Following a heartbreaking loss, sometimes a coach may have to worry about the carryover effect it may have on their team.
That was the case for the Lower Merion boys’ soccer team who came into their opening round match of the PIAA Class 4A state tournament against Parkland Tuesday after suffering a tough 1-0 loss to Conestoga in the District 1 championship final three days earlier.
“The team will be fine,” said Lower Merion head coach Nico Severini prior to the match against Parkland. “They are locked in and playing to make every play count.”
Severini’s gut feeling turned out be correct, with his squad earning a hard-fought 2-0 win to advance to the state quarterfinals, where they will face District 7 champion Seneca Valley.
Against Parkland, with 26:08 remaining in the first half, Lower Merion’s Reid Joseph struck a perfect corner kick that found the head of senior Luke Vaughan, who headed the ball into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
“It was all in the play,” said Vaughan. “The play left me wide open. Reid played a great ball and I had to just head the ball in. This was Reid’s ball and I just finished it.”
Joseph showed his passing skills again in the second half when he beat his defender down the line and placed a perfect centering pass to to junior Simon Rosen, who deposited the ball into the back of the net to give Lower Merion a 2-0 lead with 21:53 left.
“He [Joseph] is very valuable,” said Simon. “He got many of his assists this season off of of corner kicks, set pieces or beating his man down the line like he did tonight to set up our second goal.”
Vaughan said, “This game was an amazing thing to experience. I have never played in such high intensity games like tonight or the district final. I now have the mentality that I do not want my high school career to end.”
Simon added, ” Our seniors have been great leaders and have taught me and the other underclassmen how to lead on and off the field.”