Oct 25, 2021 3 min read

CHARLEROI – For his entire four-year career, Charleroi’s Eben McIntyre has found the back of the net over and over to the tune of 167 career goals, fourth most in PIAA boys soccer history.

Monday night, his 70th goal of this season, good for third-most in one season in PIAA history, was all the fourth-seeded Charleroi Cougars needed to down the Keystone Oaks Golden Eagles and pick up the win in a WPIAL Class 2A first-round playoff match at Myron Pottios Stadium, the program’s first postseason victory at the venue.

And for McIntyre, who has committed to Pitt, it was a first-round loss 364 days ago that helped provide some extra motivation.

“I thought about it a little bit, but I was mostly telling my team it couldn’t happen again and it wouldn’t happen again because we are much more experienced this year,” he said of last year’s 3-1 loss to Avonworth. “We have taken it much more serious this year.”

Charleroi coach Jon Ducoli spoke about how the team prepared for the match.

“We have been cleaning up some things we have been faltering on and watching film to see what their strong suits were,” he said. “We based our training this last week on combating them because we know what we are capable of.

“We did what we had to do, and I am proud of the guys.”

The Golden Eagles (10-6) controlled play for most of the first half, outshooting the usually high-scoring Cougars (13-2-1) by a 9-4 margin but McIntyre’s goal changed momentum.

Junior defender Ty Patterson placed a corner kick toward the net and McIntyre played a scrappy rebound on the ball and chipped it in with 2:34 to play in the first half.

“The first couple of corners, they marked us up pretty well and I was just trying to get open,” McIntyre said. “Ty played a great ball in, and it was too hard for the keeper to catch.

“I saw it and was in the right place at the right time.”

Ducoli spoke about the importance of the goal.

“It is always good to have a team on their heels than to be on your heels,” he said. “You don’t want to be the first one to make a mistake.

“A mistake happened in our favor, and we were able to put the ball in the back of his net.”

Keystone Oaks only had one solid scoring chance the rest of the way, but the Cougars made plays when needed and goalkeeper Nate Mazon recorded four saves to earn the shutout.

Charleroi will next host fifth-seeded Elizabeth Forward (12-4), a 6-1 winner over Mount Pleasant, Thursday night at 6:30.

“We have had EF in the past and they are a really strong club,” Ducoli said. “We are going to have to capitalize on chances we may see.”

The teams were scheduled to play Sept. 25, but the match was postponed. The teams have played four times over the last three years with Charleroi winning all four.

For McIntyre, a senior, and his classmates, it is one last chance to play on their home field where they have gone 32-2 in four years.

“I love playing here,” he said. “Ever since I was a freshman, we have only ever lost on this field twice so it will be tough to beat us if we come out and play. “I am looking to go out with a bang on this field.”