpack got the first break of the game.

The young Rams got called for a penalty inside their own box and it would force a penalty kick for St. Joseph's.

At 20:08, the Wolfpack's Owen Badger lined up for a penalty kick, going eye-to-eye against Rams goalie sophomore Collin Wolfe. Badger sent a blast that sailed just over the finger tips of Wolfe for the game's first goal.

Both defenses took over for the rest of the half, as the teams went into the half with the Wolfpack still leading by one.

After the intermission, the Rams came out pushing the ball numerous times down into the St. Joesph's end. But each time, Wolfpack goalkeeper Charles Ramos stepped up his game even more and was a strong force, sending the Rams away without a goal.

Attempt after attempt by Penns Valley seemed a touch away from possible scores, but the Wolfpack's pressure continued to keep the shutout alive.

As the game dropped below the 14-minute mark, the Wolfpack added a clutch insurance goal to go up by two.

Taylor Gigante found himself in front of the goal with a good shot and blasted in an unassisted goal at 13:05.

Despite upping the offensive pressure, the young Rams could not find an answer, running out of time before they could narrow the gap.

The Rams finished their season with a record of 4-13-1, with Markle being proud of what they had accomplished when it was all said and done.

"Truthfully, we’re a young squad. In the past three years, we’ve graduated 30 some kids, and I only have one senior this year," said Markle. "So between graduating as many seniors as we did in the past and injuries up the wazoo, it’s been a season and a half. But I’m really excited for the future. We return a lot, and we’ve got guys who are coming back that will be healthy again.”

St. Joseph's is back in action as they travel to MIfflin County high school Thursday to face Belleville Christian at 5:30.

St. Joseph's 2, Penns Valley 0

SJ – Owen Badger PK, 19:52. SJ – Taylor Gigante (unassisted), 66:55.

Shots on goal: PV 13, SJ 11. Corners: PV 3, SJ 6.

Saves: Collin Wolfe (PV) 5. Charles Ramos (SJ) 7.

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