Clang! Charleroi’s season comes to early end
CHARLEROI – Soccer can be a sport of inches, and unfortunately for the Charleroi High School boys soccer team Monday night, found out just how big a difference the smallest of measurements can be.
In the program’s first home playoff match in 17 years and the first at Myron Pottios Stadium, the fourth-seeded Cougars lost to the Avonworth Antelopes, 3-1.
“The guys played hard,” said Charleroi assistant coach Ryan Chiplaskey. “We had a couple of bad bounces here or there but give it up to Avonworth. They came to play.”
Chiplaskey was filling in for Cougars head coach Jon Ducoli, who was not able to attend the match.
The Cougars hit the goal post twice, and the crossbar once, in the first half alone and the contest was scoreless heading into halftime.
Chiplaskey said Charleroi’s game plan did not change going into the second half.
“We told them to keep up the pressure and we don’t sway from playing our game,” he said. “When we scored, we wanted to keep rolling, but unfortunately, it did not work for us today.”
Charleroi took a 1-0 lead when sophomore Jacob Caruso scored off an assist by junior Eben McIntyre with 30:31 left to play.
However, it would be the only goal Charleroi would score.
The Antelopes tied the match with 16:43 to play when junior midfielder Connor Whalen beat Charleroi goalkeeper Jacob Jericho, a junior, to make it 1-1.
Senior Jason Witherell scored the eventual game-winning goal for Avonworth with 13:35 left to play and then he added an insurance goal with 5:15 remaining off a pass form senior Addison Dexter.
The season ended earlier than expected for the fourth-seeded Cougars (14-2), and while the loss will sting, Charleroi returns all but two players next season.
Chiplaskey spoke about the team as well as the senior duo of Sam Iacovangelo and Justin Sterner.
“These boys worked hard and considering the credit they were given going into the season, they played phenomenal,” he said. “We are a young team and hopefully we can build form this and come back stronger.
“Sammy was one of our captains and Sterner works his butt off harder than anyone.”
Charleroi’s senior class finished with a 67-11 career record.
Avonworth heads to Elizabeth Forward Thursday to play the fifth-seeded Warriors (11-2-2) in the quarterfinals.