Latrobe boys get past Franklin Regional in OT in chippy match

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, October 13, 2023 | 12:00 AM

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A soccer game with as many cards as goals wasn’t settled in regulation, so Franklin Regional and Latrobe played overtime in their touchy Section 4-3A rematch.

Ben Bigi scored in close with 8 minutes, 55 seconds left in the second overtime to lift Latrobe to a 2-1 victory and a section sweep Thursday night at Panther Stadium.

Latrobe, which blanked the Panthers, 3-0, earlier in the season, broke the team record for wins in a season with its 12th.

“We knew we going to score in OT,” Bigi said. “I saw the ball at my feet, I did a little spin and I put it in the bottom corner.

“This was our most meaningful win.”

The Wildcats (12-3, 11-3) have won seven of eight, and they secured second place in the section.

But not before tempers flared, and an official began dealing out cards.

“We played well the whole game, but the momentum shift hurt,” Latrobe coach Jake Rice said. “Then they were down one. It was good for us to come back the way we did. These guys earned it tonight: the school record, the home game, all of it.”

Franklin Regional (10-6, 9-5), played the last 12 minutes of regulation and most of overtime with 10 players after receiving a red card for, they were told by the referee, derogatory language.

The Panthers were more taken aback by the red card on Cruise Lamanna with 12:17 remaining than Bigi’s winner.

“I feel bad for our boys,” Franklin Regional coach Lucas Petersen said. “It’s a disappointing way to lose, but it’s part of the game I guess. We have to finish out games.

“I feel bad for (soccer) in general on nights like this. It’s a hard pill to swallow.”

An earlier red card assessed to Franklin Regional was waved off, and a referee then huddled with the coaches with 24 minutes left in regulation.

“They said they couldn’t decide who (used an expletive), so they waved it off,” Rice said.

That is when tension built, and an otherwise organized and deliberately played game turned chippy.

Wildcats assistant coach Jeff Kreinbrook was upset about the decision and was given a red card himself and had to leave the game.

“When the red was taken away, the refs lost control,” Rice said. “They shouldn’t have called the first one to begin with.”

Shortly after the lengthy conference, Franklin Regional finally broke through.

The Panthers got on the board first in the 66th minute after 54 minutes of scoreless soccer.

Noah Walker sent a free kick in from near the 30-yard line, and the ball came to Danny Cristafano, who headed it in for a 1-0 lead.

The red card left Franklin Regional a man down for about 34 minutes.

Petersen said Lamanna did not say anything derogatory to the official.

“It was the wrong guy,” Petersen said.

“But they were sure it was him.”

Latrobe, which has not been shut out all year, kicked up its attack, and Bigi pushed ahead and dumped off to Roman Agostoni, who finished. It was 1-1 in the 77th minute.

“With the way we attack, I knew we were going to score,” Rice said. “We have been resilient all year.”

Aryan Selokar made nine saves for Franklin Regional, including a diving stop of Agostoni’s penalty kick in the 44th minute.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Latrobe