Shaler - State Playoffs
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Shaler - State Playoffs
How does a school host a state playoff game and not provide locker rooms for the opposing teams?
WPIAL Titan.....calling you out.......
~PA
Richland boys ousted by Seton-La Salle win
Eric Knopsnyder
The Tribune-Democrat The Tribune-Democrat Tue Nov 09, 2010, 11:45 PM EST
PITTSBURGH — Things did not go well for the Richland boys soccer team from the time the Rams showed up at Shaler High School’s Biles Field on Tuesday night.
Shaler didn’t provide a locker room for the teams in the PIAA playoff game, forcing the Richland players – who were fresh off a 90-minute bus ride – to take turns changing in the men’s rest room.
After that, the problem was keeping up with the speed of District 7 champion Seton-La Salle. Tyler Balzer and the Rebels gave Richland fits in a 2-0 victory that eliminated the District 6 champions.
“I think we played a very good team,” Seton-La Salle coach Mike Thomas said. “I think our set pieces were a little bit of a difference. I think we’re a little more dangerous than them, and we’re fortunate to win.”
The first goal came off a set piece. Seton-La Salle (16-1-2) earned a corner kick in the 33rd minute, and Balzer delivered it to the goal line, where Michael Brust put it in the net.
Richland keeper Greg Sichak never had a chance.
“I got a hand on it and the next thing I know I’m bumped over,” Sichak said. “I just got hit from my right shoulder and right into the box. I didn’t even attempt to dive for the ball.
“They pushed me in.”
Sichak was outstanding on the night, whether it was coming off his line to gobble up a ball in front of Balzer in the third minute or stopping him point-blank in the 10th, the senior keeper seemed to be everywhere in the opening minutes.
“Greg played a great game. He kept us in it the whole way,” Richland coach Mike Stayrook said. “They got a cheap one on the corner kick.
“He just couldn’t get to it, and that was a game-changer.”
Balzer set up Seton-La Salle’s second goal as well, springing Matt Onorato down the right side with a well-placed through ball. Onorato’s centering pass found Steve Pozycki, who made it 2-0 in the 48th minute.
The game was fairly even in the first half, with the Rams having good scoring opportunities in the 12th minute, when Vincent Licastro’s shot from
30 yards landed on the top corner of the net, and in the 27th, when Dylan Horne’s free kick from 35 yards forced Rebels keeper Cory Smigielski to make one of his six saves.
“My guys played a great game,” Stayrook said. “They played hard the entire 80 minutes. They never gave up. They just got some cheap goals, and it didn’t drop our way tonight.”
Seton-La Salle took control in the early part of the second half, as their speed consistently gave Richland’s back line problems. The Rams couldn’t muster much offense until the midway point of the second half. Richland got some consistent pressure in the final 15 minutes, but couldn’t get anything past Smigielski.
“We definitely controlled the game,” Stayrook said. “We kept the ball at our feet. They just liked to send it over the top and run to it. We controlled the entire game. It’s just that the better team doesn’t always win.”
Seton-La Salle will play District 5 champion North Star, which beat Brookville 1-0 on Tuesday, on Saturday while Richland ends the season with a 19-2 record.
“We did everything we possibly could,” Sichak said. “They’re a good team. We knew that from the beginning. I really wish it wouldn’t have ended this way, but it was a great season.”
WPIAL Titan.....calling you out.......
~PA
Richland boys ousted by Seton-La Salle win
Eric Knopsnyder
The Tribune-Democrat The Tribune-Democrat Tue Nov 09, 2010, 11:45 PM EST
PITTSBURGH — Things did not go well for the Richland boys soccer team from the time the Rams showed up at Shaler High School’s Biles Field on Tuesday night.
Shaler didn’t provide a locker room for the teams in the PIAA playoff game, forcing the Richland players – who were fresh off a 90-minute bus ride – to take turns changing in the men’s rest room.
After that, the problem was keeping up with the speed of District 7 champion Seton-La Salle. Tyler Balzer and the Rebels gave Richland fits in a 2-0 victory that eliminated the District 6 champions.
“I think we played a very good team,” Seton-La Salle coach Mike Thomas said. “I think our set pieces were a little bit of a difference. I think we’re a little more dangerous than them, and we’re fortunate to win.”
The first goal came off a set piece. Seton-La Salle (16-1-2) earned a corner kick in the 33rd minute, and Balzer delivered it to the goal line, where Michael Brust put it in the net.
Richland keeper Greg Sichak never had a chance.
“I got a hand on it and the next thing I know I’m bumped over,” Sichak said. “I just got hit from my right shoulder and right into the box. I didn’t even attempt to dive for the ball.
“They pushed me in.”
Sichak was outstanding on the night, whether it was coming off his line to gobble up a ball in front of Balzer in the third minute or stopping him point-blank in the 10th, the senior keeper seemed to be everywhere in the opening minutes.
“Greg played a great game. He kept us in it the whole way,” Richland coach Mike Stayrook said. “They got a cheap one on the corner kick.
“He just couldn’t get to it, and that was a game-changer.”
Balzer set up Seton-La Salle’s second goal as well, springing Matt Onorato down the right side with a well-placed through ball. Onorato’s centering pass found Steve Pozycki, who made it 2-0 in the 48th minute.
The game was fairly even in the first half, with the Rams having good scoring opportunities in the 12th minute, when Vincent Licastro’s shot from
30 yards landed on the top corner of the net, and in the 27th, when Dylan Horne’s free kick from 35 yards forced Rebels keeper Cory Smigielski to make one of his six saves.
“My guys played a great game,” Stayrook said. “They played hard the entire 80 minutes. They never gave up. They just got some cheap goals, and it didn’t drop our way tonight.”
Seton-La Salle took control in the early part of the second half, as their speed consistently gave Richland’s back line problems. The Rams couldn’t muster much offense until the midway point of the second half. Richland got some consistent pressure in the final 15 minutes, but couldn’t get anything past Smigielski.
“We definitely controlled the game,” Stayrook said. “We kept the ball at our feet. They just liked to send it over the top and run to it. We controlled the entire game. It’s just that the better team doesn’t always win.”
Seton-La Salle will play District 5 champion North Star, which beat Brookville 1-0 on Tuesday, on Saturday while Richland ends the season with a 19-2 record.
“We did everything we possibly could,” Sichak said. “They’re a good team. We knew that from the beginning. I really wish it wouldn’t have ended this way, but it was a great season.”