Seeking to build on its trip to the Schuylkill League and District 11 Class A semifinals in 2014, the Nativity boys’ soccer team took an early step to returning to the league playoffs Thursday afternoon.
Rodrigo Sanchez scored the match’s first two goals as the Hilltoppers upended perennial league playoff contender Schuylkill Haven 4-1 in a Schuylkill League Division II clash atop Lawton’s Hill.
Jorge Nechar and Alfredo Diaz added second-half goals as Nativity took a 4-0 lead. Keeper Eric Nelson stopped 15 of 16 shots.
Bryce Moyer helped the Hurricanes avoid the shutout with a goal in the 50th minute.
Sch. Haven (3-2-1, 1-1) 0 1 — 1
Nativity (4-3, 2-0) 2 2 — 4
N — Sanchez (Encalada), 9:55
N — Sanchez (unassisted), 27:29
N — Nechar (Encalada), 44:49
N — Diaz (unassisted), 45:55
SH — Moyer (unassisted), 50:06
Shots on goal: Schuylkill Haven 16, Nativity 13. Corner kicks: Schuylkill Haven 11, Nativity 2. Saves: Schuylkill Haven (C. Handling) 9, Nativity (Nelson) 15.
JV score: Nativity 5-2.
Jim Thorpe 3
Pottsville 2
JIM THORPE — Cody Geiser’s goal with two minutes remaining in the second overtime gave the Olympians a Division I victory over the Crimson Tide.
Maldeen Thomas and Brandon Daubert scored second-half goals to pull Pottsville even after Luke Morris and Austin Carilo had given Jim Thorpe a 2-0 lead.
Pottsville (3-3, 2-2) 0 2 0 0 — 2
J. Thorpe (3-0-1, 2-0) 1 1 0 1 — 3
JT — Morris (unassisted), 28:54
JT — Carilo (Williams), 48:16
P — Thomas (unassisted), 59:07
P — Daubert (Rivera), 73:30
JT — Geiser (Acevedo), 97:46
Shots on goal: Pottsville 10, Jim Thorpe 16. Corner kicks: not provided. Saves: Pottsville (Serrian) 13, Jim Thorpe (Rodriguez) 8.
Williams Valley 4
Tri-Valley 3
WILLIAMSTOWN — Peppe Mini recorded a hat trick and Keeghan Solence scored the game-winner in overtime as the Vikings outlasted the Dawgs in a Division II match.
Ethan Schatz tied the score twice for Tri-Valley after Williams Valley opened advantages of 2-0 and 3-2.
Tri-Valley (0-6, 0-2) 1 2 0 — 3
Wms. Valley (3-2, 2-0) 2 1 1 — 4
WV — Mini (Engle), 6:35
WV — Mini (unassisted), 32:16
TV — Stiely (Huhn), 39:42
TV — Schatz (Bossler), 57:06
WV — Mini (Groff), 58:30
TV — Schatz (Bossler), 74:33
WV — Solence (Troutman), 85:39
Shots on goal: Tri-Valley 8, Williams Valley 15. Corner kicks: Tri-Valley 1, Williams Valley 7. Saves: Tri-Valley (McNally) 11, Williams Valley (Reinoehl) 5.
North Schuylkill 6
Tamaqua 2
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Corey Reinoehl notched a hat trick as the Spartans secured a Division I win over the Blue Raiders.
Will Halko, Noah Swaldi and Joel Caputo also added goals for North Schuylkill.
Tyler Hollenbach evened the game at 14:35, but North Schuylkill answered with four straight goals to take command.
Tamaqua (0-5, 0-4) 1 1 — 2
N. Schuylkill (1-3, 1-2) 2 4 — 6
NS — Halko (Oravitz), 8:44
T — Hollenbach (Perez), 14:35
NS — Reinoehl (Oravitz, Kessler), 21:00
NS — Reinoehl (Caputo), 48:11
NS — Swaldi (Kadziela), 54:04
NS — Reinoehl (L. Wolfe), 58:17
NS — Caputo (Engleman), 64:31
T — Rudy (Hollenbach), 75:24
Shots on goal: Tamaqua 6, North Schuylkill 15. Corner kicks: Tamaqua 2, North Schuylkill 3. Saves: Tamaqua (Banavage) 4, North Schuylkill (A. Wolfe) 10.
Blue Mountain 7
Pine Grove 1
PINE GROVE — Jonathan Benner netted a hat trick as the Eagles dumped the Cardinals in a Division I match.
Cam Greenawalt added a goal and an assist for Blue Mountain.
David Snedden scored Pine Grove’s lone goal.
Blue Mtn. (5-2, 3-0) 4 3 — 7
Pine Grove (3-2, 1-2) 1 0 — 1
BM — Greenawalt (Benner), 4:24
BM — Benner (unassisted), 9:45
BM — Greenawalt (unassisted), 12:48
PG — Snedden (Koontz), 19:46
BM — Cox (Greenawalt), 33:16
BM — Benner (unassisted), 43:54
BM — Benner (unassisted), 48:50
BM — Colindres (unassisted), 61:07
Shots on goal: Blue Mountain 25, Pine Grove 6. Corner kicks: Blue Mountain 8, Pine Grove 0. Saves: Blue Mountain (Albertini) 3, Pine Grove (Soper) 11.
Lanc. Country Day 2
Upper Dauphin 0
ELIZABETHVILLE — Matty Weinstock-Collins scored and Lancaster Country Day took advantage of an own goal to defeat the Trojans in Tri-Valley League action.
Lancaster CD 0 2 — 2
U. Dauphin (5-3, 3-2) 0 0 — 0
LCD — Weinstock-Collins (Eynon) 57:57
LCD — Own goal, 67:36
Shots on goal: Lancaster Country Day 18, Upper Dauphin 1. Corner kicks: Lancaster Country Day 5, Upper Dauphin 0. Saves: Lancaster Country Day (Price) 1, Upper Dauphin (Johns) 16.
Lourdes 2
Weatherly 2
WEATHERLY — Zach Peiser and Steve Reiner combined to make 36 stops in net as the Wreckers and Red Raiders played to a tie in a Division II match.
Lou (0-2-1, 0-1-1) 0 2 0 0 — 2
Weath (1-2-2, 0-1-1) 2 0 0 0 — 2
W — Stover (Dempsey), 1st half
W — Eckert (Smith), 1st half
L — Pawelczyk (unassisted), 2nd half
L — Bucanelli (unassisted), 2nd half
Shots on goal: not provided. Corner kicks: not provided. Saves: Lourdes (O’Brien) 10, Weatherly (Peiser 25, Reiner 11) 36.
Girls’ Soccer
Schuylkill Haven 1
Tri-Valley 0
HEGINS — Hanley Higgins’ goal off a corner kick in the first half was all the offense the Hurricanes needed in a Division II victory over the Dawgs.
Abagail Mills stopped all six shots Tri-Valley sent on net for the win.
Sch. Haven (4-2, 3-1) 1 0 — 1
Tri-Valley (2-4, 2-3) 0 0 — 0
SH — Higgins (unassisted), 9:57
Shots on goal: Schuylkill Haven 2, Tri-Valley 6. Corner kicks: Schuylkill Haven 5, Tri-Valley 7. Saves: Schuylkill Haven (Mills) 6, Tri-Valley (Horn) 1.
JV score: Tri-Valley 2-0.
Conrad Weiser 1
Hamburg 0
HAMBURG — Gabriella Torchia’s direct kick 8:33 into the contest was the game’s only goal as the Scouts blanked the Hawks in a Berks League Section 2 matchup.
Conrad Weiser 1 0 — 1
Hamburg (2-5, 0-2) 0 0 — 0
CW — Torchia (direct kick), 8:33
Shots on goal: Conrad Weiser 4, Hamburg 1. Corner kicks: Conrad Weiser 3, Hamburg 3. Saves: Conrad Weiser (Evans) 1, Hamburg (Blatt) 3.
JV score: Conrad Weiser 2-0
Line Mountain 5
Lourdes 1
COAL TOWNSHIP — Meadow Walshaw-Wertz scored two goals and added an assist as the Eagles earned a non-league win over the Red Raiders.
Line Mountain (4-1) 2 3 — 5
Lourdes (1-3) 0 1 — 1
LM — Walshaw-Wertz (PK)
LM — Walshaw-Wertz (unassisted)
LM — Finlan (Bingaman)
LM — Bingaman (Walshaw-Wertz)
Lou — Krebs (unassisted)
LM — Finlan (unassisted)
Shots on goal: Line Mountain 20, Lourdes 5. Corner kicks: not provided. Saves: Line Mountain (Smith) 4, Lourdes (Candelora) 15.