Before the Foxes’ WPIAL semifinals soccer game on October 29, senior captains Aidan Stein and Milo Chiu shared a conversation about the strong, gritty Peters Township squad. The forward and midfielder agreed that they and their fellow seniors had worked too hard since their early days playing together to let their season end without making the championship game – especially because that had not happened before during their four years with the team.
As the team arrived at Gateway High School, there was some tension. They knew it would be a brutal, physical fight.
At halftime,, the game was still scoreless, but not for lack of effort. Aidan was confident that if they kept shooting on goal as much as they could, eventually, they would score. And they did. With Aidan’s boot into the net with 11 minutes left in the contest, the team won and secured its spot in the WPIAL Class 4A finals and the state tournament.
Coach Erik Ingram, who last took a team to the finals in 2015, said his confidence in his players’ aggressive style paid off. “We were storming the gates quite a bit,” he says. “The whole team has been great and is very coachable. Our leadership is amazing this year. The mental toughness and willingness to stick to the plan each game has been huge.”
“We just kept pushing and pushing and pushing,” Aidan recalls.
The Foxes will face top-ranked Plum at 8 p.m. November 1. The two teams faced off earlier in the season, with the Foxes suffering a disappointing loss. But sometimes things aren’t always as they seem. That game, the Foxes had five starters out with injuries and coach Ingram basically emptied the bench early on to rest his key players.
This time, he looks forward to the rematch with a fully healthy team. He expects the same all-around performance he saw when they played Peters Township.
“There wasn’t a guy on the field, including our three subs, who weren’t on the same level as anyone else,” says the coach. “All four of our defenders had Peters clamped all night. Our midfielders controlled the flow of the game. Our attacking players created a lot of chances throughout the night, and then Aidan came through again with a huge goal.”
Additionally, he praised first-year goalie Brady Matthews, a junior. “Brady was huge as usual, with some great saves that kept us in the game. He is amazing; he’s great in the air, has fantastic hands, and his diving range is exceptional. I believe he is the best keeper in the WPIAL. His athleticism really gives him an edge.”
Milo knows what gives this talented team its unique je ne sais quoi.
“The seniors know that this is our last year to achieve something amazing,” Milo says. “Going into the playoffs, we knew that any one of the games could be our last, and we told ourselves we were not going to end our season without making it to Highmark. We gave everything we had, and our team never felt as much joy. We cannot wait for Highmark and to go out and win the title.”
There may be some game nerves, but Milo considers that a positive.
“This is because our team is excited to go out on the field and perform and cannot wait to play. I saw the most nerves, even during school, about the (semifinals) game and knew everyone was ready to go out and perform.”
Aidan adds, “This team is now purely focused to bring home a WPIAL title.”
“We just need to go out and play our game with the same effort we did in the semis, and we’ll be fine,” says coach Ingram.
Standout players who contributed to getting the program where it is for the first time in nine years include seniors Milo, Aidan, Kellan Bleier, Jonah Kline, and Carson Krushansky; juniors Brady, Rocco Didomenico, Calyx Kimbrough, Sean Regan, Nicolas Squeglia, and Jake Williams; and sophomores Paul Fitzsimmons, Rocco Poli, and Sharif Zureikat.
Coach Ingram also credits the team’s entire bench for their role in their successful season.