BUTLER TWP — With the playoffs looming just over the horizon, the Butler boys soccer team wanted to finish the regular season on a positive note.

A goal by Jake Gamble 4:39 into Monday's nonsection contest against Kiski Area helped the Tornado secure the 3-0 victory.

Butler, which finished second to Seneca Valley in Section 2-AAA, will find out its playoff seeding Wednesday.

Gamble, a senior forward, tallied all of Butler's goals, but the first one seemed to get the Golden Tornado (8-6-4) rolling.

"It's always nice to get that early goal, but you still have a lot of game left," said Butler coach Troy Mohney

"It's definitely big, that first goal," said Gamble. "It's big because it puts them on their heels and we can settle in. It was a big part on how we defended after that."

Butler doubled its lead on the Cavaliers (7-9) when Gamble scored on a penalty kick with 24:29 left in the first period.

"I don't know how many goals he has, but he's definitely been our big goal scorer for us," said Mohney. "He's created a lot of offense for us with his individual skill and speed. He's a dangerous player."

Butler almost expanded its lead late in the first period, but Kiski Area goalie Aaron Ballish made a pair of diving saves on shots by Gamble and Nate McCandless.

In the second half, Gamble scored with 11:38 remaining when his shot hit just under the crossbar and bounced into the net.

After the Tornado's 2-1 loss to Seneca Valley last Thursday in a battle for the section championship, Butler tied Baldwin 2-all Saturday and downed the Cavaliers Monday to prepare for the playoffs.

"Kiski's a playoff team and Baldwin is, too, so after the setback to Seneca Valley, I knew we'd have two tough games," said Mohney. "It's nice to know we had two solid performances offensively and defensively.

"We play a tough schedule in our section and had a good, competitive outside schedule. We have a nice mixture of senior leadership and juniors and sophomores who have stepped up."

With the win, Butler closed with an 8-3-1 clip after a 0-3-3 start.

"We're confident. We think we're getting stronger every game," Gamble said.