Seneca Valley’s unbeaten streak ends in 1-0 loss
HERSHEY, Pa. — Seneca Valley had only trailed one time this season heading into the PIAA Class 4A championship match with District 1 champion Conestoga.
When the Raiders fell behind a second time, it cost them a state championship.
Conestoga (26-0-0) capped off an undefeated season as senior goalkeeper Charlie Smith made a second half goal from Jayce Tharnish stand up in a 1-0 victory against defending state champion Seneca Valley (21-1-1) in the PIAA Class 4A boys soccer final at HersheyparkStadium.
“When it went in, we know those are the kinds of goals that they score,” Seneca Valley coach George Williams said. “I was surprised they didn’t have more chances like that. We did a good job of stopping that all night long.”
Tharnish was able to get free in the box on a corner kick from defender Brady Costin 1:40 into the second half. Costin floated the ball in on a set play on a corner kick and allowed Tharnish to get into the scrum and head it past Seneca Valley netminder Ryan Krumenacker for the only goal of the match.
“I just know Brady, who took it, is a very good corner kicker and set-piece kicker,” Tharnish said.
Class 4A boys
“My goal is to flood the near post and, when it gets there, you’ve got totake advantage of it.”
Tharnish may have had the only goal that counted, but it wasn’t the only ball that hit the back of the net. Seneca Valley had a goal disallowed on an offsides call with 17:10 remaining in the first half that would have given theRaiders a 1-0 lead.
“It’s tough,” Williams said. “But that’s early enough that you have to say, if they’re not going to let that one go in, we’ve got to get anotherone.”
Seneca Valley came in riding a 36-game unbeaten streak. In that time, the Raiders won a pair of WPIAL titles and the 2020 state championship.
This time, though, Seneca Valley ran into a goalkeeper about as hot as any in the state. In his 21 starts this season, Smith only allowed two goals for a microscopic 0.095 goals-against average.
He finished the season with a nine-game shutout streak and had not allowed a ball to get behind him since a 3-1 win against Great Valleyon Oct. 16.
“He’s been a rock for us back there,” Conestoga coach David Zimmerman said. “It’s a combination of his play and the guys in front of him because that back line is the best in school history.”