After a 3-2 triumph over Altoona in the District VI Championship game, the State High Boys Soccer Team’s season came to an end with a loss to Erie McDowell in a subregional game. 

Having already experienced a tough 4-3 victory over Altoona in the regular season, the Little Lions knew they needed to come out strong to avoid another close, back-and-forth match. This time, they did just that. Before the clock reached ten minutes of play, senior captain and three-year starter Bryce Dwyer fired a left-footed corner kick into the box, which deflected off an Altoona defender and into the goal, putting the Little Lions up 1-0.

Dwyer spoke about the momentum that the team gained from the early goal. 

“We knew coming into the game that our set pieces were going to be important; it was just a well-delivered corner, and we got lucky with the goal. That allowed us to push forward and just have confidence, because we knew that we could handle the game,” Dwyer said.

Dwyer, a member of the All-Mid-Penn Commonwealth Third Team, recorded three goals and twelve assists this season, an impressive accomplishment, especially for a defensive player.

Just a few minutes later, State College won another corner kick, this time taken by senior captain Lucas Caceres. Caceres pulled off a rare feat at any level of soccer: he scored directly off the corner kick, a goal known as an olimpico.

Sophomore defender Daniel Bang mentioned the guidance that Caceres has provided the Little Lions throughout the season.

“He has been one of the big leaders on the field, and he has always been supportive of all of our teammates…he has really just been a super positive influence on the team this year,” Bang said.

An Altoona goal, followed by a goal from State High senior Daniel Sahakian in the second half, seemed to wrap up the game for the Little Lions. Though Altoona scored a late goal in the final minutes, they could not complete the comeback.

However, State High did not have much time to enjoy the victory, making the three-hour trip to Erie to take on McDowell just three days later.

The long drive proved challenging, and the Little Lions started the game slowly, conceding an early goal.

“Once we conceded that goal, I just think that heads went down, and the attitude was negative,” Dwyer said.

The team could not recover and fell 3-0, ending its season. Bang commented and reflected on what went wrong in the match.

“Obviously, we had a really long ride there…so being on the bus for that long is just really tiring, and going into the game, we didn’t have enough energy or spirit, and our morale just wasn’t there,” Bang said.

Despite the disappointing finish, the team had much to celebrate, both as a group and individually.

Finishing with an 11-8-2 record, the Little Lions had just one home loss, winning six and tying two in State College.

“It was really nice to have that sort of fortress on North Turf,” Dwyer said. “We knew North Turf was ours. That was our field, and it was just such a positive environment.”

In addition, the team had five players, all seniors, receive All-Mid Penn honors. Ryan Hulek made the first team, Jack Snyder and Daniel Sahakian made the second team, and Dwyer and James Sheehan made the third. 

An interesting aspect of these recipients is that nearly none of them were consistent varsity starters last season. Dwyer explained the driving force of their significant jumps in playing time, skill level and performance.

“I think it was just their work rate in practice and in games as well. I mean, they’ve always been great players. I think they just needed the good team chemistry we had this season, which enabled them to have confidence in themselves. For their senior years, they knew this was the last ride, so they had to give it their all,” Dwyer said.

Looking ahead, the Little Lions have a long wait until they see the field again, but there is much to look forward to in the coming years.

“We’re definitely losing a few key players here with our seniors leaving…but we have some underclassmen who are ready to step up into their positions, and we’re excited to see how it goes,” Bang said.

State High improved by five wins compared to last season. If the program continues to trend upward, the future looks promising.