MacMain hat trick lifts Rustin

For Jamison MacMain, the game plan was simple:

All those things that worked so well in the regular season, just keep doing them in the postseason.

"The key is just getting in the box," the sophomore said after his hat trick powered 11th-seeded West Chester Rustin to a 3-1 victory over 22d seed Abington in the opening round of the District 1 Class AAA boys' soccer tournament. "Showing up today, I knew I just needed to get into the box and be aggressive.

"But I had no idea I would have three goals."

MacMain's performance gave him 15 goals this season. His aggressive style and nose for the ball - two of his goals were scored off rebounds - anchored the Knights in a decisive, dominating first half that ended with the team up, 2-0.

MacMain "is a beast," Rustin coach Dave Tordone said. "He's strong, he's fast, and he's a chore [to defend]. He's an absolute chore, and he's a great kid; he listens, and he wants to be good."

MacMain netted his first goal before Abington took its first shot.

The goal, in the ninth minute, was scored after Rustin's Steve Brown headed a ball into the post. A charging MacMain put the rebound in the back of the net.

His next goal came 10 minutes later.

Tom McCutcheon passed the ball from roughly 25 yards out, hitting a wide-open MacMain in front of the goal. MacMain eased a shot past Abington goalkeeper Sean Gannon.

"I obviously can't give all the credit to myself today," MacMain said. "My teammates were crashing the net and putting the ball across. So I have them to thank for my success today. It was definitely a team win."

Abington didn't go away quietly in the second half, however. The team controlled play through most of the second frame, particularly in the early minutes.

After giving up number of restarts and corner kicks, the Golden Knights were admittedly playing on their heels when Ryan VanDorick's goal in the 64th minute brought Abington to within one.

"I thought our first half was real good," Tordone said. "But they started to commit numbers forward in the second half, and we started to sit back a little bit.

"They certainly played more direct in the second half."

Abington was still applying consistent pressure when MacMain's goal with 7 minutes, 21 seconds left provided a two-goal cushion.

The goal was once again an example of MacMain's aggressive style. After Ryan Dodds forced Gannon to make a terrific save that bounced off the keeper's body and back into play, MacMain put the rebound away before Gannon regained composure.

Overall, the game, particularly the first half, showed Tordone that his team has the talent to make a run at the state tournament.

"We're capable of having those types of magic moments," he said. "I get concerned, when we drop off a little, but we won't. We'll work on it [Wednesday] and we'll be ready for the next game."

Rustin moves on to play Thursday against sixth seed Central Bucks East, a 4-0 winner over 27th-seeded Boyertown.

"It's an awesome feeling right now," MacMain said. "It's great for the seniors. We just need to keep this going."

Abington   0 1 – 1

West Chester Rustin   2 1 – 3

Goals: WCR-Jamison MacMain 3; A-Ryan VanDorick.

Saves: WCR-Grant Vasi 5; A-Sean Gannon 9.