Butler goalkeeper Andrew Chwalik makes a save for the Golden Tornado during his team's 1-0 boys soccer loss to Seneca Valley Tuesday night.

BUTLER TWP — It was a rivalry match and it was important for seeding in the upcoming WPIAL 4A boys soccer playoffs.

But for Seneca Valley, the contest on the road against Butler Tuesday night took on an even bigger, internal meaning.

“Coming off a tough loss Thursday to Pine-Richland and a tough (2-1 home) loss to these guys last time,” said Raiders' coach George Williams, “we had something to prove. Not just to anybody else, but to ourselves.”

The hard-fought 1-0 win over Butler secured second place in Section 1-AAAA for Seneca Valley (7-3-2, 6-3-1).

Defense dominated throughout with neither team getting a shot on goal in the first half.

That trend continued 20 minutes into the second half.

But Seneca Valley got a break with 11:40 to go when Josh Balla found a way to trickle the ball into the Butler net for a 1-0 Raider lead.

“Not just excited about the outcome, but the performance of our guys,” Williams said.

“We had a couple of close calls, but we were able to get the conversion on the last one,” Williams added. “I think it was Jackson Wotus who got the ball across and we had some numbers in there. Josh Balla got something on it. That's all it takes.”

Butler (9-5, 6-4), which had a few opportunities early on shots that sailed high and wide, didn't have many after the initial five minutes of the match and finished with just one shot on goal.

Seneca Valley only had three shots on goal, but had the most important one. The one that went in.

“I thought the beginning of the game we created a couple of decent chances, but there was definitely a lull in the game when we had a difficult time keeping the ball in their end,” said Butler coach Troy Mohney. “We'd get it up there and it would come right back down our throats, kind of.”

Butler's best chance came just before the half when Tate Mohney sent a ball into the box that rattled around as time expired.

Seneca Valley also had a golden opportunity late in the first half when a knuckling shot off the right foot of Louis Newell hit the left post.

It made for a quiet night for the keepers.

It was also a unique night for the coaches.

Seneca Valley needed a win to secure second place in the section. But the Raiders also couldn't afford a tie. A loss or a deadlock and a Pine-Richland win would have dumped Seneca Valley down to the fourth and final playoff spot in the section and would have most likely yielded a low seed.

Butler merely needed a win or a tie to clinch second place.

Williams was eyeing the clock tick down with the match scoreless.

“We needed to go for the win,” Williams said. “Right around when we got that goal we were getting ready to make a chance, to make a move.”

Troy Mohney said his team was aware that a tie helped them.

“We talked about it before the game,” Mohney said. “We knew all the scenarios and we knew (a tie) secured us second place, but we weren't playing for a tie. It does start creeping into your mind, though, because there weren't a whole lot of chances for either team. That game could have easily been zero-zero.”

Once the Tornado fell behind, they made several pushes that the Raiders withstood.

“I like the way my team responded to that,” Mohney said. “They talked to each other in a group and they battled. They competed.”