Central York falls short of PIAA tournament

Needing a win to extend their season, the Central York's boys' soccer team watched Cumberland Valley captain Holden Zimmerman's penalty kick — and their season — soar past goal keeper Kameron Stoll.

The Eagles defeated the Panthers 2-2, 5-4 in penalty kicks on Saturday in the District 3 Class 4A third-place game at Northeastern. With the win, Cumberland advances to the Class 4A PIAA tournament while Central's season comes to a close. The Panthers' finished the year with a 19-5-1 overall record.

After each team scored on their first four penalty kicks, the Panthers fifth kicker, Nicholas Starr, blasted the shot off the right post, making way for Zimmerman's heroics.

"That game could have went either way, obviously," said Central York head coach Frank Lenno after the game.

The Panthers took a 2-0 lead into halftime on the strength of goals from Carter Luckenbaugh and Pierrce Miller. Scoring early in the contest was emphasized by Lenno entering the contest — Central York lost 1-0 to Elizabethtown in double-overtime in Tuesday's semifinal.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, their lead Saturday was short-lived. Cumberland Valley scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the second half to tie it up on a pair of deep throw-ins.

"They were pushing the issue," said Lenno of the Eagles. "They had a couple of dangerous players up top and they knew they had a long throw, so they were getting the ball into our end quickly."

The game turned late in the second half, when a player from each team got overly physical with each other, causing the officials to issue both players yellow cards. Central York's Zak Kakos had already seen a yellow card earlier in the game and was subsequently sent off, forcing the Panthers to play the entirety of overtime a man down.

"I applaud my boys for the work they put in all year," said Lenno. "My seniors have been fabulous and we look forward to seeing where we are at next year."

Cumberland Valley 2, Central York 2
Cumberland Valley won in Penalty kicks, 5-4.
Cumberland Valley 0 2 — 2
Central York 2 0 — 2
First half — 1. Central York, Carter Luckenbaugh , 12:16. 2. Central York, Pierce Miller , 3:22.              
Second half — 1. Cumberland Valley, Holden Zimmerman , 33:35. 2. Cumberland Valley, Ryan Staton , 30:48.
Shots on goal — Cumberland Valley 11, Central York 6. Corners — Cumberland Valley 6, Central York 4.
Goalies — Matt Zambetti, Cumberland Valley (4), Kameron Stoll, Central York (9)