Shutout sends Wood boys to state final

It was the 47th minute, and both teams were still fighting for their first shot on goal.

One minute, 31 seconds later, Archbishop Wood was ahead by two goals. A short but decisive offensive spurt was all it took.

The Vikings walked away with a 3-0 victory over Lancaster Mennonite in a PIAA Class AA boys' soccer semifinal Wednesday night at West Chester East. The team will make the first state-championship trip in the program's history.

Archbishop Wood (17-7-1) will play Hampton for the state title at 7 Friday night at HersheyPark Stadium. Hampton defeated Palmyra, 1-0, Tuesday night in the other semifinal.

With both defenses controlling the flow of the game, Archbishop Wood was finally given a solid opportunity when it was granted a corner kick with 33 minutes, 8 seconds left in the second half.

Chris Rosica sent a perfect, bending corner kick into the box.

Less than two minutes later, Tom Baker netted the 105th goal of his career with a solid strike from roughly 13 yards out.

Baker was nearly credited with an assist minutes later, but the team had a goal disallowed after Ed Wiler, who netted a shot from about five yards out, was called for offsides.

The lead was protected by a strong performance by the Archbishop Wood defense. Rosica added a goal with about seven minutes remaining to complete the scoring.

Credit both backlines with keeping the first half scoreless and making life easy for their goalkeepers.

Both defenses had little trouble stopping the opposing team's attack. There were only seven shots taken in the first half, four by Archbishop Wood and three by Lancaster Mennonite.

Though Lancaster Mennonite had a clear advantage in time of possession in the first half, the team failed to put even one shot on goal.

Both teams showed good ball movement and fluid attacks, but both backlines were blocking shots before they went anywhere near the net.

In the 13th minute, Zavorski had a solid look from inside the left side of the box, but two Blazers defenders were there to jump in front and knock down the shot.

It was the story of an uneventful first half for both teams. There were times when it looked as if a goal was inevitable, but instead a shot was averted.

Archbishop Wood   0 3 – 3

Lancaster Mennonite   0 0 – 0

Goals: Mike Zavorski, Tom Baker, Chris Rosica.

Saves: AW-Nick Aglira 1; LM-Curtis Ranck 3.