A thrilling and historic season came to a bit of a disappointing conclusion for the Solanco boys soccer team. The Mules lost 4-1 to host Manheim Central in the season finale last Wednesday. The Barons scored three unanswered goals in the second half to pull away. Solanco received a big surprise even before the game began. The Mules thought the game would be played on Central's stadium turf field. As Solanco's bus approached the stadium they realized it was set up for a parade. Coach Ron Miller called the Central coach and learned the game would be played on a field behind a nearby elementary school.
Instead of being contested on turf, the game was played on a slightly sloped natural grass surface. Solanco went into the wind and up the slight slope in the first half and fell behind 1-0 on a goal in the 20th minute. Miller might have been content to go into halftime down by only a goal but he didn't have to. "They did have the majority of possession in the first half but the boys played well," he said. "They were forcing Central into taking outside shots and (goalie) Robert Beard (who played the first half) made some great saves." The Mules tied it with seven minutes left in the half on an unassisted goal by Luke Perry. Solanco seemed to be in good position heading into the second half. But four minutes in, Central took the lead with a shot that was misjudged by the goalie and rolled toward the net. Perry raced back to try to clear the ball off the line but was a split-second too late. The Mules were facing a steep challenge. Coming into the game Central had allowed more than one goal in a game once all year. "I was still confident," said Miller. "We pressured them and had some opportunities." One potential tying shot clanged off the crossbar. What Miller referred to as "the crucial moment" came with 14 minutes left. Central passed the ball toward the sideline and Miller says the ball went out of bounds by a yard. But the coach said referee on that side was out of position and did not make the call. While Miller and two of his defenders raised their hand in protest, Central continued to play and crossed the ball into the center which led to a goal. "Manheim Central did the proper thing," said Miller. "You have to play (until you hear) the whistle. That was a backbreaker." Miller was irate and received a yellow card. "That goal was caused by the official not being in position," he said. "I lost my mind. "It deflated a team that had played so hard and so well all year long." Solanco almost got back in the game but had another shot carom off the crossbar and Central tacked on an insurance goal. With Ephrata downing Garden Spot 2-1 on Wednesday, the Mules would not have made the playoffs even if they had beaten the Barons. Solanco had stayed alive in the playoff chase with a 2-1 triumph over Lebanon on Senior Night Monday, October 6. With the breeze at its back, Lebanon scored just 90 seconds into the game. That left the Cedars with a lot of time to add to the margin while going with the wind. "It was a long 38 minutes and 30 seconds," said Miller. "Keeping them to one goal in the first half was a victory in itself." The Mules were playing in front of an enthusiastic crowd which included several former players. "At halftime I told the boys they had two things going for them," said Miller. "You have the wind and the crowd is waiting for you to score." The second half was played almost entire in Lebanon's defensive half of the field. Seven minutes in, Cody Bleacher blasted a free kick that ricocheted off the back of a Lebanon defender and went wide. Bleacher got a second chance three minutes later and took advantage. On a free kick from 22 yards out, Bleacher bent the ball around the wall and the goalie had no chance. Tie game. "The crowd erupted and I thought, now it's our game," Miller said. Solanco scored the eventual game-winner with five minutes remaining. Josh Bailey slid a pretty pass to Bryan Olivares and Olivares finished. The Mules had just defeated the Cedars by that same score two days earlier with Olivares also getting the game-winner. Solanco finished the season with a record of 8-8-1 overall, 7-6-1 in the section. The eight wins were more than the total number of victories combined over the last 10 seasons. It was the first time in 22 years Solanco had a winning record on league play. Comments are closed.
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