Beaver rally knocks out Freeport, 3-2
ADAMS TWP — Freeport spent the first 40 minutes building momentum and a two-goal edge.
Both slipped from the Yellowjackets' grasp in the second half.
A.J. Jones, Anthony DiBenedetto and Mike DiCola each scored after intermission to earn a 3-2 comeback win for Beaver in a WPIAL Class AA boys soccer first-round playoff game Saturday at the Mars Athletic Complex.
“We felt confident with a 2-0 lead at halftime,” said Freeport coach Dave Teorsky, “but Beaver came out like a much different team in the second half.”
Beaver's offense featured the same cast of characters in the first half, when the attack seemed rather ordinary. The Bobcats managed five shots on goal in the first 40 minutes, three of them stopped by Freeport goalkeeper Austin Uric with little effort.
The 'Jackets grabbed the initial lead of the game in the 15th minute when Beaver goalie Peter Avdellas ventured out 25 yards from his net to challenge Robbie Reichenbaugh, who was waiting for a lofty entrance pass to come down. The two collided and hit the turf. Bryce Hanby was trailing the action and put his foot into an empty-net goal.
Hanby scored again in the 31st minute off an assist from Stevie Teorsky for a 2-0 advantage.
Beaver coach Scott Hazuda was not pleased with his team's effort in the first half.
“We didn't feel we played all that well,” he said. “Actually, we played poorly. At halftime, we told the guys to get back to playing the way they are capable of.”
It didn't take long for the pep talk to affect the scoreboard.
Jones scored in the 44th minute. Just over six minutes later, DiBenedetto tied the game.
Though the score remained knotted at 2-2 for nearly 25 minutes, the 'Jackets were now the team on its heels.
“This year, we played strong in the second half of games,” Teorsky said, “but today, Beaver outplayed us in the second half and that's a credit to them.”
An assist from Frank Sestito led to DiCola's deciding goal in the 75th minute.
Avdellas made five saves for Beaver, Uric 10 for Freeport.
With the win, the Bobcats are now a modest 8-9-1 overall. But a closer look at the team's schedule reveals games against Montour, Moon and Pine-Richland — all playoff teams from higher classes.
“We lost all of those games,” said Hazuda. “It was a challenge to keep the boys feeling confident because nobody likes to lose, but we felt it would make us a better team.”
The 2016 season yielded Freeport's first section title in 17 years. The 'Jackets finished the season with an overall record of 14-3-1.
“The boys picked their heads up as they were coming off the field,” said Teorsky. “That's important because even though we are disappointed in today's result, we can take a lot of pride in the section championship.”
