La Salle edges Council Rock South in PIAA-4A 1st round on Michalak’s 2nd-half goal

SPRINGFIELD >> Seth Michalak knows there’s no use dwelling on missed opportunities.

“The mindset’s always next, next play,” La Salle’s junior forward said. “In any sport, not just soccer, you mess up – oh well next play. Whether it’s the state championship or the first game of the season you got to always play with that mind set of ‘It’s the next play.’”

For a while in Tuesday’s PIAA Class 4A first-round contest, Michalak could not find a way to get a ball past Council Rock South goalkeeper Kieran Barry, twice denied on second-half chances by first-rate saves from the senior netminder.

But eventually the moment came for Michalak, making a diagonal drive to the left side of the 18-yard box and skipping a shot into the far right corner in the contest’s 56th minute.

“I picked my head up and I saw he was hugging near post and hit it far pipe,” he said. “And hit it well enough that it went in.”

Michalak’s goal was the only one the Explorers could collect but it was enough for the Philadelphia Catholic League and District 12 champs to reach their third consecutive state quarterfinal, holding on to edge the visiting Golden Hawks 1-0 at Flannery Field.

“So much props to them for keeping us out and making it difficult but at the same time when you have guys who just keep punching at it and keep trying, they’re going to find a way to tuck one it,” La Salle coach Thomas McCaffery said. “And fortunately I think that the biggest thing tonight is that we did a good enough job on the back end to keep them out.

“I think you can’t stress that enough to the guys in training on Thursday that even though it wasn’t always pretty, we found a way. And at this time of year, as long as you keep finding a way, you’ll be in good shape.”

CR South, which finished fourth in District 1, threatened on a handful of restarts – including a late corner kick in the 79th minute – but goalie Ryan Kalup and the Explorers defense held up to earn their second-straight shutout after topping Lincoln 2-0 in the District 12 title game.

“I think when you go back into the PCL playoffs and even through the PCL final we give up two restart goals there,” McCaffery said. “And then we give up a restart that dings off the top of the crossbar against Lincoln the other day. And they were very, very dangerous. That big throw is in the three every time and once you’re in there and it’s a game of pinball anything can happen.

“Fortunately Kalup fell on one, Sean (Jennings) and (Brendan) Agnew and Yus (Jake Yuskevich) did a really good job of keeping it out on their end and battling their guys cause that’s a big team with some big boys that know how to get up and down and win a head ball.”

La Salle (18-4-1) advances to face Abington – District 1’s third-place side defeating District 11 champ Emmaus 2-1 in double overtime – in the quarters Saturday at a site and time to be announced. The Explorers are looking to reach the PIAA semifinals for the first time since 2019.

“Definitely will be a fun matchup,” Michalak said. “I know we have a couple Abington kids that have a few friends on the team. Whoever wins that game – Emmaus, Abington – I don’t really care, I just want to go and play.”

Council Rock South, which won the Suburban One League Patriot Division and reached states for the first time since 2004, ends its season at 15-8-1.

“It was a gritty win,” Jennings said. “They fought hard, we definitely had a couple more chances than them but we’re going to get back at it Thursday and we’ll fix that.”

Michalak was active offensively throughout Tuesday’s match, in the first half getting one shot saved by Barry while also sending two balls wide of the net, missing left on a try from judy beyond 30 yards in the 26th minute with Barry out of the net after the South keeper tried to clear a ball outside the box.

“Honestly, I feel a little disappointed in myself – I could have had four, five, six goals honestly if we’re being real here,” Michalak said. “And the team could of had a lot more. One’s great and a 1-0 win’s great but I know I can improve more.”

Barry thwarted the Explorers after the break with a few strong saves. Early in the second half Michalak ripped a shot from the left side but Barry dove and denied the effort with his left hand. La Salle’s Tim Madden tried to reach the rebound, but it ended up deflecting back to Barry.

Another La Salle chance came when Nick White played Hayden Grosso behind the South backline with a through ball up the middle but Barry came off his line for a sliding block on Grosso’s shot.

Michalak got a one-on-one chance on Barry – James Barton heading the ball to the junior, who chested it down in the box before a left-footed shot was rebuffed by the Golden Hawks keeper.

“He was a good goalie,” said Michalak of Barry. “He was a big kid, he knew his positioning and he played well. Got to give credit to him, he played amazing.

Michalak finally broke the scoreless tie with 24:43 remaining. A clearance blocked by Barton went forward to Michalak, who drove into the left side of the 18-yard box and let off a left-footed shot that one-hopped into the lower right corner.

“I don’t think it’s a secret, he’s the guy that gets it done and this time of year,” said McCaffery of Michalak. “He’s been showing up with three assists in the PCL championship, the goal that ends up being the game-winner in the district championship and then the game-winner tonight, he’s starting to fire on all cylinders when we need him to.”

In the 59th minute, CR South’s Josh Nicholevski put his free kick from about 34 yards on goal but Kalup snagged the shot and did not give up a rebound.

On a corner in the 63rd minute, the Hawks’ Everett Kurtz knocked a ball towards the net before South’s Stepan Kovalev got a touch on it near the goal line only for Kalup to dive to his right and corral it.

Council Rock South had a late chance on a 79th-minute corner but Nicholevski’s ball dropped into a crowded box but bounced through and out for a goal kick.

In the 80th minute, Barry denied the Explorers near the left post while on the Golden Hawks’ last push up the field Kurtz got off a volley from the left of the box but the shot went across the front of the goal and wide right.

Notes >> La Salle wore black armbands with the initials “BB” for Blake Barklage, a La Salle senior who died Oct. 30. Barklage was a manager for the Explorers soccer team.

“We just play for him,” Michalak said. “Everything – everything we do, how hard we work, everything for him. It’s really how we play, it’s just for him, everything we do on and off the field is just going to be for him.”