KLAA’SIC’ SOCCER: Salem outlasts Canton in dramatic title game
Salem players celebrate after winning the KLAA championship game over Canton in a sudden-death shootout.
Wednesday night’s final KLAA boys soccer championship match featuring Salem and Canton may have been the most-dramatic KLAA title game in history as the Rocks edged the Cobras, 3-2, following 21 penalty kicks.
It also may have been the longest.
In the end, the two biggest plays — and there were many big plays in this match — came on Canton’s 11th PK in sudden-death when Salem keeper Peter Demetter lunged to his left to knock away the Cobras’ 11th PK.
Next came Salem senior captain Tyler Veresh — a maestro when it comes to PKs — got Canton’s goalie to dive left while he smoked a shot into the lower-corner of the net.
The road to the final
Both Park teams qualified for the conference championship match by winning their respective divisions.
Canton grabbed the lead 20 minutes into the first half when Owen Covino’s well-struck corner kick one-hopped through a scrum of players in front of the net.
Lucas Maiolatesi one-timed the ball into the net with the side of his foot, giving the Cobras the early advantage.
Following 33 minutes of high-intensity soccer, Salem’s Wyatt Gold deposited the equalizer with 27:25 remaining in regulation.
Keepers, defense excelled
Both keepers — Salem’s Demetter and Canton’s Suhaib Shahid — turned away the few chances both offenses constructed the rest of the way.
Once regulation ended, the match went straight to penalty kicks. After the initial five players from each teach all converted their PKs, the match went to a sudden-death PK shootout.
Finally, on the 11th sudden-death PK for both teams, Demetter made a diving stop and Salem’s Tyler Veresh ripped a shot into the lower-right corner of the net to win it for the Rocks.
Veresh lay flat on the ground after his winning shot before he was engulfed by his teammates and members of Salem’s student cheering section.
Salem improved to 11-3-2 while Canton slipped to 10-5-3.
