No. 13 Antelopes upset No. 4 Cougars
By Jose Negron
jnegron@yourmvi.com
For the first time since 2017, the Charleroi boys soccer team will not be playing in the quarterfinal round of the WPIAL playoffs.
The fourth-seeded Cougars were on the losing end of a 3-1 upset at the hands of No. 13 Avonworth in a WPIAL Class 2A first-round matchup Monday at Myron Pottios Stadium.
The Antelopes (5-6-2), who finished the regular season as the fourth-place team from Section 1, scored three unanswered goals in the final 17 minutes to advance to the WPIAL quarterfinals where they will meet No. 5 Elizabeth Forward, the champions of Section 1.
“We just had a breakdown, but hats off to Avonworth, they kept playing,” said Charleroi assistant coach Ryan Chiplaskey, who guided the team in the absence of head coach Jon Ducoli. “It’s unfortunate to lose that way, there were just a couple of well-timed balls through and the tides changed.”
Trailing 1-0 with 16:43 on the clock, Avonworth found a way to break through on the scoreboard.
Connor Whalen worked his way past the Charleroi (14-2) defense and beat goalkeeper Jacob Jericho to tie the game at 1-1.
Just over three minutes later, the Antelopes cashed in for what would be the game-winning tally.
Jason Witherell beat three defenders and Jericho to a loose ball in close before chipping it into the net to put Avonworth ahead by one.
Witherell added his second goal of the game with just over five minutes on the clock.
Jericho came out of the box to get to a loose ball as Avonworth’s Addison Dexter and a Charleroi defender also attempted to pursue it. Dexter won the race and was able to dish a pass over to Witherell, who slipped the ball into an open net for a key insurance goal.
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