Saint-Fleur’s last-minute goal sends Dock Mennonite past Faith Christian

EAST ROCKHILL >> Sensing his window closing, Ralph Saint-Fleur was left with just one option.

“I felt like if I took another touch, my opportunity would have been missed,” he said. “So I had to take the opportunity I had right away.”

So after circling around the ball, the Dock Mennonite senior wasted no time, ripping a left-footed shot that skipped into the far right corner of the goal with just 39.7 seconds remaining, giving the visiting Pioneers a 2-1 victory over Faith Christian Tuesday night at Alumni Field.

“He’s first and foremost a quality kid,” said Dock coach Matt Moyer of Saint-Fleur. “He’s one of our captains and you know we expect our captains to step up in big moments and he did.”

The two sides each collected a goal in the first half in the Bicentennial Athletic League contest. Brendon Moyer gave the Lions the lead 10 minutes in off a corner. Thomas Schreiber, however, had Dock back on level terms less than five minute before the break when his shot slipped through Faith keeper JR Roberts.

FCA went down to 10 players with 9:29 left in regulation when Jonah Loew received a second yellow but it looked like overtime was in store until the Pioneers got one last chance in the final minute.

“I’m proud of our kids,” Moyer said. “Faith is a really quality team we know that coming in. We feel fortunate to win the game. Once again, they’re just a quality squad and they have had great success over the years so and they just have a lot of talent all across the field.”

With Dock’s Schreiber chasing down a ball on the right flank, Roberts came well off his line to attempt a slide tackle. Roberts missed but a Faith defender knocked the ball away for a moment. Schreiber regained possession and as Roberts returned to the net the Dock senior sent a pass that found Saint-Fleur on the left side of field. Saint-Fleur proceeded to put his shot into the right corner — celebrating his strike with an emphatic fist pump.

“I saw my striker out on the wing and he was about to cross it and I thought he was going to cross it back post, but I saw that he crossed it behind me,” Saint-Fleur said. “And so I saw two other defenders about to kick it out and they both whiffed so the ball was right by my left foot – and I’m a leftie so that’s when it was my time to shoot so yeah I just put it away.”

Faith Christian (4-1-1, 2-1-0 BAL Constitution) had a chance to tie in the final seconds on a corner kick but that was cleared with a long-range effort that followed easily corralled by Dock keeper Reynaldo Ramos, who held onto the ball as time expired.

“I think the difference was we didn’t finish our chances,” Faith Christian coach Ryan Clymer said. “And we can’t give them goals. The first goal they had, I mean that was a gimmie and we can’t do that. When your defense plays really, really well, you got to finish. And we hit the crossbar twice tonight, and then missed two right in the front of the net

The Lions were denied by the woodwork in each half. Shortly after Schreiber tied the game 1-1 at 4:27 in the first half, Sebastian Zavaleta got open space on the right side of the box but his shot hit the bar. Then in the second half, David Bronwell was denied by the right post after running onto a low cross. The Lions also put another dangerous ball at the right post in the second half that was cleared away at the last moment by Dock’s Micah Kratz.

“I think we had more chances than they had and unfortunate goal on the first one,” Clymer said. “If that’s not a goal and we put one of the ones that hit the crossbar, it’s 2-0 and we’re leaving here with a victory. That’s how close it is. That’s soccer though.”

Dock Mennonite (5-1-0, 4-0-0 BAL Presidents) had lost the last two meetings with three-time defending District 1-1A champ Faith, including a 2-1 defeat in the 2017 district final.

“There’s always that possibility of us playing again,” Moyer said. And we’ll prepare for that moment if it comes and they’ll prepare for it. So once again quality team, we feel fortunately to win tonight.”

Ramos finished with nine saves for Dock while the Lions’ Roberts stopped five shots.

Both teams play 3:45 p.m. Thursday on the road, the Pioneers visiting MaST Charter with FCA at Plumstead Christian.

Faith Christian took a 1-0 lead at 30:33 in the opening half after sending a low corner into the box. After Loew knocked the ball toward the net, a missed Dock clearance gave Max Schultz a shot that was blocked but the rebound went right to Moyer, who blasted the ball into the goal’s left side.

Schreiber had some luck in making it 1-1. Cutting in from the right side, Schreiber unleashed a shot right at Roberts but the ball slipped under the Faith keeper and dribbled across the goal line at 4:27.

“We tell kids put the ball on frame, put the ball on frame and he was fortunate to score in that situation,” Moyer said.