Trending
PHILIPSBURG -- After the Cambria Heights boys soccer team chanted "we're going to the ship," as in "we're going to the championship," the Highlanders hoisted goalkeeper Caleb Patterson in the air in celebration.
The senior deserved the attention after the District 6 Class 2A semifinal.
Patterson made 13 saves and scored a goal in the shootout period as the third-seeded Highlanders knocked off second-seeded Penns Valley, 2-1 (4-2 in the shootout) on Monday at Philipsburg-Osceola's Mountaineer Stadium.
"It feels amazing," Patterson said. "Our coach informed us that this is the first time since 2006 that we have ever made it to a championship. It's my senior year, so it feels pretty great."
"Words can't describe this feeling," Cambria Heights coach Adam Strasser said. "It's amazing. A lot of these guys have been working hard since they were little kids to get to a championship. They've been one of the hardest working groups of kids I've ever been around. They deserve this."
Heights (12-6-1) advanced to the District 6 championship, where they'll play fifth-seeded Juniata, a 2-1 OT winner over top-seeded Central Cambria, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Hollidaysburg.
When the game remained tied, 1-1, through two 15-minute overtime periods, the game went to a shootout. The coaches picked their five best shooters.
"Going into the playoffs, we practiced PKs (penalty kicks) every day at practice just so we would have an idea of a list if the time would come," Strasser said. "We were very prepared, and I think those guys were confident in their abilities."
Dravin Beatty, who's also the kicker for the Glendale football team, slipped the first shot past PV goalkeeper Gavin Robb.
Penns Valley's Cayden Merrill, who sent the game into overtime when he scored with 5:23 left in regulation, booted the ball past Patterson on the second shot.
In a rare event, Patterson got his shot at a goal, and he took advantage, sinking the ball in the back of the net on the next shot.
After Penns Valley's Hayden Houser's shot sailed over the net, Heights' Dylan Fyock scored to give the Highlanders the lead.
Patterson had to anticipate which side Penns Valley's Ethan Narber would shoot at, and he made the right decision, making the save on the shot. That sealed the win for the Highlanders.
"It's hard," Patterson said of the shootout period. "Really, it's just a guessing game on which sides you can go at. You hope you go to the right side and hit it out."
"He is a stellar goalie," Strasser said. "He's a super athlete. He's dependable, reliable, and he's just a great, great kid. All of his brothers have played, and he understands the tradition of Cambria Heights soccer."
After Heights' George Campbell's shot was blocked, the final shot went wide right. The Highlanders began to celebrate.
Reese Garrison scored the first goal of the game for the Cambria Heights on a corner kick with 24:22 left in the first half. Penns Valley nearly tied it less than 30 seconds later when a shot hit the crossbar above Patterson.
In the second half, Patterson tracked down a loose ball right before a Ram got to it with 28:30 left. In a span of 6:20 in the second half, Patterson made three saves, including one off of a header.
"They started piling them on there," Patterson said. "They weren't giving up. I just tried my hardest. They snuck one in there, and there's nothing we could do about it. It was just a bad chip, and I'm too short."
Merrill finally found a solution against Patterson, scoring off of a corner kick at the 5:23 mark of the second half in the rain.
"I actually went to watch their game last week," Penns Valley coach Ken Gore said. "They did a good job tightening up their D (defense) than what I saw last week. We got that goal, which was a big deal and gave us new life, we just couldn't get anymore."
Patterson had to make four saves in the first overtime. On the fourth save, Patterson, listed at 5-8, 140 pounds, had to jump to stop the shot.
A Cambria Heights goal with 10:50 left in the second overtime was nullified by an offsides call. Both goalkeepers made two saves each in the second OT. Patterson had to make a save in the final 10 seconds of the period, sending the game to the shootout.
"My hat's off to Penns Valley," Strasser said. "They are a really, really good soccer team. They had superb speed. They're passing throughout the field was really impressive. We really worked in practice on getting in the practice lanes and defending their high-powered attack.
"But I thought we played well. I thought we had opportunities to score, and it was a great battle between two really good soccer teams."
SCORE BY HALVES
Cambria Heights 1 0 0 0 (3) -- 2
Penns Valley 0 1 0 0 (1) -- 1
First half: CH--Garrison (corner kick), 24:22
Second half: PV--Merrill (corner kick), 75:37
Shootout: CH--Beatty, Patterson, Fyock. PV--Merrill.
Records: Cambria Heights (12-6-1), Penns Valley (9-5-3).