Quattro’s goal, Roller’s saves propel Irish

October 22, 2014 at 12:06a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The Ursuline High boys soccer team had not advanced to a district final since 2000, when the Irish finished as district champions and regional runners-up.

Ursuline ended that drought in dramatic fashion Tuesday night, thanks to Gianni Quattro and goalie Trey Roller.

Quattro scored the game’s only goal with 6:04 to play and Roller recorded his seventh shutout of the season as the Irish beat Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas, 1-0, in a Division III district semifinal at Youngstown State’s Farmers National Bank Field.

The win was the 11th in a row for Ursuline (15-3). The Irish, the district’s second seed, will meet top-seeded South Range at 3 p.m. on Saturday in North Lima.

The Raiders advanced by recording a 2-0 victory over Lake Center Christian on Tuesday night.

Ursuline has outscored its opponents, 38-10, during its winning streak.

“This was without a doubt my best goal of the season,” Quattro said. “I had a great pass from Mathias Kongshaun, saw an opening and was able to sneak my kick past the outstretched arm of their goalie; placing it in the left side of goal.

“This team never quits and possesses the drive and determination necessary in order keep moving on. We’re a talented team that has played together as a unit all season long.”

Roller, a senior captain, has recorded four shutouts while allowing just one goal on four other occasions during the winning streak. He made two saves in each half Tuesday night.

“From my freshman season when we won just one game until tonight, we’ve gotten better and grown as a team each and every year,” Roller said. ”While our goal now is to win the district and move on to regional play, we’re taking it one game at a time and not looking ahead.”

The Knights (5-12-2) entered play with a modest two-game win streak of their own. They won their sectional title by shutting out both East Palestine and Crestview as they outscored both opponents 14-0.

“We lost eight seniors to graduation last year and we’re a young team — a group that has really stepped up while buying into what we’re teaching,” second-year Aquinas head coach Mike Fetters said. “We’ve had trouble scoring this season as we lacked that one big goal scorer. These were two evenly matched teams out there tonight and they had that big goal-scorer. The better team deserved to win tonight.”

With the clock winding down and both teams prepping for an overtime session, Quattro’s game-winner with a little over six minutes remaining even had fourth-year head coach Roy Schmidt excited on the sidelines.

“It’s always been my desire to restore past soccer glory to Ursuline High School. First, we want to accomplish a district title and after that, then we’ll look ahead,” Schmidt said. “We’re strong enough, quick enough and fast enough to keep moving on, but you cannot take any opponent lightly and definitely cannot look ahead or you’ll find yourself on the outside looking in.”

The Fighting Irish had nine shots on goal, including five during a scoreless first half.