Dock Mennonite falls in PK’s to Moravian Academy in PIAA-1A first round

WHITEHALL >> Moravian Academy and Dock Mennonite battled through 80 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime before the Lions connected on all four of their penalty kicks, pulling out a 1-0 victory (4-1 in PK’s) in the opening round of the PIAA-A Tournament.

The win sends Moravian to Saturday’s quarterfinals, to take on either East Juniata or Holy Cross.

A tremendous season for the Pioneers came to a close.

“We knew we’d have our hands full with Moravian,” said Pioneers coach Matt Moyer. “They’re a really quality program. We have a lot of respect for them. I’m proud of our kids and how they battled tonight.”

Brayden Kratz played outstanding in net for Dock, making several big stops in regulation and the two overtimes to keep the game deadlocked at 0-0.

Said Moyer: “As a sophomore stepping up, to get a shutout against a very talented team, I’m thrilled for him and the work that he has put in to get to that level. He’s committed to his team. He works hard every day. He’s committed to improvement.”

The Lions were able to connect on their PK’s, with Trey Sheeler, A.J. Kara, Rafael Sanjuan and Devon Berkove all converting. Senior Nolan Vaszily knocked his in for Dock, but Berkove’s clinched the win for the Lions.

Gabe Borsuk played a solid game in net for the Lions, who controlled the ball for much of the 110 minutes, but Dock hung in, keeping hopes for victory alive.

“There’s a word we use with our team, and that’s family,” Moyer said. “They stuck together, they battled for each other. And that’s what we ask at the beginning of the game.

“This group of seniors has helped define this team. A couple of them were in states in 2019. They’ve had this experience and this is one of the objectives, to get back to states and work as hard as we can to keep moving on. Moravian is a difficult first-round draw, and we recognized that, but we’re thrilled to be back in states and we’re working to get back again.”

PIAA-A First Round

Moravian Academy 1, Dock 0 (4-1 PK’s)

Dock 0 0 0 0 (1) – 0

Moravian 0 0 0 0 (4) – 1

Moravian PK’s: Trey Sheeler, A.J. Kara, Rafael Sanjuan, Devon Berkove.

Dock PK: Nolan Vaszily.