Deer Lakes, Shady Side Academy boys meet for 4th, deciding time

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, November 12, 2018 | 11:51 PM

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Deer Lakes walked off the field after a WPIAL semifinal loss to Shady Side Academy thinking it might see the Indians again before the season ended, and the belief grew even stronger when the PIAA Class AA bracket set up a potential semifinal matchup between the Section 2-AA rivals.

Now, it’s a certainty.

The Lancers (20-1-1) and Shady Side Academy will look to settle their seasonlong battle Tuesday night in the state semifinals, with nothing less than a trip to Hershey for the PIAA title game on the line.

“It should be an exciting game: game No. 4,” Deer Lakes junior A.J. Dorman said. “We get to see who’s the top team between one tie, one win for them and one win for us. We’ll finally get to break the stalemate to see which team is the top team.”

Tuesday’s game at Mars indeed will serve as a rubber match between the rivals after a 2-2 draw and 3-1 Deer Lakes victory during the regular season, followed by a 1-0 victory for Shady Side Academy in the WPIAL semis. The Indians (14-6-1) went on to beat Quaker Valley and defend their WPIAL title.

Judging from the first three matches, the win won’t come easily.

“Both teams are organized, and I think both teams have areas of the game they really excel at,” Shady Side Academy coach Ed Ellsworth said. “Those areas, they execute. You look at Deer Lakes’ set pieces, they’re exquisite. And their midfield three really drive the team. It’s difficult when you play a team like that.

“And then you look at our team, our top three scorers and the experience they have, they’re two-time WPIAL champions. They’ve scored in big moments, big goals for the team.”

Jordan Wiegand wanted to develop a rivalry with Shady Side Academy when he returned as Deer Lakes coach last season, and the teams’ five meetings since delivered on that promise. The Lancers beat the Indians, 1-0, in their first 2017 game, followed by a scoreless draw.

“You knew Shady Side was going to be one of the best teams,” Wiegand said. “We always wanted to be that type of program, and I think just naturally as soon as I took over in my second time around at Deer Lakes, I thought, well, Shady Side’s the team to beat. And we wanted to make sure we always gave it our all.”

The familiarity between the players and coaches adds to the rivalry as well, Wiegand said. Ellsworth and Wiegand both coach club soccer at Arsenal FC, and Ellsworth coaches a few of Deer Lakes’ players.

“I always want those kids to be successful,” Ellsworth said. “Not necessarily at my expense, but if it is, there’s worse things that can happen.”

After finishing as WPIAL runner-up in 2016, Shady Side Academy won a pair of titles the past two falls despite entering the postseason as a double-digit seed — the 15th seed in 2017 and 11th seed this season. They hold a 16-3 record over the past three postseasons.

“We do believe in legacy, and we believe in understanding what experience is,” Ellsworth said. “Experience is the application of improvement of past situations. When we face a difficult situation, difficult circumstances, it’s not new to us. It’s not new to these kids. … They’ve just played in so many big games over the years that that experience allows them to just continue to assess the situation and figure out a way to get out of the building with a win.”

Shady Side Academy experienced that kind of situation in the quarterfinals, seeing a 5-1 halftime lead against Mercyhurst Prep dwindle to a one-goal advantage in an eventual 7-5 win.

Ellsworth described it as one of the craziest games he’d been a part of, but in the end SSA earned the victory.

Deer Lakes, too, has been a part of two consecutive narrowly decided games in the state playoffs. Making their first appearance in the PIAA tournament, the Lancers outlasted Fairview in double overtime before taking out Quaker Valley with a late goal in the quarterfinals.

The teams expect a similar battle Tuesday, and why not?

“At the end of the day, both teams are very familiar with each other,” Wiegand said. “We’re familiar with each other’s styles. It’s going to be an exciting and fun game, but there’s really nothing at this point (that’s a secret). You can maybe dive in to a few coaching points here and there, but at the end of the day it’s just going to be a close game.”

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Shady Side Academy