GOT THEIR NUMBER
SOUTH CENTRE TWP. — Facing a two-goal deficit at halftime, Millville didn't fret when its season was on the line against arch-rival Benton.
The Quakers had already experienced such, having dropped the two regular season matchups against the three-time defending Mid-Penn champions.
Instead, Millville made the necessary adjustments to stymie the Tigers and strike for three unanswered goals in a 3-2 win in a District 4 Class A boys soccer semifinal.
With the victory, the Quakers (15-5) play Northumberland Christian, a 2-1 winner over Southern Columbia, in the championship on Thursday at Bloomsburg. The winner qualifies for the state playoffs.
The Tigers had their 14-game winning streak snapped, finishing 18-2.
Millville coach Peter Morisco wanted to see more aggressive play in the second half, especially at midfield. Throughout the first 10 minutes, he and his staff were heard yelling to play closer to Benton players and get to the ball.
"The last two games we played [against Benton], we played some defense and then stopped after we scored," he said. "The adjustment was playing more defensive back and making the transition easier. ... They had their three best players in the midfield and they play off each other and we wanted to close that down and that changed the game for us."
With the defense closing in on the Tigers, Evan Brokenshire took the opposite approach on offense. Instead of taking a close-range shot, he opted to boot the ball from 30 yards out, getting it over the leaping Tommy Zajac.
Morisco credits that goal for changing the whole game, but the Quakers were still facing a deficit. Just under 12 minutes later, Khush Prajapati tied the game via a header from a toss-in by Shane Johnson.
Then with the pressure solely on the Tigers' defense, Grayson Betz went top shelf from 20 yards out, tucking the ball into the top right corner 3 minutes later to complete the comeback.
"Being up 2-0 at halftime, the message was we were going a little more defensive," Benton coach Harry Schlichter said. "We switched out lineup a little bit, but they kept throwing the ball up a little further and took three crazy shots that our goalie didn't have a remote chance of saving. They were in the perfect spot."
Both coaches acknowledged that they can throw out Benton's 3-0 victory from September and 7-4 win in October. Instead, they said winning a game against a familiar foe comes down to who wants it more.
Early on, that certainly looked like Benton.
After battling for possession of the ball, including a pair of shots by the Quakers, Benton's Stover Lewis tucked the ball beautifully into the left corner. Quakers goalkeeper Thomas Kraintz seemingly never saw the ball.
Kraintz, who finished with 12 saves, made some nice close-range stops all night. He, however, couldn't come down with a high kick as the ball went through his arms. Just then, Benton's Max Kocher added to his school record with his 125th goal, flying right by Kraintz for the open net goal.
Schlicter thinks that score and allowed the Tigers to get content. Instead, he was left with tears in his eyes and left feeling bad for the five seniors, including Kocher.
"We had a heck of a year, going 17-1 and our seniors have taken us to the playoffs to the district champions last year," Schlicter said. "Max Kocher has 125 goals and is a big reason, but they're all a big part of it and a big building block in what we are now."
The game also had a lot of chirping and aggressive play. Benton was called for 16 penalties to Millville's five. The Tigers were also called for three yellow cards to Kocher, Schlichter and Wilmar Lewis.
In the end, the cooler heads prevailed as Millville ran straight to its fans and rejoiced before taking pictures in goal. Despite looking like they have won the district title, the Tigers know there is still another step to take.
"It's a psychological game and it's not about skill when you get into districts," Morisco said. "... Beating Benton was huge because they're No. 1 in our league. We want to win the game and we're going to practice to win the game, but we have come a long way and tonight showed that. We know we still have more soccer to play, though."
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