Latrobe boys soccer earns 1st section title with shutout of Franklin Regional

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 | 10:13 PM

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Latrobe won’t have to share its first section championship.

The boys soccer team hunkered down defensively to sweep Franklin Regional with a 1-0 victory and take the outright Section 3-3A title with a 10-0 record.

The Wildcats (11-3 overall) posed for photos in front of the net Tuesday night at Rossi Field after their fifth straight win, which was fueled by Roman Agostoni’s second-half goal and five tough saves from goalkeeper Reece DiCasolo.

“We knew Franklin would be out for blood after we beat them,” DiCasolo said. “Roman played amazing, and we were really good in the mid(field). We knew we had to come out and play hard.”

Franklin Regional (9-3-1, 7-2), which had not been shut out in section all year, could not muster a goal as the Wildcats flooded passing lanes and took away the wide play of standouts Joey Bayne and Danny Christafano.

“Congrats to Latrobe. They are the deserving section champs,” Franklin Regional coach Nick White said. “They beat us twice. They played their game better than we played our game. They finished an opportunity. We didn’t generate enough chances. They took us out of what we like to do.”

Agostoni, Latrobe’s all-time leading goal scorer, finally got ahead of the pack and went one-on-one with Panthers keeper Noah Walker in the 53rd minute.

Taking a through ball from his brother, Warren Agostoni, Roman stutter-stepped at Walker and, instead of going left, bumped the ball right and around the keeper for a 1-0 lead.

He released the ball just as it looked like the players were going to collide.

Franklin Regional, which had a six-game unbeaten streak end, has allowed five goals in section. Three are by Roman Agostoni.

“We have confidence in Roman,” Latrobe coach Jake Rice said. “A 1-0 game, we’ll take it. This was probably the first halftime where I didn’t feel angry. We kept a good team off the board. Our game plan was to sit in. Franklin Regional had less chances in the first half tonight than they did at their place.”

Roman Agostoni delivered a pair of highlight goals when the Wildcats won in Murrysville, 2-1.

Franklin Regional was chasing its first section title since 2022.

Latrobe was hovering near the bottom of sections in recent years. Now, it has risen to the top.

“It’s been a journey, for sure,” Rice said. “But a good one. It’s the right players at the right time. Roman, Warren and that midfield we have. It’s not me, it’s them.”

The undefeated section title was a bonus.

Latrobe was awarded one of the section wins after the WPIAL informed Allderdice it was not eligible for the WPIAL playoffs because it is from another district. A PIAA rule that does not allow teams from one district to play in another’s postseason forced all section games against Allderdice to go in the books as nonsection.

Latrobe had lost to the Dragons, 3-0.

“This feels great to be section champs,” DiCasolo said. “My freshman year, we won four games. Rice and his staff have come in and changed the atmosphere here.”

Both teams had five shots.

DiCasolo made a save on a header from Thomas Bridges in the 59th minute.

The Panthers nearly scored on a scrum in front of the net with 18:43 to play before the Wildcats cleared.

Latrobe had a couple of near-misses late before the defense helped to grind down the clock.

“(Roman Agostoni) had a chance, and he finished,” White said. “The whole game I thought we were a little out of sync. We’ll be OK.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Latrobe