The undefeated York Catholic boys’ soccer team earned the number one seed in the District 3 Class 1A championship bracket, but looming as the 3-seed was Camp Hill – a program that has had success in the PIAA state tournament in recent years.
Played at Landis Field in Harrisburg on a raw night where a stiff northeast wind portended to soon unleash the North Atlantic’s rainy wrath on the region, the championship game was a scoreless match until Camp Hill knocked in a nifty 25-yard arching shot that clipped the crossbar perfectly to find the back of the net and break the Fighting Irish’s collective hearts.
Neither team had many scoring chances in a game that featured great defense; when a foot got free or a corner was earned, each goalkeeper was sharp. In the second half, Camp Hill’s size and athleticism began to wear on the Irish. The Lions were able to get the ball deep and secure corners, which kept York Catholic on the defensive end as the game entered the final moments. Yet, ask anybody in the stands, most would have said this game was destined for overtime and penalty kicks, had not a perfect lightning strike from Camp Hill’s Ian Gamber glanced the crossbar and gone in to seal a 1-0 victory for a program used to winning on the pitch in big games.
After the game, a disappointed York Catholic Coach Joe Nattans said, “I think we worked hard and I think we had as much opportunity to knock one in as they did. It’s unfortunate we didn’t, but that is soccer sometimes.”
The Fighting Irish’s silver medal earns them a spot in the PIAA state tournament beginning in early November; they proved that they can be competitive with great soccer teams.
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness
