CHAMBERSBURG — It is a combination that has produced many goals for the Seneca Valley boys soccer team, but none bigger than the one it tallied Tuesday night.

Matt Saluga fed Griffin Mathew a pass from the right of the net and the latter sent a shot past Springfield goalkeeper Michael Gerzabek in the 87th minute of play to hand the Raiders a 1-0 overtime victory in a PIAA Class AAA semifinal at Chambersburg High School's Trojan Stadium.

Seneca Valley, which had never qualified for the PIAA postseason until this year, will face District 1 champion Central Bucks East in the state championship game at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium.

In last Saturday's 1-0 quarterfinal victory over Canon-McMillan, it was Mathew assisting on Saluga's game-winning goal late in the second half.

“Watching those two work together, it's like magic,” said SV coach George Williams. “They work so hard, are super-skilled and super-fast.”

Mathew's score was his sixth goal of the season.

“I feel like I've accomplished something for the team,” he said. “Matt and I have worked for so many goals. The other day, I assisted him and he rewarded me today.”

Both teams struggled getting shots on net. Gerzabek made three saves in the game and SV's Luke Pecora just one. The Raiders (18-2-1) managed more scoring opportunities, earning four corner kicks to the Cougars' one. But most of SV's shots sailed high or wide of the net.

“You had two strong defenses playing tonight,” said Williams. “We like to think that we are a very good defensive team and Springfield is tough, too. They play a different style than we do. We mark using a zone and they play man-to-man.”

The Cougars' best scoring chance came in the 71st minute when the Raiders were called for a tripping foul and Nick Jannelli lined up for a free kick 25 yards from SV's net.

The Raiders were unable to clear the threat and Jannelli raced in and gained possession just five yards from Pecora, but his shot smacked off the left post.

Springfield coach Jason Piombino admitted he knew quite a bit about the Raiders.

“We sent a guy to North Allegheny to watch their quarterfinal game last weekend and I got a detailed report,” he said. “When you get this far, teams are usually pretty even. It comes down to which team is going to make the least amount of mistakes. I thought we had a lot of possession in the midfield, but just weren't able to score.

“Seneca Valley had a great effort,” he added. “They stuck with it.”

Meanwhile, Mathew and his teammates had limited knowledge of the Cougars (18-5-2), but it didn't matter in the end.

“All I knew was that they like to keep a sweeper pretty deep in their end,” he said. “Other than that, we came into this game open-minded. We play better that way.”

Williams, who is in his 21st season as head coach of the Raiders, had a few moments to reflect before the long bus ride home.

“During the game, we were just trying to win,” he said shortly after Mathew's game-winner, “but it's now slowly sinking in. I'm really excited for this team. The coaches and players have all worked exceptionally hard for this. All of the guys who have ever played soccer for Seneca Valley, we want to make them proud Saturday.”

Saluga's thoughts on playing for a state title undoubtedly abound among the team's 10 seniors.

“I can't imagine a better place to end my high school career,” he said. “Hershey, here we come.”

Seneca Valley recorded its fourth shutout of the playoffs and has allowed only two goals in six postseason games.

The Raiders have won their last two games by 1-0 scores and have allowed two goals in a game only twice all season.