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DUNMORE – On a drizzly night Nov. 4 at Dunmore High School, Lakeland’s run at a perfect soccer season came to an abrupt halt, as Mountain View scored two goals in each half to win the District II Class A boys soccer title 4-0.
Mountain View’s Colby Thomas recorded a hat trick in the win, and goalie Chris Herman stopped six shots for the Eagles.
The game began with a small gathering of two rowdy student sections dressed in their school colors as they waited to cheer on their teams, who would play on a saturated turf field drenched from the all-day rain.
Mountain View got on the board first, nine and a half minutes into the game, when Joe Jarrow sidestepped a defender and blasted an uncontested shot in the goal, just off the hands of Lakeland goalkeeper Chris Vojick. The game then turned into a defensive battle as the wet conditions prevented many offensive opportunities for either team.
With 57 seconds remaining in the half, Thomas scored his first goal of the game off a corner kick by Dan McWhirr to give Mountain View a 2-0 lead. The goal would give the momentum to Mountain View heading into halftime and was something the Lakeland coaching staff wanted to avoid.
Lakeland entered the second half with an aggressive mindset, while Mountain View showed patience in waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. That moment came in the 67th minute when Dylan Thomas played a long ball to his younger brother Colby, who broke loose and converted from the right side of the field for his second goal of the game.
Colby Thomas scored again two minutes later after another cleared ball got behind the defense and allowed him a clear shot. The goal put the Eagles up 4-0 and the game out of reach for the Chiefs.
Though Mountain View kept the ball in Lakeland territory for a good part of the second half, the Chiefs had scoring opportunities in middle of the second half. But several shots sailed wide and one missed off the top of the goal. Mountain View lead in shots 16-15 and in corner kicks 6-2. Vojick had nine saves for Lakeland.
Vojick has been a four-year starter at goalie and is one of the team’s most vocal leaders of its strong defense. Senior midfielder Jimmy Marcinko also has started four years and also contributes to help motivate the Chiefs on the offensive side of the ball.
Though the Chief’s undefeated season came to an end, it certainly will be looked at as a great success. Lakeland finished the year with a 14-1-2 record and made the District II Class A finals for the first time in school history.
Even with the loss of some key seniors, next year’s returning cast can use this year as a building block for the team’s ultimate goal: to not only make the finals, but to win them as well.