Fisher’s poise, McHale’s heroics help Upper Perkiomen defeat Pottsgrove in PKs

POTTSTOWN >> The first thing you notice when talking to Michael Fisher is the confidence.

And apparently it’s present 24 hours a day, on and off the pitch.

“He’s been talking about it for two weeks, believe it or not,” said Kyle Fisher, Upper Perkiomen‘s head coach and Michael’s father. “He said it would come down to the last shot, and he would make it.”

The sophomore defender was proven prophetic Wednesday night, as he nailed the last of five penalty kicks to give No. 6 seed Upper Perkiomen their first district playoff victory in 13 years over Pottsgrove, 0-0 (4-3 PKs) in the District 1 Class 3A quarterfinals.

“I knew I could deliver under pressure,” said the younger Fisher. “Penalty kicks are all about confidence. If you think you’re gonna miss, you will. I have a lot of confidence in myself — hopefully, that showed.”

PKs between Pottsgrove and Upper Perk https://t.co/Zspj6cJojV

— Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) October 25, 2018

Fisher beat Pottsgrove keeper Luke Kaiser to his right, bringing the quarterfinal to an end and placing the upstart Indians one win away from a state playoff berth no one could have seen coming at the beginning of 2018.

The shootout didn’t start well for the Indians, as Pottsgrove’s Kaiser knocked away their initial offering, but Joe McMichael, Austin Dunar, Jack Cupitt, and Fisher converted the final four shots to move the Indians into the district semifinals.

For Coach Fisher, it’s the school’s first playoff appearance — and first win — in his 13 years with the program (past five as head coach).

“It’s a big moment for a great group of kids,” he said. “They’re hard workers.”

The hardest worker on this evening was goalkeeper Patrick McHale, who turned away an astounding 17 shots to keep Upper Perkiomen’s heads above water through 110 minutes.

“He’s been an absolute beast at the back for us,” said coach Fisher, “and he’s a big-game player. I have a ton of confidence in him.”

“One of the craziest games I’ve ever played with these guys,” said an excited McHale. “We’re obviously thrilled with the result, but we’ll keep this going as far as we can, throughout the rest of districts.”

The story of the Upper Perkiomen’s improvement in boys’ soccer this year could be told through their rivalry with Pottsgrove.

A decisive 4-1 loss on September 13 at the Grove led to a rematch on October 4, where the Indians rose up and surprised the eventual Frontier Division champs, 3-2, the lone interruption in a string that saw the Falcons win six of seven contests in their push for the division title.

By season’s end, the wildly improved Indians had compiled the requisite number of points to qualify for the Class 3A district playoffs for the first time in years, where they stood poised to meet … Pottsgrove.

In this third meeting, the two squads stood as one another’s equal through 110 minutes, but the circumstances of the playoffs demanded a winner be determined in the sweetest—or cruelest—of fashions.

You could forgive the Falcons, who dominated for large periods especially in the second half and overtimes, for feeling shortchanged. A total of 25 Pottsgrove shots yielded McHale’s 17 saves, while Kaiser was called upon for only three stops.

The first half saw few opportunities until the late going, when Pottsgrove’s Ryan Curnew was just high with a shot from about 25 yards, and about a minute later Ethan Pace was turned away by keeper McHale.

Most of the second half was spent in Upper Perk’s end of the field, but to no avail as the two sides headed to overtime. Pottsgrove’s Mike Troutman had the best of the Falcons’ chances, with a long shot through traffic grazing the goalpost with about seven minutes to play. A couple minutes later, Justin Collings put one off the crossbar.

Overtime was more of the same, as Pace and Collin Deckert saw quality chances turned aside by McHale, who saved his best effort of the night for last, as he got his fingertips on a rising deflection off a Pace corner as it drifted over his right shoulder for save No. 17.

In the shootout, he stopped one effort from Ryan Curnew and saw fortune smile upon him when Shane Gleason’s attempt smacked off the left post.

The Indians will move on to face No. 2 Strath Haven in Wallingford Monday, while the Falcons see their season come to an end at a record of 10-6-2.

“It’s a tough way to lose,” acknowledged Pottsgrove’s head coach Jay Witkowski, “but McHale was exceptional. So many times I thought we had one, and he’d get a hand on it. What a performance.

“But we came together this year. We weren’t there early, but by the end we became a real team.”