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PIAA Class 3A Boys Soccer Championship: Radnor 1, Moon 0 (Final)

Photo courtesy Matt Ralph / Philadelphia Soccer Now

PIAA Soccer Championships — Boys Class 3A Final

FINAL: Radnor 1, Moon 0

Cumberland Valley School District, Bald Eagle Middle School, Mechanicsburg, PA

Match Updates

FINAL — RADNOR 1, MOON 0

80′ — One last shot on frame for the Tigers — a good strike from 24 yards out — with 20 seconds left, but right at JD Ball.

72′ — Moon has probably held a 60/40 possession edge but Radnor have been (mostly) impenetrable in and around the box.

60′ — Moon still trail 1-0 while building up possession but chances are scarce and things are getting a bit more physical.

HALF — RADNOR 1, MOON 0

37′ — Great chance for Moon’s Wyatt Johnson, but diving save from Radnor keeper JD Ball preserves the lead.

20 — It was all Radnor early but Moon now starting to have time in the Radnor side of the field. Under 20 to go.

10′ — GOAL — RADNOR 1, MOON 0

Match Preview

Going all the way back to the JRK Memorial Classic in August, when Moon boys soccer program began the season with a pair convincing wins against tough, out of section competition, Head Coach Tyler Blake always knew that his team was capable of having a big season, pointing out some key reasons for his team’s success this season.

“We tried to continue to build.  This year’s group, we’ve been able to stay healthier. We’ve had balance. We are a very unselfish group,” Blake boasted on the Kids on the Pitch Podcast back in October.

Now, that the Tigers have reached the PIAA Boys Class 3A Final, which will be played on Friday morning — that’s right — a 10 a.m. kickoff for the 3A classification, they’re a battled tested group as they get set to face District 1’s Radnor.

The road to get to Mechanicsburg hasn’t been easy for Moon.

While in the regular season, they were pretty dominant — they had to show they’ve made of sterner stuff in the postseason.

Moon allowed only 13 goals this season, but six of those have come in its seven postseason matches.

Every time Moon were pushed to the limit in the past month, they responded.

In the district semifinal against Bethel Park, they escaped with a dramatic 3-2 win in extra time, then pulled away with a pair of second half goals in the WPIAL at Highmark Stadium against a talented Franklin Regional side.

The drama continued for the Tigers in the State playoffs, with three one-goal victories.

In the first round, they had to grind out a 2-1 win against Lampeter Strasburg with goals from Aedan Costa and Billy Sprott.

Costa alluded after winning the WPIAL title, the story of the season for the Tigers, is that they when they’re down they lift each other up.

The Tigers, who play fast and look to always bring numbers forward quickly, had six players post at least nine goals: Costa (20), Marc Haupt , Evan Thomas, Zech Balbach (12 each in regular season)- Luiz Silva, Hayden Dunn (9 each).

In the past two rounds, it was senior midfielder Luiz Silva who got into position when he needed with game-winning goals. First, in overtime against Allderdice in the quarterfinals and in the closing minutes of regulation in the semifinals against District 3 champion Conrad Weiser.

The Tigers are not only hoping to cap a perfect season, but they’re also chasing history.

While Moon’s boys program has won seven WPIAL titles, the Tigers only made it this far in the State playoffs one time — way back in 1985.  Nearly 40 years ago, the Tigers lost to Council Rock 4-2.

Now, they’re seeking the first Boys Soccer state title in school history.

Radnor have been impressive in their trek to get to the Final, exhibiting dominance in a 3-0 throttling of District 2 champion Dallas in the Semifinal round, which capped a three-match 10-1 aggregate advantage in its three PIAA playoff wins.

There’s little doubt that Blake and the Tigers will want to make things difficult for Radnor at the start of the match and slow down a team that’s been getting off to fast starts.

It’s the first state final for Radnor since 2021, when it lost to a Wilson team that was forced to vacate its title for fielding an illegal player.

If this match stays close late, Moon would probably revel in the opportunity for another exciting finish.

After all, they’ve been living on the edge for much of the past month.

Look for more coverage of the Boys Class 3A Final to come from Cumberland Valley, Bald Eagle Middle School in Mechanicsburg, on Friday morning, as Philadelphia Soccer Now’s Matt Ralph will be on hand to capture the action.   

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John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

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