Rousing Rout
JACKSON TWP — Mt. Lebanon arrived at NexTier Stadium Thursday night thinking upset.
Instead, the Blue Devils found themselves on the wrong end of a truly dominating offensive display.
Top-seeded Seneca Valley received goals from five different players and breezed to a 7-0 WPIAL Class 4A boys soccer quarterfinal win.
“In the playoffs, you have to put everything out there,” said SV coach George Williams. “We knew our guys were going to start out strong tonight.
“We knew Mt. Lebanon had a strong attack and was strong in the midfield, but the strongest part of their team is their defense.”
Which made SV's scoring spree that much more impressive.
“We threw everything we had at them,” added Williams. “We just wore them down.”
The Raiders (15-2-1) will face Canon-McMillan, which defeated Pine-Richland 2-1, in a semifinal Monday at a site and time to be determined.
Junior midfielder Ben Francis got things started for the Raiders. In the 14th minute, he took possession of a rebound and booted a shot past Mt. Lebanon keeper Steven Vines.
Francis would score a second goal that increased SV's edge to 5-0 in the 48th minute. He earned his first varsity letter this season.
“It felt good to get that first one tonight,” said Francis, who now has seven goals and six assists on the season. “I knew what I had to do. I had to finish my chances.”
“Ben has stepped up this season,” said Williams. “He's scored some big goals for us.”The Raiders maintained the pressure on Mt. Lebanon's net. Zach LaValle and Austin Myers both scored before halftime for a 3-0 lead.Late in the second half, the Blue Devils earned back-to-back corner kicks which were easily defended by the Raiders.“We didn't play a perfect game tonight,” said Williams, “but every time a mistake was made, someone was there to make up for it. This was a total team win.”Rupert scored twice in the second half and Jackson Wotus added a goal.Mt. Lebanon (7-12-1) lost Vines to an injury with 20 minutes left in the game with SV holding a 5-0 lead. He was replaced by Palmer West. The former made four saves.“We just wanted it more tonight,” Francis said. “We were able to connect on offense.”Raiders' senior goalkeeper Will Gallagher earned the shutout with six saves.SV's seven goals is a season-high, topping the six goals it scored in a win over Shaler last month.
