Staying stingy
JACKSON TWP — A stout defense has been the cornerstone of the Seneca Valley boys soccer team's undefeated start to the season.
Butler realized just how stingy the Raiders can be Thursday afternoon.
The Golden Tornado managed just four shots on goal — all of them gobbled up by Raiders' goalkeeper Luke Pecora — in SV's 2-0 Section 2-AAA win at NexTier Stadium.
The Raiders (6-0-1, 5-0-1) have now allowed just three goals in their seven games.
“I've been most impressed with our ability to defend as well as we have,” said veteran SV coach George Williams. “We are very confident moving forward.”
Butler's first shot on goal came from Tate Mohney seconds before halftime. He was 25 yards from the goal and Pecora, standing right in front of the net, jumped and snagged the ball with both hands.
The Tornado, who earned two corner kicks in the game, tallied three shots on goal in the second half, but were unable to get on the scoreboard.
“Seneca Valley is obviously a very good team,” said Butler coach Troy Mohney. “Their back four (Sam Patry, Macen DiPaolo, Dylan Grubbs and Zack McVicker) are very organized. They kept possession of the ball and when they weren't able to get to a ball, we couldn't complete the passes. Our scoring chances were non-existent.”
He wasn't tested much on Thursday, but Pecora has been meeting the challenge in his first season as a varsity starter.
“That's where our defense starts,” said Williams. “He has been outstanding so far.”
Pecora received all the offense he would need in the 18th minute when T.J. Turley's free kick from 20 yards out was headed off the right post by Matt Saluga. DiPaolo was there for the rebound and his shot beat Butler goalie Andrew Chwalik.
Tommy Washington added an insurance goal for the Raiders in the second half off an assist from Adam Mascio.
“We created a lot more chances and I would have loved to see us finish more of them,” Williams said, “but it was nice to cash in on those two.”
Chwalik ended the game with six saves. He and his teammates successfully defended against seven corner kicks from the Raiders.
Butler's defeat dropped it to 2-4 in section games and 4-4 overall, but Coach Mohney knows all it takes is a successful run in the second half of the regular season.
“We were 2-3-1 in the section last year after six games,” he said of the Tornado's 2014 season that saw the team not only make the playoffs, but reach the WPIAL semifinals. “We're not close to being out of it.”
Seneca Valley dives right back into section play, facing host North Allegheny on Saturday. Butler will play a non-section game at Kiski Area Monday evening.
