Sep 30, 2014 4 min read

CLAYSVILLE – Trinity’s boys soccer program has waited 30 years to make the WPIAL playoffs.

A relentless McGuffey attack and the foot of junior midfielder Nate Stout ensured the Hillers will have to wait at least two more days to clinch a trip to the postseason.

The Highlanders outplayed the Hillers on both ends of the pitch, and Stout scored on a penalty kick less than three minutes into overtime to lift McGuffey to a 1-0 victory in the Section 6-AA match Tuesday night.

Trinity (6-1-2, 9-3-2), which needs one more win to clinch a playoff spot, gets another chance Thursday night when it faces Uniontown, losers of eight in a row. The Highlanders will probably have to win their final two section games to make the playoffs.

McGuffey (6-4, 7-6) continued to pressure the Hillers’ defense into the overtime period when a corner kick by Stout led to the penalty. An out of bounds ball gave Stout the corner in the 82nd minute. The ball soared across the goal and dropped into a swarm of McGuffey players in front of the net.

Trinity deflected the ball away twice before the official signaled a hand ball during the scrum. Stout took the ensuing penalty kick and put a shot over the head of Hillers junior goalkeeper Ben Johnson to give the Highlanders the win.

It was a case of deja vu for Stout, who could not score on a penalty kick in the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals last year in McGuffey’s 1-0 loss to South Park.

“I don’t know which one was more nerve-wracking,” Stout said. “This was huge for us, especially because the section is so close and (Trinity) is … ahead of us.”

In the two teams’ last match Sept. 11, the Hillers contained McGuffey junior midfielder Aaron Harris by clogging the middle of the field and shadowing him with senior midfielder Preston Kulla. McGuffey head coach Jim Kita, a Trinity grad and former Hillers coach, had the solution.

Instead of having Harris fight through the crowded midfield, he kept his team’s leading scorer on the outside. The result was multiple scoring chances for Harris throughout the match. He almost gave the Highlanders a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute on a one-timer in front of the net. Harris also had an open shot on net in the eighth minute, which Johnson stopped with his hands. The keeper kept the Hillers alive when McGuffey’s offense was thriving.

Trinity head coach Ryan Julian was not pleased following this defeat. His team played inconsistently and failed to lock up a playoff spot against a McGuffey team that has lost four one-goal matches this season.

“I think we were off our game in every way,” Julian said. “We did a few good things, but our problem was our own decision making. We just need to get back to work and get that win to get in the playoffs.”

Harris continued to supply pressure in the second half by attracting attention from his teammates and finding an open man in space. Trinity held Harris scoreless, but the attention had the Hillers’ defense uncomfortable all night.

Three days after Ringgold defeated McGuffey on a penalty kick late in regulation, the Highlanders got their chance for redemption thanks to Stout.

“We’ve dug ourselves in a hole, and now we’re fighting out of it,” Kita said. “We have to win them all to make the playoffs and this is the first step. Nate is a solid player. He may not be having the great scoring season like he did last year, but he controls the field. He’s a general out there and he can do everything.”

Using a speedy attack up top, Trinity had several chances throughout the match. The Hillers could not capitalize on loose balls in front of the net and missed several opportunities in front of McGuffey senior goalkeeper Eben King.

“We wanted to shut down their main players and go from there,” Stout said. “After the second half, we knew we couldn’t let down and had to keep playing. We knew we could win.”