After it fell to Fleetwood in the Berks Boys Soccer League final, Conrad Weiser entered the district playoffs eager to bounce back from the loss.
On Monday night, the Scouts did exactly that.
Third-seeded Conrad Weiser took the lead early and played stout defense throughout to earn a 2-0 win over 14th-seeded Muhlenberg in a District 3 Class 3A first-round game at Robesonia.
“We knew we had a fire lit under us after that (loss),” Scouts goalkeeper Gavin Wagner said. “We wanted to come out tonight and make a statement.”
Wagner, a senior, led Conrad Weiser’s defense, recording five saves to earn the clean sheet. The result marked the Scouts’ 11 shutout victory of the year.
“Any playoff win is a great win,” Conrad Weiser coach Derek Long said. “It’s huge. Our boys had a bad taste in their mouth on Thursday night and we used that to motivate ourselves for today.”
Senior Bradley Harris scored early in the first half to give the Scouts a 1-0 lead. Junior Gavin Rapp had the assist.
“When we play to feet we can hang with anybody,” Long said. “We played good team soccer today.”
Senior Michael Monroe made it 2-0 with a goal midway through the first half off an assist from sophomore Owen Hunt.
“We have enough ammo that it’s hard to guard them,” Long said about his forwards and midfielders. “If one of them is not quite on, somebody else is going to be next in line to bury one.”
In its third victory over Muhlenberg this season, Conrad Weiser (19-3) finished with four shots on goal and remained in control throughout. Goalkeeper Mateo Villasenor had two saves for the Muhls (11-7), whose season came to an end.
“We play hard together,” Wagner said. “We play as a family.”
The Scouts advance to the quarterfinals for the second straight year. They will host sixth-seeded Elco on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The Raiders defeated Conrad Weiser 1-0 in the Scouts’ season opener. Elco beat No. 11 Manheim Central 3-1 in penalty kicks in a first-round game on Monday night after the score was tied 1-1 at the end of overtime.
“As long as they keep playing hard and fighting for each other, they’re going to be dangerous,” Long said about his team. “It’s going to be fun postseason run.”
Source: Berkshire mont