Mountain View’s Colin Davis moves the ball downfield for the Eagles during the team’s 4-0 loss to York Catholic in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals on Saturday. PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHEAST EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY
BY MARTY MYERS
Times-Shamrock Writer
BERNVILLE – Just 30 seconds into Saturday’s state quarterfinal, York Catholic freshman goalie Luca Grippi was facing a problem. A big problem.
Bearing down on him wasMountain Viewstriker Colby Thomas.
It was a make-or-break moment for Grippi, a replacement in just his third game of the season.
Thomas whistled a shot from about 10 yards and Grippi was up to the challenge, and everything elseMountain Viewcould fire his way.
Eagle Joel Madas leaps above a York Catholic opponent to head the ball during Mountain View’s 4-0 loss in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals on Saturday. PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHEAST EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY
Making nine saves – several spectacular – Grippi shut out the District 2 champs, ending their season as York Catholic advanced to the Class A semifinals with a 4-0 whitewashing ofMountain ViewatTulpehockenHigh School.
“We are very confident with Luca,” said York Catholic’s Chris Sosa, who scored three goals and assisted on the other. “He stepped up a lot and did a great job.”
WhileMountain Viewhad the better scoring chances in the first half, the Irish (17-4-1) got the only goal.
Alex Giannaris’ corner kick grazed the crossbar and deflected to the left of the goal mouth. The Eagles (16-3) tried to clear it but instead sent the ball caroming off York Catholic’s Nick Martin to the front of the goal, where Sosa knocked it in at16:35.
“It would have been nice to clear it out wide,”Mountain Viewcoach Roger Thomas said. “But he cleared it off their guy which kind of brought it across in front of everybody.”
The Eagles kept attacking and Grippi continued to turn them back. Zeb Cross blistered a 12-yard shot in the 33rd minute that was repelled on a great save, and Dylan Thomas unleashed an 18-yard free kick around a defensive wall that seemed ticketed for the inside post. Again, Grippi’s diving block kept the game 1-0 with less than two minutes left in the half.
“We had a lot of good scoring chances,” Roger Thomas said. “We were a bit unlucky in generating our luck today. But you have to give some credit to their defense. Their keeper made the saves he had to and their defenders were constantly stepping into our shooting angles, and so we shot a lot of shots off players.
“We really felt at halftime we could reel the game in. Our passing broke down up front a little bit, and they played a little sturdier defense than we are used to.”
The Irish put it away with two goals in a three-minute span early in the second half.
Liam Brennan’s shot was saved by Nathan Moyer, but the rebound went right to Sosa, who tapped it into the net at 46:46. Then Joe Schraf played a perfect cross to Sosa, who picked out the top left corner from 18 yards out.
Brennan and Sosa hooked up again at 59 minutes.
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