2024 PIAA Class A boys soccer championship preview: Bentworth vs. Lancaster Mennonite

By: Bill Hartlep
Thursday, November 14, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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PIAA Class A boys soccer championship

Lancaster Mennonite (16-3-3) vs. Bentworth (22-0)

4 p.m. Friday at Eagle View MS, Mechanicsburg

On the air: PCN-TV

Seeds: Lancaster Mennonite 3-2; Bentworth 7-1

How they got here: Lancaster Mennonite defeated Calvary Christian, 2-0, in the first round; Wyoming Seminary, 2-1, in the quarterfinals; and Camp Hill, 1-0, in the semifinals. Bentworth beat Westmont Hilltop, 1-0, in the first round; Mercyhurst Prep, 1-0, in the quarterfinals; and McConnellsburg, 2-0, in the semifinals.

Coaches: Fred Winey, Lancaster Mennonite; Nick Malarbi, Bentworth

Players to watch: Msafiri Amisi, Lancaster Mennonite; Ryan Moessner, Bentworth

PIAA titles: Lancaster Mennonite 0; Bentworth 0

Corner kicks: Lancaster Mennonite lost to Quaker Valley, 3-2, in the state final in 2017 while in Class 2A. The Blazers were the runners-up in District 3 to Camp Hill this fall, but got their revenge against the Lions on Tuesday. Senior forward Msafiri Amisi leads the team in scoring with 20 goals and has eight assists. He scored the lone goal in the 64th minute of the semifinal victory. Senior David Lapp has 10 goals and six assists, and sophomore Cooper Halvorsen has seven goals and 11 assists. Freshman keeper Lucas Kratz has made 97 saves and posted nine shutouts. LM coach Fred Winey has more than 300 career victories. … Bentworth is making its first trip to PIAA finals. The Bearcats, who have won the past two WPIAL championships, lost to Charleroi in the PIAA semifinals last season. Bentworth hasn’t allowed a goal since Sept. 26 and has posted 18 shutouts this season. On Tuesday, Billy Moyer scored on an assist from freshman Adam Moessner and junior Ryan Moessner scored on a penalty kick in the second half. Keeper DJ Hays made the score stand up. Ryan Moessner, who had 36 goals in the regular season, was selected the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association Class A player of the year. He was joined on the all-WPIAL team by teammates Adam Moessner, Andrew Vipperman and Aiden McMurray.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

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