Rematch for Mounts
- 20 October 2006
Standing on the turf at Hempfield in a misty rain that had begun to fall Thursday night, the wear and tear on Ephrata soccer coach Rob Deininger's face was obvious."I have a headache," he said with a tired smile.
Chances are, he wasn't the only one by night's end.
Getting the break it needed on Jeremy Yoder's penalty-kick goal with 1:19 left before halftime, Ephrata earned a spot in the L-L boys' soccer final for the second straight year by outlasting Lancaster Mennonite for a 1-0 semifinal victory at Hempfield High School.
Despite a gritty effort from Manheim Central in the nightcap of Thursday's semifinal doubleheader, Manheim Township finally broke the game open with a pair of goals in the final 20:44 to emerge with a 2-0 victory over the Barons.
As a result, undefeated Township (20-0) -- the top-ranked Large School team in the state in the latest Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association poll -- will meet Ephrata (16-2-2) for the L-L title for the second straight year Saturday at 1 p.m. at Hempfield.
The two-time defending L-L champion Blue Streaks beat Ephrata 5-3 in last year's final, before dealing the Mountaineers a 6-0 L-L Section One-Two crossover drubbing Sept. 21.
"Our goal was to get back (to the title game)," Deininger said. "We'd like to play the No. 1 team in the state and see if we've improved since our last go-round with them."
If its ability to survive Thursday's 80-minute defensive tussle with Mennonite (14-4-2) was any indication, Ephrata might be up to the challenge.
Despite holding a 10-6 advantage in shots and a 6-1 edge in corners by game's end, Ephrata's offense -- led up front by speedy striker Dan Hagey -- managed only three quality scoring chances against Mennonite's traditionally stingy defense.
"They make you change your game," Deininger said of the Blazers. "And if you play their game, you're going to lose."
Unless, of course, you get the kind of break the Mounts got right before halftime.
After being awarded a corner kick from the left flag with 1:19 left in the first half, Hagey jumped to head the ensuing delivery only to have his legs (according to an official) undercut by a Mennonite defender. Penalty kick.
Not that Mennonite coach Vernon Rice necessarily saw it that way.
"That was a good game, man," said Rice, who declined to comment on the call. "It was a well-played game and hard fought both ways. You'd like to let the kids decide the game on the field."
Instead, Ephrata senior midfielder Jeremy Yoder delivered the deciding blow a few seconds later, when he pounded the freebie inside the right post and past diving Mennonite keeper Nate Martin for a 1-0 Mounts lead.
The only real threat the Blazers managed after that came with 9:00 left in the game, when Brandon Kopp's blast from the top of the box was muffled by Ephrata keeper Josh Peifer on the goal line.
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