MECHANICSBURG — Moon Area’s historic season came to an end Friday morning in Mechanicsburg as it fell in the PIAA Class 3A soccer championship to Radnor 1-0.
The 2024 season was special for the Tigers, as they went unbeaten in the regular season, WPIAL playoffs, and PIAA playoffs until the championship match.
“It was a tough way to go out,” Moon Area head coach Tyler Blake said following the match. “This senior class went 63-6-2 throughout their career in three years with two WPIAL titles, finishing as state quarterfinalists and state finalists. It is a special group of kids that don’t come around that often. It is tough to know that it is the end with these guys.”
Radnor’s PIAA Championship deciding goal came early in the first half in the third minute on a corner kick.
Raptor forward Dean Moon sent a corner kick into the box and found the back of the net off of forward Aidan Haas’ boot past Tigers junior goalkeeper Will Guarino.
“They were a little more athletic than the little bit of film we saw,” Blake said. “I don’t know that it was much different than what we thought but we just came out a little flat. That cost us in the first couple of minutes in the match and we could not get over that hurdle.”
Throughout the match, Moon Area who has had success offensively this season could not figure out the Raptor’s back line.
In the first half, the Tigers had limited chances on the offensive attack mustering just one shot on the net as a low-riding Aedan Costa shot was set aside by Radnor goalkeeper JD Ball.
Moon Area also had a free kick and a couple of corners in the first 40 minutes of action but could not convert.
While chances were also sparse in the second half for the Tigers, they did manage to play more of their style in the final 10 minutes of the match getting chances off of a free kick and from pressure off of the counterattack.
“We made a couple of adjustments at halftime and were able to get up in the second half but couldn’t put it together in the attacking third and in and around the box,” Blake said. “We were unable to get up in transition as we typically do which then allowed them to drop numbers in behind and when that happens, it is hard to break.”
Friday marked the end of the road for a loaded senior class for the Tigers which featured 14 fourth year players many of whom played significant minutes in Moon Area’s last PIAA playoff appearance in 2022.
“They came to work every day and yerned to get better,” Blake said. “They competed at the highest level every single day and we are going to try and enjoy one last ride home together.”
Moon Area finishes the 2024 season with a 25-1 overall record. The Tigers captured its seventh WPIAL title in program history and appeared in the state finals for the first time since 1985.
