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By JOHN ERZAR; Times Leader Sports Writer
Tuesday, November 11, 1997     Page: 1B

The name of the school is Coughlin.
   
James M. Coughlin, if you want to get formal.
    It is located in Wilkes-Barre and it has an extremely talented boys soccer
team.
   
If Cumberland Valley forgets any of those facts tonight, it could end up
like the Crusaders’ last opponent, Strath Haven.
   
“We did sense that Strath Haven was looking down their noses a bit at us,”
said Coughlin coach Barry Trievel. “Just walking up to the press box before
the game to deliver the information, three different sets of Strath Haven fans
stopped me to ask where Coughlin was from.
   
“That shouldn’t reflect on how the (Strath Haven) team felt, but it did
reflect how Strath Haven felt about us.”
   
Strath Haven didn’t feel too good about Coughlin after Saturday’s PIAA
Class AAA state quarterfinal game, as the Crusaders defeated the two-time
defending state champions, 4-3.
   
It’s unlikely Cumberland Valley will underestimate District 2 champion
Coughlin (22-1) when the two teams meet at 7:30 tonight at Northern Lebanon
High School in Fredericksburg with a berth in the state title game at stake.
   
After all, the Eagles (26-0) are not from District 1, which acts at times
like it invented soccer. They are from District 3 and nearly didn’t make it to
tonight’s game.
   
Brett Forbrich launched the kickoff about 60 yards into the goal with less
than a minute left in regulation, then the District 3 champion went on to
defeat Council Rock, another District 1 team, 6-5 in sudden death overtime.
   
Forbrich had four goals against Council Rock, but he isn’t Cumberland
Valley’s big gun; he had just three goals coming into the game.
   
Just who scores for the Eagles? Take your pick: senior forward Mike
Honeysett, 41 goals; junior forward Ryan Flynn, 31 goals; senior midfielder
John Cuthbertson, 16 goals; and senior midfielder Derek Potteiger, 13 goals.
   
Flynn (6 feet 3 inches) and Honeysett (6 feet 1 inch) may give Coughlin
additional problems, but Trievel has faith in his team.
   
“This team has done what it had to do all season long,” Trievel said. “It
had a lot to prove to itself that last game at Strath Haven. Now it knows what
it takes to win at the state level and what we have to continue to do for the
next two games.”
   
So does Cumberland Valley. For all the success the Eagles have had (they
have won or shared the Mid-Penn Conference Division I title for eight years),
they haven’t had it at the state level.
   
Until this year.
   
Cumberland Valley’s 2-1 victory over District 1 third seed Penn Ridge was
the school’s first in five state appearances in the 1990s.
   
Likewise, Coughlin picked up its first state victory in the first round, a
3-2 overtime victory against District 4 champion Selinsgrove.
   
It’s been the usual suspects leading the Coughlin offense in the
post-season. Gene Burke has seven goals and an assist in five post-season
games. Sean Jones has three goals and six assists, Chin Orih has three goals
and two assists and Charlie Evanofski has added three assists. Midfielders Ed
Pesotski and Dan Mentrikoski also have contributed to the offense. Pesotski
had the game-winning goal against Strath Haven.
   
Defensively, the fullback line of Dom Berrini, David DePolo, P.J. Murphy
and Matt Trievel has performed well, while sophomore keeper Joe Barger has
really matured as a player.
   
“I see our team as being very focused,” Trievel said. “We know the team
we’re playing is 26-0. We certainly haven’t taken anyone lightly since we
started the district process.
   
“The team is focused on this one game and certainly not looking ahead by
any stretch of the imagination.”
   
If the Crusaders are truly focused and they defeat Cumberland Valley, their
next game would be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium. Their
opponent would be the winner of tonight’s game between District 7 champion Mt.
Lebanon (21-3-2) and District 10 champion Cathedral Prep (23-2).