Season ends for young Heights
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PATTON -- Showing resiliency has never been a problem for the second-seeded Cambria Heights boys soccer team this season.
Monday night the Highlanders had to do it again after falling behind by two goals in the first half, and managed to go into the break tied during the District 6 Class 2A semifinal against No. 3 Philipsburg-Osceola.
Both sides played an equal game through the early part of the second overtime before Carson Long buried a hat trick to eliminate the Highlanders, 3-2, in double overtime at the Cambria Heights Athletic Field.
Even though Cambria Heights coach Adam Strasser team's season came to an end, he was drawing on the positives in the year-ending setback.
"We reflected after the game about how much we've grown as a team," he said. "Last year, we lost 10 seniors. The third game of the season we lost Chase Rogal who was a four-year starter and a three-year captain.
"We really grew as a team this year, we got better every day, and we worked as hard we could. Even though it stings, we all shared as a coaching staff how proud we are," he added.
"It's an emotional roller coaster," said P-O coach Ryan Long described how the game developed "That team is a phenomenal team. We're up 2-0 quick and everything was running our way, and bang they got one, they got two.
"We battled through the second half, equal, through the first overtime equal. The first half of that game right there was probably best I've seen us play in quite a long time. This team is full of battlers and fighters."
Long scored the first of those two goals off a pass from Siler Dixon just under seven minutes into the match. He later added a penalty kick for the extra cushion.
Heights, in the closing minutes of the half, answered and tied things up starting with a Nate Conaway goal from George Campbell to cut the deficit in half. That was later followed by Campbell on a breakaway to level the game at the intermission.
"One thing I know about our guys is that they're resilient and they work hard, and they're fighters," Strasser said. "We did battle back. After that first goal, we had a lot of momentum. That shows what kind of team we have."
The Highlanders did have a couple opportunities to get the go-ahead goal in regulation, as Reese Garrison's pass found Conaway, but the shot went wide.
Later on, Conaway had another prime scoring chance but Mountie goalie Matt Thompson pushed it over the net out of play.
Monday's defeat marked the end of the line for three Highlander seniors who had the challenge of leading a team that lost several players from last year.
"Those three seniors were very special players," Strasser said. "They were hard workers, they were very talented, they were great teammates, they were supportive. They really carried a young team on their backs. Those three seniors stepped up and were mentors for the younger players."
Strasser has a lot of optimism for next season.
"We have a lot of players coming back, a lot of talented underclassmen," he said. "But they do have big shoes to fill in three really talented seniors. They're going to have to work really hard in the offseason to get us back to where we were this season. I feel confident that they are hard workers and that they'll put the time in in the offseason."
The Mounties face Penn Cambria in Thursday's final at Hollidaysburg at 5:30 p.m.
SCORE BY HALVES
Philipsburg-Osceola 2 0 0 1 - 3
Cambria Heights 2 0 0 0 - 2
First half: PO - Long (Dixon), 6:40; PO - Long (Penalty Kick), 15:38, CH - Conaway (Campbell), 36:41; CH - Campbell (unassisted), 39:38.
Second overtime: PO - Long (Bock), 99:23.
Records: Philipsburg-Osceola (11-7-1); Cambria Heights (11-6-2).