MOUNT LEBANON — Making its first appearance in the WPIAL boys soccer playoffs in five years, Butler’s 2013 season came to a very frustrating end Monday night.

Despite many legitimate scoring opportunities, the Golden Tornado ended up on the short end of a 1-0 decision against host Mt. Lebanon in a Class AAA first-round meeting.

The game’s only score came in the 11th minute of play when Blue Devils’ senior forward Matt Stevens placed the ball just below the crossbar.

Butler (11-7) forced Mt. Lebanon goalkeeper Chris Maher to make 10 saves on the night, but the Tornado had several other shots that sailed high or just wide of the net.

“It wasn’t for lack of effort tonight,” said Butler coach Troy Mohney. “I thought we had the better of the play for almost the whole game. We did everything we needed to do to generate scoring chances, but just couldn’t put it in the net.”

Mt. Lebanon midfielder Jack Kelly set up his team’s score when he sent the ball deep into Butler’s end from just inside midfield. Stevens battled for possession and was able to get a step behind the Tornado defense. Goalkeeper Adam Voelker came out in an attempt to take away Stevens’ angle, but the forward sent a shot over his head.

“Our goal went totally against the flow of the game at that point,” said Mt. Lebanon coach Ron Wilcher. “Butler had us on our heels from the start of the game, but we were able to get behind their defense.”

Indeed, it was Butler that tallied four corner kicks in the first half, but the team’s best scoring chance in the first 40 minutes, and possibly the game, came just before halftime.

With 15 seconds on the clock, junior midfielder Anthony Werth challenged Maher with a shot just 12 yards in front of the net. The ball smacked off of the goalkeeper and right to forward Matt Huey, whose shot sailed wide.

In the 54th minute of play, Butler’s John Fleming was just 14 yards in front of the net when he blistered a shot that remained just feet off of the ground before ricocheting off a Mt. Lebanon defender and the Blue Devils soon cleared the ball.

The Blue Devils (11-6-2) did manage more offensive push in the second half, especially in the final 20 minutes of the game.

“We talked about it at halftime,” said Wilcher. “We didn’t want to be that team that just tries to hang on. We wanted to be aggressive.”

While Voelker was able to keep Butler’s deficit at just one goal, time was running short for the Tornado.

The team’s final chance came when midfielder Dan Cleary took a throw-in 30 yards from the net on the left side with just 30 seconds remaining in the game. The Tornado managed a weak shot, which was easily handled by Maher.

The disappointing end to Butler’s season should not mask the team’s return to postseason play.

“We definitely took a step in the right direction this year,” Mohney said. “These guys are all in it for each other and that’s a big reason for the success we had. Hopefully, we can continue to build on that.”

Voelker made seven saves in the game. Mt. Lebanon will face top-seeded Upper St. Clair (17-0-1) in the quarterfinals on Thursday.