WYNDMOOR >> La Salle junior Finn Murray never practiced it. West Chester Rustin coach Ryan Castle didn’t have it on his bingo card.
The ending to the PIAA-4A state playoff opener between the (12-1) Explorers and (1-3) Golden Knights was one nobody expected.
In the 87th minute, Rustin’s goalkeeper was ruled to have kicked the ball before picking it up. That resulted in an indirect free kick for La Salle in the middle of the south end zone at La Salle College High School’s Flannery Field.
From five yards out, Matt Siravo took the first touch before Murray rocketed a shot through Rustin’s 11-man wall, lifting the Explorers to a 2-1 overtime win Tuesday evening.
“They’re all on the line,” Murray said. “It’s kind of a shot where you just hope and pray. I hoped and prayed and it went in.”
“(Rustin) basically went goalpost to goalpost to fill up the entire goal,” La Salle coach Tom McCaffery said. “I think (Murray) may have found one of the only two gaps that they had because it was clear that they knew what they were doing in that one when we were kind of struggling a little bit. To have him be able to find that little space and be able to finish that off was very impressive in the moment when so much is going on. Everybody is yelling, screaming, trying to sort it out. To see them come together as a group and calm each other down and get to a point where they could sort it out is really something special.”
The win sends La Salle to the state quarterfinals Saturday against (1-5) Council Rock North. Rustin’s season ends with its loss.
“It’s record-setting at Rustin,” Castle said. “Highest we’ve ever finished in the district with the third seed. First time in 10 years getting back to states. I think the boys – like I told them in the huddle – they can be incredibly proud of the legacy that they left and it can never be taken from them. It was a joy. They’re a great group of guys. Thirteen seniors, but we’ve got a great core coming back who have now tasted what it’s like to be in these moments.”
La Salle took a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute. Murray’s throw-in in the offensive end sent Dom Lupinacci to the corner right of the goal. Lupinacci centered the ball to Kaden Bono, whose shot was stopped by Rustin keeper Evan Chappell. Bono got his own rebound and put it away to get the Explorers on the scoreboard first.
The one-goal difference held for the final 10 minutes of the first half, but Rustin wasted no time evening the score after intermission. In the 45th minute, Danny McGonagle took the Knights’ first and only corner kick of the game. The ball bounced around in the box before Jack Pelkowski had a shot blocked and redirected to Nick Peters, who was at the far-post to finish and tie the game, 1-1.
Rustin controlled play for most of the second half, with eight shots on goal to La Salle’s one. The Knights had the ball in the offense end for most of the final 10 minutes of the second half, including a couple free kicks from within 30 yards of the goal.
“I’m proud of the boys,” Castle said. “To come into a hostile environment, the first state game these boys have experienced. To go down 1-0 at halftime and to dominate the second half – I couldn’t be prouder of what the boys accomplished.
“We just changed a little bit tactically wise (at halftime), like where we were stepping on and the spaces we wanted to close down. At the end of the day, just challenged the boys – who wants it more. We’ve got 40 minutes, challenged the seniors that this could be their last night. Do you want that to be how you walk off the field or do you want to have left everything on the field. I think they took heart to that. We pressed them, we connected passes. We dealt well with their directness.”
La Salle freshman goalkeeper Grant Kiefner made seven of his 12 saves in the second half. Kiefner got the start in place of senior Ryan Kalup, who was out sick. He found out he might start on Monday and it was confirmed early Tuesday.
“I’m always prepared,” Kiefner said, “but it was a shocker to find out I was starting. The adrenaline was pumping. I had to step up for the team.”
“To see him step up on a big stage like this and be able to find a way,” McCaffery said, “was huge. That save he makes in the first 10 or 12 minutes in the first half was unbelievable. It just shows his athleticism and what he’s capable of. I think from Day 1, when we watched him during tryouts, we had 100% confidence that we had two really good goalkeepers. That’s a luxury, obviously, and it shined through tonight.”
La Salle 2, West Chester Rustin 1 (OT)
West Chester Rustin 0 1 0 – 1
La Salle 1 0 1 – 2
Goals: WCR: Nick Peters. LS: Kaden Bono, Finn Murray.
Assists: WCR: Jack Pelkowski. LS: Matt Siravo.
Saves: WCR: Evan Chappell 4. LS: Grant Kiefner 12.
Corners: WCR: 1. LS: 3.
