Oley Valley is downed by Lewisburg in semifinals
As Jackson Smith answered questions and fought back tears, the other 11 seniors waited for him on the OV at midfield.
They were going to gather again, one last time, put their hands together and say, “Family.”
This was the last call for Oley Valley’s boys soccer players. The end of four years that went by in a blink yet will be carried with them forever.
Oley Valley lost to Lewisburg 2-0 in the PIAA Class 2A semifinals at home Tuesday.
“Since second grade I’ve been with this group of kids,” Smith said. “I’ve never had a bad day with them.”
They played until it was so cold they couldn’t feel the tips of their fingers. They played until flurries floated down from the night sky. They wanted to play a few days more.
If Oley’s dream of the school’s first state championship was going to be denied, this was the only way it could happen.
No one was going to outwork the Lynx. No team was tougher. It was going to take another level of talent.
That was Lewisburg (21-0), the nation
ally-ranked District 4 champion.
“I’ve been coaching a long time,” Oley coach Shawn Meals said. “That’s the best team I’ve seen. You can definitely tell they’re playing year-round.”
Lewisburg’s goals came about 11 minutes apart in the first half. They were different from the kinds of goals one typically sees in high school.
Jack Dieffenderfer beat keeper Evan Solley to the ball and lifted a shot that somehow cut through the wind, stayed on target and bounced into the net 25 yards away.
Ben Liscum, who sent the throughball to Dieffenderfer, struck for his goal with 11:44 remaining before halftime. The Penn State recruit, tightly marked, effortlessly flipped a shot into the upper right-hand corner.
There’s not much a team could do to prevent those goals.
“We’re all just heartbroken that we couldn’t pull out a win,” Smith said. “They’re a great team. They’re fast, they play quick and they know what they’re doing.”
Oley played Lewisburg even during the second half. Alex LaVerdure had a shot from inside the box that sailed over the crossbar with six minutes left that could have made the closing minutes more interesting.
“I commend my guys,” Meals said. “They fought. I’m proud of the way they played. I think we scared them a little bit. It’s unfortunate but you’ve got to play some good teams. It’s not a walk.”
Oley (18-2-1) saw its run end in the semifinals for the second time in four seasons. The Lynx still have their place in school history. They repeated as county champion and won the first district title since 1993.