BUTLER TWP — Both teams were looking for offense.

Landon Mohney found it.

Butler's sophomore forward snapped a scoreless tie by scoring twice in the span of 45 seconds Saturday at Art Bernardi Stadium. The tallies stood up for a 2-1 WPIAL Class 4A boys soccer playoff win over Connellsville.

“Landon has played a lot of soccer. He's played overseas,” said his father, Butler coach Troy Mohney. “He's gone against the best defensive pressure out there.

“He knows how to get open and he can shoot with either foot. That's a big plus for him.”

It proved to be Connellsville's downfall as the Falcons were denied a first-round playoff victory for the third successive year. Connellsville (12-7) has had varsity boys soccer since 1997 and has never won a postseason game.

“Those 45 seconds were the difference,” Connellsville coach Alexander Guie said. “I thought we played well against them the rest of the way.

“There weren't a lot of scoring opportunities out there for either side.”

Connellsville was limited to three shots on net and two corner kicks in the contest. The Falcons scored their goal with 21 seconds left in the first half.

Senior forward Luke Peperak deked his way around a pair of Butler defenders and drilled a shot into the far left corner of the net, past Tornado goalkeeper Peyton Seibert.

It was Peperak's 31st goal of the season.

“He was the guy I felt could hurt us today,” Coach Mohney admitted. “We double-teamed him the entire game. He must have walked through three of our guys to get open for that shot.”

Connellsville produced one shot on net in the second half and never seriously threatened to score the tying goal.

Landon Mohney scored his goals at the 13:50 and 13:05 marks of the first half. Both shots came from the same spot, about 20 yards out, in front of the left post. Emery Douthett and Carson Knight deliverd the assists, finding Mohney open in space.

Mohney hammered both shots into the far right corner of the net, past Falcon goalkeeper Brandon Routzahn. He scored once with his left foot, once with his right.

“I have confidence in my ability with the ball,” Landon Mohney said. “Those weren't set plays. We know how to move around and create chances.

“I thought we worked the ball around well. We weren't as aggressive in the second half, but we got the win.”

Mohney has 10 goals on the season. Douthett leads Butler with 12.

Lucas Hammerle had 17 goals this season for Connellsville, which entered the game averaging just under four goals a game.

“Butler wasn't as aggressive in the second half,” Guie said. “Instead of applying the pressure, they backed up a bit and dealt with the pressure.

“They have an excellent team, very balanced and physical.”

Both teams were chippy in the first half. One player from each squad received a yellow card and players from both teams were hitting the turf hard following aggressive contact.

“There's a fine line between playing physical and playing dirty ... That line may have been crossed a little in the first half,” Coach Mohney admitted. “But both teams settled down.”

The Tornado had six of its eight shots on net in the first half. Butler had nine corner kicks on the day, five in the second half.

“We were looking for that insurance goal and it never came,” Coach Mohney said. “With No. 8 (Peperak) sitting up top, you're never sure. A defender falls down and you can get burned.

“I never felt comfortable with this one until the seconds ticked down to zero.”

Butler won its first-round playoff game for the third successive year. The Tornado (13-5-1) will travel to Mt. Lebanon (13-4-1) — which received a bye — for their second-round game Wednesday. The Blue Devils have lost their last three games.

“We haven't been able to get that second playoff win,” Coach Mohney said. “Maybe this is the year.”