PT wins PIAA first round

Eleanor Bailey | The Almanac

With Upper St. Clair’s 2-0 loss to Lower Dauphin, there will be a new state champion in PIAA Class AAA boys’ soccer this year. And, Peters Township is making a pitch for the title.

Four days after dispatching the Panthers, 5-1, for their second straight WPIAL banner, the Indians embarked on their quest for the PIAA crown by blanking State College, 4-0, at Elizabeth-Forward’s Warrior Stadium.

With the win, Peters improved to 19-2 overall; the lone losses to USC, 1-0 and 2-1, in Section 5 action. With the loss, the Little Lions ended their season at 12-7-2.

Two minutes and 41 seconds into the game, Peters attacked. Rylen Faloni collected a ball within the six-yard box and fired a shot on goal. The ball bounced to Nicco Mastrangelo, who deposited the rebound into the open net.

In the 11th minute, Mastrangelo tacked on his second score. Sean Harrison assisted.

Even with a two-goal bulge, the Indians did not relent offensively. In the second half, they also scored twice.

In the 48th minute, Mario Mastrangelo fired in a goal, off an assist from Dylan Weyers. Two minutes later, Mastrangelo assisted on PT’s final tally, a goal by Faloni.

Josh Deyarmin recorded his 17th shutout of the season. Deyarmin was backed by the play of Harrison, Jake Valley and Ryan Ponchione. Dylan Weyers and Matt Massucci also contributed on the defensive end.

To date, the Indians have surrendered just five goals, four of them to the rival Panthers. Peters has racked up 75 goals.

The Indians will play Central Catholic (21-2) in the state quarterfinals. The Vikings blanked Cathedral Prep, 2-0, to set up the rematch. The teams met in the WPIAL semifinals with Peters posting a 2-0 victory back on Oct. 27.

Meanwhile, USC finished the year at 19-2-1 overall. The Panthers were two-time PIAA state champions, winning titles in 2012 and 2013. They had been to three straight finals and to four consecutive district championships.