Lake-Lehman repeats as D2-2A boys soccer champs

Home High School High School Soccer Lake-Lehman repeats as D2-2A boys soccer champs Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin ReddIt Email Print By Kevin Carroll [email protected] The Lake-Lehman boys soccer team won the District 2 Class 2A championship for the second straight year, defeating Dunmore 3-2 on Saturday to repeat as champs. Kevin Carroll | Times Leader 🔊 Listen to this DUNMORE — Twice on Saturday afternoon, Lake-Lehman was awarded a penalty kick and sent Landon James up to do the honors. Both shots were no-doubters. The second was a game-winner and a district championship clincher. James converted from the penalty spot with 4:13 left to play to put Lake-Lehman ahead, and the Black Knights held on through a few strong Dunmore chances late to beat the Bucks 3-2 in the District 2 Class 2A championship game on Saturday afternoon. His two goals came at nearly identical times, one in each half. James’ first goal tied the game 1-1 with 4:25 left to go, and his second ensured that the Black Knights would be heading back to the state tournament for a second straight year. “I knew we needed two big shots, we countered and we made it happen,” James said. “In practice, we were practicing PKs and they knew I was the guy so I took them this game.” The Black Knights had led for just 10 out of the 75-plus minutes played when a handball inside the box was called on Dunmore, creating their second penalty kick opportunity of the game. James was in on the play that led to the handball, and the sophomore stepped to the spot with a chance to put his team back in front. Dunmore goalie Diego Chavez guessed correctly, diving to the left side of the goal, but there was far too much pace on James’ strike for Chavez to have a chance at it. The final goal was the last in a series of momentum swings that started almost from the opening whistle. Dunmore took a 1-0 lead just 23 seconds into the game. Spectators were still filing into their seats when Ryan Clark made his first run of the day down the right sideline, getting to the corner and looping the ball into the box. Anthony Yerka was waiting for the one-timer, firing one back across the face of the goal that tucked inside the far post. It was something of a gut punch for Lake-Lehman, but not one that would prove fatal. The Black Knights started to control the action as the half went on, generating a few good chances. A foul inside the box sent James up for a penalty kick, and he drilled it to tie the game 1-1 heading into halftime. “That was huge, it’s a completely different narrative for what we need to do if we’re down one versus being tied,” Lake-Lehman head coach Ricky Bartolini said. “It’s tough to give up a goal that early in the game, but ultimately we had just under 80 minutes to come back and make a difference.” Kolby Shook put the Black Knights ahead 2-1 with just under 31 minutes left in the second half, making the Dunmore defender in front of him miss before firing one to the far post for the goal. Then, it was Dunmore’s chance to flip the script about 10 minutes later, and once again Clark served as a chance creator for the Bucks. He let a shot rip that ricocheted off the crossbar and right in the direction of Gabriel Vullo. Vullo headed the ball in for the equalizer, tying the game 2-2 with 20:58 to play. Both teams had chances to take the lead down the closing stretch, but none better than the one earned by James to win his second penalty opportunity of the game. Dunmore had one final flurry of activity in the closing minutes, getting two shots on goal. The first was saved by Brady Windsor, the second went just wide of the near post and that was all the Bucks could muster. Lake-Lehman will be home on Tuesday for the opening round of the PIAA Class 2A tournament. The Black Knights will face a familiar foe in the form of District 4 champ Lewisburg. Lewisburg narrowly escaped the Black Knights in last year’s opening round, taking a 3-0 lead before ultimately holding on for a 3-2 win. Lake-Lehman was the only team to score on Lewisburg as the Green Dragons shut out their next three opponents on the way to a state title. “We’re going to enjoy this right now, and then we have to get back to work,” Bartolini said. “It should be a good match, a rematch from last year, both squads lost some key players but we’re both here for a reason.” District 2 Class 2A Championship Lake-Lehman 3, Dunmore 2 Lake-Lehman`1`2 — 3 Dunmore`1`1 — 2 First Half — 1. DUN, Anthony Yerka (Ryan Clark) 39:37; 2. LL, Landon James 4:25. Second — 1. LL, Kolby Shook (Kason Wojnarski) 30:17; 2. DUN, Gabriel Vullo 20:58; 3. LL, James 4:13. Shots — LL 20, DUN 11. Saves — LL 4 (Brady Windsor), DUN 5 (Diego Chavez). Corners — LL 4, DUN 3. Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. 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