Mustangs blank Colonials on Senior Night
LH remains in contention for WPIAL playoff berth
Laurel Highlands will be cheering for Thomas Jefferson and Trinity when those teams play Uniontown to close out the section schedule.
The Mustangs did their part on Tuesday night in a 9-0 victory over Albert Gallatin on Senior Night in Section 2-3A boys soccer play at Mustang Field on the campus of Laurel Highlands High School.
Laurel Highlands finished its section schedule with a record of 3-6-1 and 10 points. The Mustangs sit in fifth place, which would put them out of the playoffs, but could move into a tie for fourth and a berth in the postseason if crosstown rival Uniontown (3-4-1) loses its final two section matches to the Jaguars (6-2-1) and Hillers (5-1-2).
Laurel Highlands and Uniontown split the season series with both teams earning home victories, as the Red Raiders earned a 5-2 win on Sept. 15 and the Mustangs were victorious, 2-0, on Oct. 6.
Both teams played Ringgold to 2-2 in one match, and according to the WPIAL’s criteria for playoff qualification, all teams who finish in a tie for the final playoff spot that can’t be broken will enter the tournament.
Laurel Highlands made sure its seniors were sent off in style against the Colonials, as Ethan Perkins recorded a hat trick, Jett Yauger recorded a brace and Matt Kolencik found the back of the net.
Juniors Jackson Nairn and Roman George contributed with three goals, as Nairn had two and George one.
Nairn had two assists, and Kolencik had a helper. Seniors Lucas Deguia and Crosby Frantz had one assist apiece.
Junior Elliot Boor and freshman Landon Misiak made it on the scoresheet with each player recording an assist.
Senior keeper Dan O’Neal didn’t have many touches in the match, as he left his position with 12:30 remaining in the second half and the Mustangs holding a 7-0 lead.
Laurel Highlands didn’t allow the Colonials (0-9-0, 2-12-0) to record a shot in maintaining possession in Albert Gallatin’s final third for most of the match.
The Mustangs had 53 shots, including 33 on target, but Colonials keeper Caden Beers made 24 saves.
Laurel Highlands had a 15-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Perkins sent a header to the right of Beers for the Mustangs’ opening goal at 34:32 of the first half. Deguia sent in the corner kick that led to Perkins’ first tally.
Beers’ solid goal keeping kept the visitors within one for the majority of the opening 40 minutes prior to Kolencik scoring with 4:07 remaining after he and Misiak used a give-and-go before the senior put a shot to the right of the goal for a 2-0 advantage.
Laurel Highlands’ third goal and first of the second half began with Deguia taking a corner kick. Nairn corralled Deguia’s service, and attempted a shot that hit the crossbar, but Yauger knocked the ball in from close range with 29:19 left in the match.
George put a left-footed shot into the left corner for a 4-0 lead at 26:32 of the second half.
Nairn and Deguia played some back-and-forth before Nairn tucked a right-footed shot into the right corner of the goal for a 5-0 advantage with 24:35 left in the contest.
Nairn’s cross from the right wing to the center of the box was finished by a header from Perkins and a 6-0 lead at 23:28 of the second half.
O’Neal didn’t have much action, but he set up the sequence for his team’s seventh goal when his throw was played by Deguia, who lofted a ball that deflected off a header from an Albert Gallatin defender that landed at the feet of Perkins, who recorded the hat trick with a blast to the right of the net with 19:50 left in the match.
Yauger and Nairn put in their second goals of the contest at 9:01 and 6:05 of the second half.