HOLLIDAYSBURG — Hollidaysburg and Bradford each scored inside the first 9 minutes of Saturday afternoon’s PIAA Class 3A subregional match.

From that time, the 2 groups battled back-and-forth in a bodily, gritty and generally sloppy affair in an try to realize the higher hand.

Unfortunately, the Owls obtained a objective off a deflection within the seventeenth minute of the second half as Hollidaysburg’s season resulted in heartbreaking style with a 2-1 loss at Tiger Stadium.

“I feel bad for the guys because they didn’t deserve to lose that game. We did more than enough to win that game but it comes down to — you’ve got to score,” Hollidaysburg coach Craig Shale mentioned. “There’s was a deflection, I mean, it wasn’t even a good goal. So, that’s tough but we had our chances. It was just one of those games where we just didn’t get a goal. One team’s got the luck and they (Bradford) got the luck.”

Hollidaysburg concluded at 15-6-0, whereas Bradford improved to 12-9-0.

“It wasn’t our best game — it certainly was scrappy,” Bradford coach Peter Butler mentioned. “We had a plan they pretty much stuck to particularly in the last 15 minutes of so when we went to a 4-5-1 (formation). … The idea being to hold them (Hollidaysburg) off. We got lucky a couple of times but then you ride your luck.”

The Tigers returned solely three starters from a squad that went 15-5-0 in 2022 and misplaced to Bradford by the identical 2-1 rating within the subregional on the street.

This yr’s version had 5 seniors and 6 underclassmen within the beginning lineup, and thus it could have been simple to assume they wouldn’t even make it to this weekend.

However, the Tigers continued to gel because the season wore on and the brand new rotation of gamers gained expertise and with that got here the wins.

Hollidaysburg mentioned goodbye to defenders Travis Weyandt and Owen Bender, goalkeeper Derek Wright and forwards Ben Johnson and Caleb Tryninewski out of the starters, in addition to Brodie Bilthuis and Paul Giess off the bench.

The underclassmen group gained a wealth of expertise and return loads of expertise to not discover themselves again taking part in in the identical subregional in 2024.

“I thought we dominated,” Shale mentioned. “I just feel like we were robbed. It’s a tough way to finish.”

Bradford wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard as Andrew Mangold took a feed from Mitchell Strouss about 30 yards out.

Mangold began on the left, dribbled round a number of Hollidaysburg defenders looking for a gap. As quickly because the senior discovered area he rifled a shot about 20 yards out that discovered went on the arm of Wright and into the left nook to offer the Owls a 1-0 cushion at 36:38 of the primary.

Bradford practically obtained one other one within the thirty second minute however Aiden Willard’s try went huge.

On the counterattack, Tryninewski laid off a cross to sophomore Luca Waibel who took three touches into the middle earlier than delivering a shot from 20 yards out.

Bradford goalkeeper Tristen Dragoone obtained a hand on the shot however not sufficient to cease it from discovering the again of the web to tie the competition at 1-1 with 31:21 exhibiting on the clock.

“I thought both keepers were at fault for the first goals,” Butler mentioned. “Their (Hollidaysburg) keeper — it went under his armpit. And, our keeper, he should have had two hands on it instead of one.”

After having no high quality probabilities within the second half, the Owls lastly obtained one within the 18th minute as Patrick French delivered a thru-ball to Mangold who entered the 18-yard field.

With Wright sprinting out for the problem, Mangold took a shot that was redirected out of bounds off the legs of the sliding Wright.

Mangold’s throw-in discovered the foot of Strouss who took two touches and ripped a shot on objective that deflected off a Golden Tiger defender and went into the objective for the eventual game-winning objective with 17:42 left to play.

“The winning goal, their (Hollidaysburg) keeper couldn’t do anything about,” Butler mentioned. “It took a heavy deflection and that was it.”

The Golden Tigers outshot the Owls, 23-21, and had extra makes an attempt that have been on objective, 16-11.

“Those couple of one-on-ones we had, you could say it comes down to the forward,” Shale mentioned. “But you’ve also got to give the keeper credit. He (Dragoone) closed down the angle and that keeps you in games. They (Bradford) were in the game long enough to create their own luck. But I honestly feel we were the better team.”

It wasn’t for an absence of effort or probabilities by Hollidaysburg. In the top, issues merely simply didn’t go their means.

SCORE BY HALVES

Bradford 1 1 — 2

Hollidaysburg 1 0 — 1

First half: B–Mangold (Strouss help), 36:38; H–Waibel (Tryninewski help), 31:21.

Second half: B–Strouss (Mangold help), 17:42.

Keepers: Bradford — Dragoone: 15 saves, 16 photographs on objective; Hollidaysburg — Wright: 9 saves, 11 photographs on objective.

Shots: Bradford 21, Hollidaysburg 23.

Corner kicks: Bradford 2, Hollidaysburg 6.

Records: Bradford (12-9-0); Hollidaysburg (15-6-0).