By Neil Goldenthal, Staff Reporter

In a well-fought game against Council Rock North in the first round of the playoffs, the undefeated boys’ soccer team came out on top with a final score of 2-1. Both teams had a rough start and could not seem to organize themselves for most of the first half, which was mainly a turnover battle at midfield.

“I think there were a lot of nerves tonight. For some reason, the first game is always the hardest. It’s a very highly charged atmosphere,” Coach David Zimmerman said.

However, things changed when sophomore Chris Donovan scored a goal with a head butt 16 minutes into the game. With ‘Stoga on the scoreboard, both teams immediately kicked into high gear. With less than two minutes in the first half left, Council Rock tied it up with a goal from the box, causing a roar of upset from the Pioneer Pit. However, just over 10 minutes into the second half, sophomore Logan Schwartz gave Conestoga the lead again. The Pioneers managed to maintain their lead for the rest of the game, but not easily.

“It wasn’t a pretty game, but our mantra is ‘win and advance,'” Zimmerman said. “It was tough to give up a goal at the end of the first half, but I give our guys credit for bouncing back. We’ve been doing it all season though; we’re a second half team.”

In terms of preparation for the next game, Zimmerman said that “we just need to calm down a bit, and I think having a win will help that. If we win our next game, we go to the State Tournament, which is huge.”

Come out and support the team at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Teamer Field as they play for their chance at the state tournament.

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Neil Goldenthal can be reached at [email protected].