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LEHMAN TWP. — In four years, the current group of seniors on the Crestwood boys soccer team accomplished too much to list.

Among the achievements in that time are three District 2 Class 3A championships, nearly 60 wins and countless goals.

When the Comets played on Tuesday in the first round of the PIAA tournament, they entered with the most wins in a season in school history with 18. The team was looking for a little more history and become the first in school history to win a game at states.

Another historic night wasn’t meant to be at Lake-Lehman High School as Crestwood fell to Athens 3-1 and its historic season ended.

“I’m really happy and proud of the guys. This whole season has been an amazing achievement in itself,” Crestwood coach David McFarland said. “For the (nine) seniors who are graduating, I think a lot of good things are in front of them whether it’s on the field or off of it. I’m excited for them for sure. They’re great guys.”

Two goals that were scored late in each half by Athens proved to be the difference as the Wildcats advance to Saturday’s state quarterfinals.

The match started off well for the Comets as they attacked the goal right off the opening kick, getting a shot in the first minute. It was saved by keeper Joel Maslin. It took the Comets about 19 minutes to get another shot, but when they did, it was perfect.

Max Gariano struck the back of the net with 21:30 left in the first half when he dribbled, made a cut on the turf and slotted the ball past Maslin from about 10 yards out for the 1-0 advantage.

“He’s been my captain for the last two years,” McFarland said of Gariano. “An amazing leader off the field. On the field, he’s a great dribbler, he’s comfortable on the ball whether it’s his right foot or left foot. He’s very dangerous for the opposition. We’re definitely going to miss him next year, that’s for sure.”

The Comets defense minimized the Wildcats opportunities for the next 10 minutes, but they proved too potent too keep down for a long period.

With 12:18 remaining in the first half, Athens got the equalizer off the foot from Jessie Sumner. Then, just before the clock struck zero in the half, Alex Rowe gave the Wildcats the 2-1 lead with 38 seconds remaining.

The Comets had numerous chances in the second half. They put up seven shots on goal in the final 40 minutes, including four free kicks off the boot of Hubert Herrera. The first of the free kicks, which ranged from 25 yards to 45 yards out, hit off the post, while the next three were saved by Maslin, who had five in the second half.

The Comets put more players forward in the second in an attempt to drum up more offense, but the Wildcats were ready.

“You know the old adage of bend don’t break, and that’s what the guys did,” Athens coach Jake Lezak said. “They got in, they made plays. I didn’t like how they were marking up on the ball, but other guys noticed that and stepped in and would keep that at bay.”

When the Wildcats got their lone free kick opportunity in the second half, they converted. That conversion came with just 3:37 remaining when David Scheftic struck net from about 40 yards away to put the game out of reach.

PIAA Class 3A first round

Athens 3, Crestwood 1

Athens`2`1 – 3

Crestwood`1`0 – 1

First half: 1. CRE, Max Gariano 21:30; 2. ATH, Jessie Sumner 12:18; 3. ATH, Alex Rowe :36. Second half: 4. ATH, David Scheftic 3:37

Shots: ATH 9, CRE 10; Saves: ATH 5 (Joel Maslin), CRE 2 (Chris Smith); Corners: ATH 3, CRE 3

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By Dave Rosengrant

For Times Leader