After clawing their way to the PIAA state tournament, the Bradford boys soccer team was eliminated via blowout at home, losing 6-0 to Hampton in the opening round.
The Owls found themselves up against a behemoth to start their state championship push. While Bradford scraped together a comeback win for their third consecutive District 9 championship and shutout their sub-regional opponent with a pair of goals for a PIAA berth, the Talbots have been a heavy-weight force. Claiming the top seed in District 7, Hampton has outscored their opponents 75-6 throughout the season.
The Talbots showed their offensive prowess early. Entering the game with a bankroll of calmness and composure, Hampton controlled the ball with swift and accurate passes that carved up the Owls’ defense. After just two and a half minutes, the Talbot’s weaved through traffic and found Coleman Docherty who rocketed a shot past the Owls’ goalkeeper. Three minutes later, the Talbots found another score with more crisp passing, this time coming from Luke Fiscus.
“They were hitting our wings and coming back and getting crosses in, and it was working for them,” said Bradford head coach Peter Butler. “We were just pumping the ball long and that was just leading into what they were doing.”
Finding themselves in a hole early, the Owls began to panic. Missed defensive assignments and coverage gave way to compounding pressure in their box while sloppy passing squandered whatever runs the Owls could muster. Long balls intended for high-octane attacker Mitch Strauss became turnovers, which the Talbots settled and instantly turned on their jets for another drive.
In the 23rd minute of play, Hampton scored once again, Fiscus’s second, followed by a fourth unanswered goal from Oliver Spinola, who fired a shot that got a lucky bounce off the Owls’ goalkeeper’s gloves.
Missing a final chance to punch in a goal with a corner kick, Bradford entered the break down 4-0.
“The first half, we did not play the way we wanted to for whatever reason. I told them at halftime we have to do two things,” said Butler, “pass to feet, so we’re swinging from side to side and we have to let them know we’re there. In the first half I don’t think we got one single tackle in. We had to be on the physical side and let them know we were there.”
Bradford was able to open up the field a bit more coming into the second half, getting several drives into Talbot territory. Despite their luck moving the ball up the field, the Owls seemed to always come up just one pass shy of a goal. After streaking into Hampton’s box, the Talbots would come up with a key steal in the final few feet before clearing it to the other side.
Still unable to contain their dominating opponents, the Owls began to get worn down. With tired legs and a lack of intensity, Bradford stopped challenging ball handlers, instead resting and watching while hoping to pick off the passing lane. Having space to showcase their touch, the Talbots weaved through the box punched in a fifth goal around the 63 minute mark. Adding to their lead one final time, Hampton scored one last goal with just two and a half minutes left.
After four games in the postseason, Bradford’s season had come to an end, a fact that drew heavy emotions from the Owls.
“I thanked the seniors for what they’ve given and our assistant coach Patrick Conneely, who’s been with them the whole time. They’ve won three district titles, they’ve gone to the last 16 teams (in the state) twice, that’s all worth looking back on with pride,” said Butler. “To those who aren’t seniors, I told them I want every one of them next year. We will build with that team. Everybody thought that this was going to be a building year, and we did a little bit more than that.”
