Mounts hold off Bears

The ball sailed in from the corner during visiting Elizabethtown’s second-half siege in the Ephrata end Tuesday night, bouncing into a mass of humanity before the Bears’ Jake Sevcik punched a header toward the goal in the 55th minute.

Ephrata goalkeeper Cole Hummel launched himself toward the starlit sky, slapping the ball around the far post and out of bounds to keep a 2-1 lead intact. Hummel finished with 13 saves, the score held, and the defensive- minded Mountaineers claimed sole possession of first place in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Two boys soccer race.

“We’ve been in three overtimes (this season),” Hummel said, “so we know how to dig deep and fight. The boys really put it out there tonight.”

Coming off their third overtime game of the season Monday at Garden Spot, the Mountaineers (3-0 in Section Two, 5-2 overall) entered Tuesday’s game without two injured starters — Tyler Shue, the team’s leading scorer, and Ben Kamide.

“That hurt us a little bit as far as what we could do offensively,” said Rob Deininger, Ephrata’s coach, “but the other guys filled in and knew what they had to do. They knew we weren’t going to possess the ball a lot, and we were fortunate enough to execute. We had to.”

Freshman Angel Gonzalez-Garcia netted both goals for Ephrata with a pair of finishes at the Elizabethtown goalmouth. He deposited a pass from Ellis Martin to break a 1-1 tie with 27:33 remaining.

“Angel was in the right spot at the right time both times,” Deininger said. “He knows soccer, and he got himself in position for those crosses in, and it worked.”

From there, the Mountaineers (2-1, 6-2) dropped back, and the defending L-L League champions ratcheted up the pressure.

“We threw everything but the kitchen sink at them,” said James Sostack, Elizabethtown’s coach, “but let’s face it: The game’s about the scoreboard. Tonight, the scoreboard didn’t go our way.”

After Gonzalez-Garcia’s opening goal in the 21st minute, Caleb Gerber put Elizabethtown on the scoreboard in the 29th minute, blasting a shot through the Ephrata defense that had denied him seconds before.

“Cole made two fantastic saves,” Deininger said, “but a lot of their looks were from farther out. We just worked.”

Ephrata leaned on its veteran back line of Alex Auker, Tanyon Loose, Jaron Wenger and Tim Kitchen, with help from midfielder Trevin Hertzog, to absorb the E-town attack.

“We’re pretty organized in our back,” Deininger said. “Our five backs there have done a great job, clearing the ball and making sure that nobody’s getting behind us and in position to score.”

At the other end, Elizabethtown goalkeeper Brecken Musser made four saves to keep the Bears within striking distance. Elizabethtown controlled possession for most of the second half and earned one final corner kick in the game’s waning seconds, but the ball sailed through the box under the starry sky. Hummel pumped his fists, and the Mounts celebrated.

“If anything,” Sostack said, “I think this will light a fire under us. We’re looking forward to seeing them back at our house.”

The two teams are scheduled to meet in Elizabethtown Oct. 4.

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