Mt. Pleasant boys control possession, shut out Yough in key section showdown

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 | 10:11 PM

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Yough and Mt. Pleasant play with contrasting styles.

Yough is more direct and physical, while Mt. Pleasant is organized and tactical.

The latter approach prevailed in the teams’ second Section 4-2A boys soccer matchup of the season.

Playing a near perfect game schematically and tilting the field, Mt. Pleasant blanked the Cougars, 2-0, on Tuesday night at Viking Stadium.

“This was our high point of the year,” said Vikings midfielder Grant Zahrobsky, who had a goal. “We passed the ball consistently. We were physical in the back, and we stayed in space.”

Second-place Mt. Pleasant (10-4, 9-1) posted its third straight shutout and earned a season sweep of the third-place Cougars (8-3, 7-2), possessing the ball and making the visitors work for opportunities.

Yough had a six-game winning streak snapped. The Cougars lost the first game against the Vikings, 3-2, in overtime.

Mt. Pleasant had 14 shots to the Cougars’ one.

“The boys were focused and ready to play,” Mt. Pleasant coach Floyd Snyder said. “We had one of our worst practices (Monday), but our assistant (Brandon Fetherlin) put in some different drills to change it up. We may have to do that more often.”

After a scoreless first half, Mt. Pleasant finally got a shot to go in. Bryson Bankosh sent a low lining corner kick in front to Zahrobsky, who buried it for a 1-0 lead in the 45th minute.

The Vikings added a second score five minutes later when Lukas Showman lofted an arcing ball to Tyke Snyder, who connected to make it 2-0.

Yough struggled to gain possession and could not get the ball over the top to striker Isaac Pacacha, who leads the team with 15 goals.

“They were the better side tonight,” Yough coach Rom Dushack said. “They made us look like a third-place team. One of the biggest issues was them playing wide. We didn’t adjust and played too much up the middle. The way you play is sometimes more concerning than the loss.

“Mt. Pleasant is very well coached. Coach Snyder does a great job. We strive to be like them.”

The section title remains in the balance with two weeks left in the regular season.

Both teams are still in the chase.

Yough still has to finish its two-game series with Charleroi. A suspended game will be resumed, and the teams’ second matchup will be played afterward next Tuesday at Yough.

Mt. Pleasant tried several wide crosses for headers in the first half but couldn’t get its timing down.

Russell Wieland made saves on quality chances by Tyke Snyder and Bankosh midway through the opening 40-minute stanza.

Wieland, who finished with nine saves, also made a sprawling save on a Snyder strike. The ball squirted out from under him, however, and nearly crossed the goal line before Wieland smothered it.

“Their keeper played great,” Floyd Snyder said. “It opened a lot of things for us when Grant scored the first goal.”

Grayson Gardner earned the shutout in goal for the Vikings.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Mt. Pleasant, Yough