Comeback Kids
JACKSON TWP — Defending champions aren't supposed to go down easily.
When Seneca Valley's boys soccer team found itself against the ropes Wednesday night, the Raiders didn't just fight back, they landed the deciding blow.
After falling behind 2-0 to Norwin in a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal, the Raiders answered by tying the game on Kyle Majeski's tally in the 46th minute.
Senior forward Luke Rupert then got the go-ahead score 24 minutes later, tucking a shot just inside the right post after Norwin goalkeeper Andy Yanez was unable to gain possession.
The 3-2 win at NexTier Stadium sends SV, which defeated Norwin in last year's district final, to Saturday's semifinal clash with Mt. Lebanon.
“It's great to come back and win to get to the semifinals, but we expected to be there,” said Rupert, who scored twice Wednesday to push his team-leading total to 19 goals on the season.
Rupert's first goal came when the Raiders (14-3-1) badly needed some momentum. Norwin's Ian Brown and Matt Federovich put the Knights up 2-0 with scores just four minutes apart in the first half.
“We wanted to impose our will early on,” said Norwin coach Scott Schuchert. “This is a tough place to play and I'm proud of the way we responded early on.”
The Knights (16-3-1) had little time to enjoy their two-goal edge ... 34 seconds to be exact as Rupert's goal made it 2-1.
“Luke is one of those players who just takes charge,” said SV coach George Williams. “He certainly did tonight.”“When we fell behind 2-0, I'll admit, we were nervous,” said Rupert. “We knew we had to pull something out. I think it was just a change in attitude.”The second half began with the Raiders earning their first four corner kicks of the game in the first 6½ minutes. Yanez and Norwin's defense withstood those set pieces, but couldn't deny Majeski's tying goal.“There were some tough calls made against us,” Schuchert said of SV's rush. “They feasted on our misfortune.”Yanez made five saves in the game, one coming on a shot off a rebound in the 66th minute that momentarily kept the game knotted at 2.Adam Davies stopped three shots for the Raiders. Two minutes before Rupert scored his team's third goal, Davies jumped to snag a crossing pass out of the air. That effort denied a prime scoring chance for Federovich, who would have had an unobstructed shot close to the net.“We were ready to play tonight, but Norwin was more ready,” said Williams. “They're a good team and tough to deal with, but our guys just kept pushing.”The Raiders graduated a lot of talent from last year's team that reached the state semifinals. The resolve the team showed against Norwin is a good sign moving forward.“Coming into tonight, not many of us had ever played in a playoff game,” said Rupert. “Now we all have that playoff experience.”
