Beth-Center ousted from players in loss to Trinity Christian
MCMURRAY — Beth-Center had its season come to an end Saturday following a 3-0 loss to Trinity Christian in the first round of the WPIAL Class A boys soccer playoffs at Confluence Financial Partners Stadium on the campus of Peters Township Middle School.
The eighth-seeded Falcons (11-4-1) scored twice within the first five minutes, and the ninth-seeded Bulldogs (11-4-1) could never recover.
Beth-Center head coach Gary Amos said the two early goals were the difference.
“Those two goals kind of set the tone and we could never get the momentum,” he said. “That was the difference. We are more of a hustle team than a finesse team, and we weren’t pressuring like we normally do. It just kind of took the energy out of us.”
Amos said his team had fallen behind before, but it was different this time.
“We have faced it, but it has been something we have been able to overcome,” Amos said. “We couldn’t today, and we came out flat.”
Cameron Wright opened the scoring with 36:52 to play in the first half.
The shot hit the right post and bounced towards a group of players. The ball ricocheted off the foot of a Beth-Center defender and into the back left corner of the net.
Will Van Haitsma scored a little over a minute later with 35:34 to go in the half, and the Falcons put the game out of reach when Luke Kost scored with 2:54 to go before halftime.
“I think if we could have gotten one in the first half to make it 2-1 or 3-1, it would have helped,” Amos said. “We just couldn’t get a quality opportunity on the net.
“At 2-1, we would have been back in it, but even at 3-1, it would have been tough because we weren’t generating much offense.”
Amos pointed out the effort of goalkeeper Luke Amon.
“He kept us in the game,” Amos said. “He made some really fantastic saves.”
Amos provided an assessment of the season following the conclusion of Saturday’s match.
“The season as a whole was good,” he said. “We had high expectations and were kind of peaking, but the energy wasn’t there today. Overall, though, it was a really good season.”
Trinity Christian faces top-seeded Bentworth (16-0) Wednesday in a quarterfinal contest at a time and place to be determined.
The teams played earlier this season with Bentworth earning a 3-1 victory.