Poker-faced GCC strolls into semifinal rematch with Avonworth

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, November 12, 2018 | 6:33 PM

Quite literally, the cards have been stacked against Tyler Solis before.

The coach of the Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer team used to be a gaming dealer at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.

“I know how all those games work,” Solis said.

He also knows a thing or two about the game he coaches.

Solis played high school soccer at Lower Dauphin and, later, at Robert Morris until 2010. He also played for the Guatemalan National Team.

Knowing what he does, Solis would have bet the house on his team to win a championship. From the start of the season, through section play, into the WPIAL playoffs and now, the state bracket, the coach has simply encouraged his talented group to trust one another and play as a unit.

Even through bouts of adversity, Solis doubles down on the Centurions (19-2), who played through injuries to two key starters in Saturday’s 1-0 PIAA quarterfinal win against Seton La Salle.

Throw in a long road trip to Erie and miserable weather conditions, the Centurions have been taken out of their comfort zone.

“We live for it,” Solis said of challenges. “It’s something I try to preach to them. If things don’t go well, am I going to be that player that is just frustrated and blaming it one someone else? Or am I going to be that player who starts working? This isn’t working, I am going to work harder … it stops with the negative. They do it. That’s a great credit to those boys.”

While a WPIAL championship did not materialize — the Centurions were so close, they could read the engraving on the trophy but lost in a shootout against Avonworth on Nov. 1 — a PIAA title is within reach. The Centurions get a rematch with Avonworth (22-0-1) in Tuesday’s state semifinal at 6 p.m. at Fox Chapel.

“We always had the talent,” Solis said. “The mental bit of the game is probably the toughest side with high school, with just how up and down it goes.”

And with this group, it certainly has been up and down.

In the WPIAL final, junior Nate Ward scored with 22 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. Avonworth, which had to replace injured starting goalkeeper Tim Stewart after he fell on the ball before Ward’s tying score, edged GCC in PK’s, 6-5. Backup keeper Luke Wagner, who scored a goal for the Antelopes in a 2-1 state quarterfinal win over Rockwood on Saturday, made the clinching save against Ethan Boyle in the shootout.

Avonworth coach Tom Angell said his team was “lucky” and credited stellar net-minding for the win.

GCC lost forwards Luke Mort and Rico Ciccarelli to leg injuries in a 3-2 win over Iroquois in the PIAA first round. Mort, a senior Pitt recruit who has 35 goals this season, played sparingly in the quarterfinals. He was visibly hampered by discomfort in his right knee.

Solis believes, even with a banged up unit, the Centurions’ postseason reboot in the states is sustainable.

“We looked really strong in the midfield, and that’s where we wanted to win the game,” Solis said of the second-round victory over Seton La Salle, their second in the postseason against the Rebels. “Most of our effort, everything was going into possession. … This team loves to go down the middle and play that big ball. We were ready for them.”

GCC players did not cast doubt after losing Mort and Ciccarelli. They instead wore poker faces.

“We have a lot of good players, and we all know each other so we play well together,” senior midfielder Christian Kline said. “There are a lot of solid players here.”

Kline said the team even made the most of indoor practices last week as rain and cold forced them into the gym.

Players and Solis did some plyometrics in between playoff games.

“And we played some futsal and had some fun,” Kline said. “We kept moving. … We have such a great unit, a big bond between us.”

Avonworth needed a late penalty kick by Owen North to edge Rockwood. The Antelopes are about an even matchup as GCC could draw in the final four.

“It could go either way,” Angell said. “The good thing is that the WPIAL will get a team to the state finals.

“They have more players than Mort. There are several others to be concerned with. They were a lot deeper than we thought they were when we played them last time.”

Faith Christian and Millville will play in the other semifinal. The winners meet 1:30 p.m. Friday at HersheyPark Stadium for the state.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Avonworth, Greensburg C.C.