MOON — Ten years ago, the Port Allegany boy’s soccer team was a start-up project. Tonight, it plays in a second consecutive state tournament.
The 14-6-1 Gators, District Nine Class A runner-ups, travel to Moon Area High School to face District Seven power Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic at 6 p.m.
The 20-1 Trojans won the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) championship game 2-0 last Friday to add to a giant scoring output this season. They have outscored opponents 138-6 this year, producing over six goals a match.
Last year, the Gators were Class A champions but lost to Seton LaSalle in the first round of the state tournament. After dropping this year’s Class A title game 7-0 to Brockway, they will need a reversal of sorts to advance further in states.
“(Cardinal Wuerl) is probably one of two or three teams that not hope but expect to win a championship,” coach Aaron Clark said. “We got a tough draw, I think; we might be playing the best team in the state of Pennsylvania at any classification. We’ve got a tough road (tonight), considering the quality of the opponent… they might be the most high-powered offense I’ve ever coached against.
“Everything we do in our game plan will be to limit their opportunities on goal and try to play the toughest defense we can.”
Port Allegany’s offensive attack may need to be tempered in order to contain the Trojans, but it’s had some success of its own. The Gators erupted for 10 goals twice this season, both against Smethport, while also defeating Kane 8-0 and 6-1.
The Gator program has made significant strides from its first two years of competition in 2006 and ‘07, in which it compiled a 5-24-2 record. With a young but talented current squad, its outlook on the season won’t hinge on the final result.
“I think it’s important for any young program to have this kind of success,” Clark said. “It’s easy to get players excited at this point in the season if they have high expectations. I’m playing a lot more 10th graders than I had in the past, and it’s been great to give them this experience. Expectations are only going to get higher for years to come.”
