Ambridge hands Plum boys another heartbreaking loss in WPIAL soccer playoffs

By: Jerin Steele
Monday, October 31, 2022 | 9:21 PM

JJ Simms saw the ball floating high in the air right in front of the goal and just had to be patient.

“It came off the bar, and it felt like it was an eternity before it came down,” Simms said.

When it did fall back to Earth, he was there to put it home with a header and finish off an improbable run to the finals by Ambridge.

Simms’ goal in overtime propelled the 11th-seeded Bridgers to a 2-1 win over No. 2 Plum in the WPIAL Class 3A boys soccer semifinals Monday night at West Allegheny.

Ambridge (14-6-1) will face the winner of Montour and Moon in the championship game 1:15 p.m. Saturday at Highmark Stadium. Plum (18-2-1) will play the Moon/Montour loser in the consolation game Wednesday for the right to advance to the PIAA tournament.

Simms had both of Ambridge’s goals. The winner came five minutes into overtime.

The Bridgers have upset three higher seeds No. 6 Hampton, No. 3 Thomas Jefferson and No. 2 Plum to earn a spot in the final for the first time since 2005.

“After we beat Thomas Jefferson, one of the WPIAL reps said not to be mad at them for the seeding,” Ambridge coach Ben Fiore said. “I told him the same thing I told our guys. We don’t care what number is by our name or anybody else. It’s just another opponent we have to prepare for. It’s extra motivation. We want to be doubted. We like it that way. We have a strong group of kids that came through.”

For Plum, it was the third time in four years its season has ended in heartbreaking fashion in the semifinals.

The Mustangs lost 3-2 to Canon-McMillan in 2019 and 2-1 to West Allegheny last year.

“It’s the third time in four years that we’ve lost by a goal right at the end,” Plum coach Raf Kolankowski said. “Every time we’ve been winning but have lost it right at the end. That’s the learning curve. I was hoping that we would get over the hump this year, but it didn’t work out for us. Kudos to Ambridge. They kept fighting, and if you put enough pressure on good things happen.”

Aldi Flowers got Plum on the board with a goal in the 55th minute.

That lead, however, lasted only 27 seconds.

Ambridge kicked off, went down the left side and a shot trickled in front of goal to a wide open Simms, who tapped it in to make it 1-1.

“I tell these guys all the time when we get down not to hang our heads, because when we hang our heads is when we lose,” Fiore said. “No matter what the score is, it’s zero-zero in our heads. They did that and responded right away. They crashed the net like we’ve been telling them to.

“That’s how we got both of our goals. JJ is a headhunter. He’s one of our best players. The chemistry he has with his teammates and knowing where to be every time is evident in every game, especially tonight.”

The Mustangs had several opportunities to get the winner in regulation but couldn’t get it past Bridgers keeper Evan Scheib. Now they’ll turn their attention to getting a state playoff spot. They lost 2-1 in penalties against Franklin Regional last year.

“That’s playoff soccer for you,” Kolankowski said. “We didn’t finish our chances when we had them, and in playoff soccer, if you let a team keep hanging around, that’s usually what happens. That’s unfortunate, but we have to be ready for Wednesday. We have one more game to try and win and see where we go from there.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Ambridge, Plum