Mounts Get Job Done

The Ephrata’s boys’ soccer team controlled their own destiny Wednesday night on their home field, where they came from behind for a 2-1 victory over Garden Spot to secure Section Two’s third and final berth for the L-L League playoffs, which begin Saturday.

Trailing 1-0 after Spot’s Raine Slovak scored in the 34th minute, Ephrata netted a pair of goals in the match’s final 17 minutes to pull out the win.

The Mounts’ Aaron Cummings got the equalizer in the 63rd minute, and Nick Russo netted the game-winner with under 9:00 left in the contest.

Coach Rob Deininger must now prepare his Mounts for Section 1 champ Manheim Township (9-2 Section One, 12-3-1 overall), whom they'll meet in the first round of the LL Playoffs. That game is tentativley scheduled for Saturday, October 11th, at Comet Field in Millersville [directions], match time is 1:45.

Ephrata (8-5-1 Section Two, 10-6-2 overall) entered the night tied with Solanco (7-6-1, 8-8-1), but the Golden Mules watched their L-L playoff hopes evaporate with a 4-1 loss at unbeaten Manheim Central (9-0-5, 12-0-6).

Tied 1-1 at halftime, Central got a pair of second-half goals from Josh Hershey to pull away. The Barons secured their L-L playoff spot Monday, the same day Elizabethtown (12-0-2, 14-1-2) won its first Section Two title since 2007 with a 5-0 win over Garden Spot.

Also controlling its own destiny in Section Three Wednesday was Pequea Valley, which entered the night one point ahead of Elco for the section’s second and final L-L playoff bid.

Elco (10-4 Section Three, 11-6-1 overall) did its part, outlasting Lancaster Catholic for a 3-2 victory in Lancaster Wednesday afternoon, but PV (10-3-1, 11-5-1) nullified that a few hours later by rolling to a 5-0 victory over Donegal.

Defending L-L champion Lancaster Mennonite, which clinched the Section Three title with a 3-2 victory over Elco last Friday, had already secured the section’s other L-L playoff berth.

While recently-crowned Section One champ Manheim Township and Hempfield (6-3-2, 8-6-3) have already secured L-L playoff spots, the battle for that section’s third and final bid among Penn Manor, Cedar Crest and Conestoga Valley resumes Thursday.

Penn Manor (6-4-1, 8-7-2, 19 points) plays at Township Thursday at 7; Cedar Crest (5-4-2, 7-6-4, 17) hosts McCaskey (0-10-1, 4-12-1) at 7; and CV (5-5-1, 6-8-1, 16) hosts Hempfield at 7.

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