Dunmore’s Johnley Jean (9) and Western Wayne’s Charlie Vinton (26) battle for possession in the second half Saturday in a District 2 Class 2A boys soccer quarterfinal game. JESSE CAREY / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Dunmore’s Johnley Jean is stopped by the Western Wayne defense. JESSE CAREY / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
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Dunmore’s Johnley Jean (9) and Western Wayne’s Charlie Vinton (26) battle for possession in the second half Saturday in a District 2 Class 2A boys soccer quarterfinal game. JESSE CAREY / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
DUNMORE — Johnley Jean struggled early, kicking the ball wide left on a penalty, and reaggravated an ankle injury late, having to hobble off the field for the last 4:56 of regulation.
However, the senior forward was right where Dunmore needed him with the season on the line.
Russell Toole sent a shot into the box, and Jean cleaned up the rebound to give the No. 4 Bucks a 2-1 victory in overtime against No. 5 Western Wayne on Saturday in the District 2 Class 2A boys soccer quarterfinals at Dunmore Veterans Memorial Stadium.
After scoring, Jean raised his arms, as he and his teammates celebrated and ran toward the Bucks fans in the bleachers.
“I just saw Russ. He shot the ball. It deflected off the kid and it slowed the ball down. I got it, and I kicked it in. I was just hyped,” Jean said.
Despite scoring the game-winning goal in an overtime thriller, Jean remains focused on the ultimate goal — winning a district title. Dunmore will travel to No. 1 Lake-Lehman for the semifinal matchup Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“It felt like we’re still moving on,” Jean said when asked how it felt to score the game-winning goal. “The job’s not done. The job’s not finished. That’s it.”
Dunmore found itself in an early hole, when Jacob Wells has a nice pass into the box that Joey Tickner corralled and kicked into the left side of the net to give Western Wayne a 1-0 advantage 50 seconds into the game.
About 14 minutes into the first, Dunmore pressure in the box ended with a Western Wayne hand ball, giving Jean a chance to tie the game. However, he missed the goal left.
“When he missed the PK, I could tell that kind of shook his confidence a little bit,” Dunmore coach Tom Clark said. “I just told him to stay with it.”
At the 13:54, more Dunmore pressure resulted in another hand ball and penalty. This time, Toole buried it in the left side to tie the game at 1.
“The obvious answer is I’m very nervous stepping up there, but coach, the team, we practice those every day basically,” Toole said. “So, I knew that I had to make it for my team to tie the score, give us a chance here and I just had to stay composed. I took a couple deep breaths, put it in, celebrated with the team.”
From there, neither team could break through, as Dunmore’s Liam O’Malley and Western Wayne’s Garrett Malakin produced some great goalie play, saving 14 and 10 shots, respectively. When players got past the goalie, Dunmore’s Lucas Vullo and Western Wayne’s Graysen Valinski knocked the ball away to keep the score tied.
With about five minutes left in regulation, Jean took a shot to the ankle and went down before limping to the sideline. However, Clark knew when he got back on the field he would make a play.
“I told him right before overtime, I said you just have to still be patient because you’re going to score the game-winning goal,” Clark said. “Trust me, you’re going to do it, and he did it. So, I’m just glad that he just never gave up and he stayed with it. He battled, and I’m proud of him for it.”
Toole set up the goal with a great move inside and a left-footed kick that deflected off a Western Wayne defender and onto Jean’s foot.
“The feeling was amazing,” Toole said. “I had one of the plays early. I got past the guy on the roll. I knew I was going to get him, so I did it again. It’s one of my favorite moves to do. It got past the guy on the roll. Unlucky, bouncing around the box and Johnley is just always there to finish it. It was a great play.”
The versatile Toole is a sophomore, and Clark is impressed with his growth.
“He’s just really crafty, he sees the field very, very well,” Clark said. “He’s feisty, he’s determined, he wants to win. He’s got great control with the ball at his feet. … Calling upon a sophomore to make a big PK, too, I’m really proud of him for that. … I’m really proud of the way that he’s improved as the season’s gone along, and even though he’s a younger kid, becoming a leader for these guys.”
First: WW – Tickner (Wells), :50. DUN – Toole (PK), 26:06; OT: DUN – Jean (Toole), 6:42; Shots-corners: DUN 13-10, WW 10-8; Saves: DUN (O’Malley) 14, WW (Malakin) 10; Records: DUN 15-4, WW 13-4.
Wilkes-Barre Area 3, Delaware Valley 1: At Wolfpack Stadium, Johnny Mendola scored twice, including the game-winner in the 47th minute, as Wilkes-Barre Area advanced to the Districts 2-4 Class 4A boys soccer final with a 3-1 win over No. 3 Delaware Valley.
No. 2 WBA will face off with either Williamsport or Valley West in Tuesday’s final.
Mendola scored in the fourth minute, and added the game-winner in the 47th minute. Mauricio Mejia also scored and added two assists for the Wolfpack, while Eric Choi added an unassisted goal for Delaware Valley.
First: WBA, Mendola (Mejia), 4:21. DV, Choi, 35:15; Second: WBA, Mendola (Mejia), 47:38. WBA, Mejia (Espinoza), 54:39; Shots-corners: DV 7-2, WBA 12-7; Saves: DV 9 (Kirk), WBA 6 (Parry); Records: WBA 12-6, DV 9-8-3