Winchester Thurston boys soccer wins 2nd WPIAL title in row

By: Liam Belan
Saturday, November 5, 2022 | 12:04 AM

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Charleroi’s Cinderella run through the WPIAL Class A playoffs came to an end Friday night at Highmark Stadium as Winchester Thurston defeated the Cougars, 3-2.

The Bears (16-2-1) became back-to-back WPIAL champions while also becoming the first team other than Greensburg Central Catholic to beat Charleroi (17-3) this season.

“I think there was more pressure on us this year, being defending champs,” Winchester Thurston coach Adam Brownold said. “It’s one of those things that we worked towards. These guys, when they were juniors last year, they came back and said, ‘Let’s do it again.’ ”

The Bears struck first early in the match through Jordan Poller-Prince. After Winchester Thurston mounted a dangerous attack that resulted in a save from Nate Mazon, the senior was there to tap the rebound home and give his squad a lead after 3 minutes, 26 seconds of action.

However, the Cougars’ Bryce Large was quick to respond in spectacular fashion. Moments after a long ball from Ty Patterson went over Adrian Musekamp and hit the post from about 45 yards, Large got onto the ball and decided to test the keeper from 30 yards. He unleashed a rocket that hit the bottom of the crossbar and found its way into the back of the net.

“Honestly, I think the best strike of the match was (Large) from Charleroi,” Brownold said. “We knew that he would rip it if he had the ball anywhere within 40 yards, and that one went right under the crossbar. There’s not a goalie who’s going to save that.”

So, after just over 10 minutes of action, the score was knotted 1-1.

The middle portion of the first half seemed like a feeling-out process for two opponents who were unfamiliar with each other. The Bears remained in Class A as defending champions this season, but the Cougars lost in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals last year before being realigned.

Winchester Thurston did a good job of pressing Charleroi and giving it little time on the ball, but the Cougars similarly were defensively sound and took advantage when they did control possession.

“The only way to carry (the gameplan) out 100% is with the win at the end,” Charleroi coach Jon Ducoli said. “But, for what we saw and what we implemented, they carried out what we told them needed to be done very well.”

The sides traded opportunities for several minutes as Landon Barcus pulled a shot just wide. Oliver Daboo went on an impressive run and put a dangerous cross into the penalty area that went unclaimed.

However, the deadlock was broken with 7:20 remaining in the opening half. Alex Hauskrecht found some space between the Cougars’ backline and unloaded a strike that Mazon seemed to think was off frame. It just found the bottom-left corner of his goal.

Despite the mishap between the keeper and the backline, Mazon came up big for the Cougars throughout the second half as the score remained 2-1 going into the break.

A few minutes into the second half, Winchester Thurston had Mazon to thank for not extending its lead.

After a foul from Patterson gave the Bears a free kick from 25 yards, Hauskrecht put an impressive strike on goal that was saved from Mazon before he sprawled out to make another save after his squad couldn’t clear its lines.

“Nate had a great performance,” Ducoli said. “He’s very consistent in what he does. He’s able to direct that backline in addition to making some big saves, and I thought his positioning was great tonight.”

This frantic start to the final half would not last as things started to slow down but get more physical. With 24:11 remaining in the match, Hauskrecht got a yellow card for a sliding challenge on Arlo McInytre.

While he was serving his five-minute suspension for being carded, Joel Chambers tied the score with 19:55 remaining.

Musekamp made a save on an initial strike, but Chambers reached the rebound first and slid it into the back of the net.

Just over two minutes later, Daboo clinched the victory with another long-ranged goal. He laced a strike with heavy movement that left Mazon out to dry in goal and finished the scoring in the match.

Still, the Cougars continued to push for an equalizer and came close when Jake Chambers won a corner and directed it towards goal. Musekamp was able to make the save.

In all, the match played out as a thrilling contest for both sides.

“That was a fantastic Charleroi team, and that was good soccer out there,” Brownold said. “Both teams played a possession style. They pushed the ball, and there was good, physical play. We knew we had to have heart, and our kids had so much tonight. Our Winchester community showed up and helped us come out with a little extra push as well.”

Despite the result, both squads are in the state playoffs that begin Tuesday.

“This is a very special group of boys here,” Ducoli said. “These guys will bust through a burning wall if that’s what needs to be done, and there’s not many better things you can say about a team than that.”

Watch an archived broadcast of this game on Trib HSSN.

Tags: Charleroi, Winchester Thurston