Lancaster Catholic’s quest to defend their boys’ District 3 Class 2A soccer championship went into overdrive and overtime Saturday afternoon, as six-seeded Tulpehocken looked to dethrone the reigning champs in purple and gold.
Knotted at two after 80 minutes of play, officials awarded a penalty kick to the Crusaders after Luca D’Orazio took a hit to the head while trying to make good on his team’s corner kick in the 86th minute of the match at Landis Field in Harrisburg.
With the title on the line, D’Orazio drilled the ball past the Trojans’ goalkeeper, setting his teammates ablaze as they rushed the field to celebrate.
From the outset, it seemed that Lancaster Catholic would easily cruise to their program’s second district gold. Senior and All-State selection Carson Spangler scored two goals in the first 13 minutes – the second a picture-perfect free kick.
But Tulpehocken, a program with 11 district titles, wouldn’t go quietly, scoring with 44 seconds remaining in the first half and notching the tying goal in the 54th minute when Lancaster Catholic couldn’t clear after warding off a corner kick.
“Before the game, Coach (Bryan) Fossi said, ‘Get out there in the first five or ten minutes, get some momentum and put the game away.’ We did that with those two early goals but went on cruise control and they caught us in a slump,” Spangler said.
“At halftime, Coach put us back on things and said, ‘If you want to write history at Lancaster Catholic, get back to your game.’ I’m proud of everyone for not giving up,” Spangler added.
The Crusaders made an offensive push in the final minutes as overtime loomed, narrowly missing a chance in the remaining seconds as the ball skimmed to the outside of the net.
With the penalty kick awarded to the Crusaders in the first overtime, Coach Fossi called D’Orazio to seal the deal.
The Crusaders’ (19-2) impressive season ended in the first round of the PIAA state tournament on Tuesday, falling to Faith Christian 1-0 in the second overtime.
(Photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
