Plum boys outlast Norwin in penalty shootout to advance to soccer semifinals

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, October 25, 2025 | 7:38 PM

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As Norwin shooters made the long walk from midfield and stepped to the penalty spot, Chase Eber saw something, felt something. His instincts were tingling.

“Their kids looked like they had just seen a ghost,” the Plum goalkeeper said. “I had faith in every single one of my shooters. I knew we were going to win.”

Eber gave Plum the advantage — in his mind and with his play — when a grueling WPIAL 4A boys soccer quarterfinal game stretched into penalty kicks with the teams tied 2-2.

Eber made two saves, and Plum didn’t miss as the third-seeded Mustangs won the shootout, 4-1, over the No. 6 Knights on a chilly Saturday at Mustang Stadium.

Plum (15-2-2), coming off a first-round bye, advances to the semifinals for the fifth time in seven years and will face No. 2 Fox Chapel (15-2) at a time, date and site to be announced this week.

Norwin’s season is over at 11-6-3.

Kent Holmes sealed it with the fourth penalty kick, following makes by Luke Hoburg, Austin Kolankowski and Hudson Strasser.

Austin Kolankowski, who had two assists, was coming off the play of the night in WPIAL football. A kicker, he recovered a blocked field goal and returned it for a 14-yard touchdown — with a huge push from his linemen — as Plum clinched a playoff spot with a 20-14 win over Penn Hills.

Holmes said Plum fed off that positive energy to get past Norwin.

“As I came up to shoot, I knew God had me,” Holmes said. “I had faith in God and confidence in myself. After what happened with football last night, we had to come through.”

Norwin’s PK was made by Ryan Schoemer on the Knights’ third attempt.

“Our guys never gave up,” Plum coach Raf Kolankowski said. “Sometimes the soccer gods shine down on you. I felt like we had the momentum going into the second overtime. We feel comfortable every game with Chase in goal.

“We knew this would be close again. I figured it would be a one-goal game.”

Why wouldn’t he? Plum scored late in regulation to win their first meeting 1-0, and the teams tied 0-0 in the rematch.

This time, there was much more scoring, and an improbable equalizer late in regulation recharged Plum.

Joaquin Santiago struck without warning with 21 seconds left to tie it 2-2 and send it to overtime.

“Joaquin was in the right place at the right time,” Raf Kolankowski said. “He had just come into the game and made a play for us when we needed it. He gave us fresh legs.”

Norwin coach Scott Schuchert said the goal should not have counted.

“It never should have gone to overtime and penalties,” Schuchert said. “The kid was 5 yards offside. Everyone saw it. My phone is blowing up over it. We got robbed. The refs stole it from me.”

Norwin took a 2-1 lead in the 71st minute on a goal by Caleb Maddock and appeared headed for the win before Santiago found a narrow opening down the middle and tied it.

“We had to dig deep,” Holmes said.

Norwin’s Joey Walton received two yellow cards, the second a soft yellow, which led to a soft red, disqualifying him from the game. Norwin did not, however, have to play a man down because of a PIAA rule change in 2024.

“Joey did not deserve the second yellow,” Schuchert said. “Losing him was a huge loss in the midfield. He is our best shooter (for PKs).”

Both teams scored quickly in each half, Plum surprising the Knights just three minutes in on a goal by Christian Alter, who had the lone score in 180 minutes of soccer across the first two games.

His second goal against the Knights snapped their eight-game shutout streak.

Norwin stayed on target.

Tanner Johnson made a run down the far sideline and, after his initial shot was stopped by Eber, stuck the rebound to tie it 1-1 four minutes after halftime.

Plum and Norwin had chances in the overtimes but could not break each other down.

Raf Kolankowski said he didn’t put any pressure on the Mustangs going into PKs.

“I like to loosen them up with a couple jokes,” the coach said. “No pressure, go have fun.”

Schuchert’s 2023 WPIAL championship team won on PKs in the quarterfinals and finals, so he has experience with the fan-friendly format.

“It’s a crapshoot,” Schuchert said. “You have to be so lucky.”

Norwin has not beaten Plum since 2018.

“There is a lot of respect between the teams,” Raf Kolankowski said. “Fortunately, we earned the opportunity to move on.

“Good teams keep fighting and find ways.”

Schuchert is eager to begin work for next season.

“This is the best talent I’ve had,” he said. “The thing I am most proud of is our kids play the right way. We’ll be back.”

Eber had five saves, and Reed Hoyle made seven stops for Norwin.

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

Tags: Norwin, Plum