State High’s Boys Soccer team faced off against Altoona on Oct. 23 at Bald Eagle Area High School in a battle for the District VI championship. After a tense match, State High won the game 2-1 in double overtime.
State High got out to a quick start. Just 10 minutes into the game, Altoona had a goal kick get disrupted by multiple State High midfielders, including sophomore Byrd Glenney. Senior Arthur Cleveland picked up the loose ball and sent it through the Altoona defense to senior Mason Sampsel who took one touch and slotted it into the bottom left corner.
The rest of the first half was filled with strong shots on goal by both sides, but also impressive saves.
Senior goalkeeper Dylan Lawrence had several crucial saves throughout the game that led to the win. This is his first year as the starting varsity goalkeeper for the team, and he explained how he’s been able to step up in tough situations.
“It’s more of practicing, a lot more trying to train harder, and then also being a leader [and] role model for the younger kids as well,” Lawrence said. “I’ve been training for about four years, really hard now, because my goal when I was in freshman year was to play as varsity goalkeeper, and I thought I wouldn’t make it, but here I am now.”
As the game neared the end, Altoona, still down 1-0, was giving it its all with its season on the line. The Mountain Lions had a free kick from deep in its own half, and a powerful long ball by an Altoona defender landed just outside the State High 18-yard box. After being deflected and popped up into the air by a State High defender, an Altoona striker hit an incredible bicycle kick goal over Lawrence’s head with just a few minutes left in regulation to, at least for the moment, save the Mountain Lions’ season and take the game into overtime.
Assistant Coach Alexander Kimbro explained the team’s mentality after getting scored on so close to the finish. “We thought we were in control. And then sometimes you just get a player who hits a shot that is basically unsavable, and that’s what happened,” Kimbro said. “And so we really just had to keep positive and be tough mentally, especially those last couple minutes where you just have something kind of shocking happen, and it throws off what you were trying to do.”
The first overtime period was tense, as both teams were neck-and-neck and couldn’t find a way through the opposing defense. Sampsel was almost fouled in the penalty box, but there was no call from the referee.
The second overtime period would eventually decide the game. The period was back and forth with no team having a serious threat on goal. That continued until, exactly at the 1:00 mark, Cleveland was fouled in the penalty box. With just 60 seconds left, the team turned to senior Rand Parrillo to take the penalty shot. Although the Altoona goalkeeper picked the correct side of Parrillo’s shot, it was just out of reach and hit the back of the net. The State High bench exploded with excitement as they sprinted across the field to celebrate with Parrillo and their teammates.
Parrillo is no stranger to late-game heroics. This is the third game in a row he has scored the game-winning goal in overtime. Kimbro explained how he and many others have stayed mentally tough and physically fit throughout the year to step up in these big moments.
“It’s really impressive, because him and probably five or six other guys hardly came off the field, and hardly have been coming off the field unless they’ve really, really needed a breather,” Kimbro said. “And that’s just all about fitness levels, mental toughness and the preparation in practices and kind of all throughout the squad. It’s been a good theme recently that we’ve really shown that little bit of extra grit, and it’s definitely been contagious, and Rand [Parrillo] is a big part of that.”
After celebrating the District Championship, the team quickly shifted its focus to its next game against Erie McDowell. “We feel good based on the momentum that we have from our last three games,” Kimbro said, “But always got to give respect to the opponent and make sure that we are able to go in and just give our best effort, and it starts from there. So if we can get the right types of effort and the right attitude and mentality, then I really feel comfortable and confident in us being able to come out of that with a positive result, a win.”
The game against Erie McDowell will be held at Mansion Park in Altoona on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 2:00. The winner of that game will qualify for the PIAA State playoffs.
