FROSTBURG — Playoff soccer is often rife with chaos, but Mountain Ridge maintained order with a comprehensive, one-sided performance on Saturday.
The Miners used their speed on the outside, depth and solid play up the middle and stalwart backline to prevent Fort Hill from seeing much of the ball.
Charlie Simpson, Elijah Cooper and Trent Diamond scored a goal each, Ryan Piasecki assisted on two of them and top-seeded Mountain Ridge knocked out fourth-seeded Fort Hill, 3-0, Saturday in the Class 1A West Region I semifinals.
“We talked to the boys prior to the game that we have to have the mental mindset to come in and play good soccer today,” Mountain Ridge head coach Tim Nightengale said.
“We played quite well today. We were unified as a team, connected the ball to feet and had some great opportunities, ball on frame. We did a lot of nice things.”
Mountain Ridge pushed its unblemished record to 15-0 with the triumph ahead of a region championship contest with second-seeded Southern (12-2) on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
That rematch seemed destined from the whistle Saturday, though it took the Miners nearly 20 minutes to break free after a half-dozen, point-blank chances just missed the mark or were shot directly at Fort Hill keeper Leland Garcia.
Finally in the 20th minute, Piasecki came down the right wing and delivered a ball too perfect to end up anywhere else but the net, and Simpson placed a shot into the low left corner.
Piasecki was the catalyst for a second goal with 5:20 to play in the half.
The junior flicked a cross over Fort Hill’s Liam Hamilton — who despite his status as one of the area’s premier offensive players played most of the match at center back — and Cooper redirected the bouncing ball with his heel past Garcia.
Down 2-0 at the half, Fort Hill seemingly had to choose between moving Hamilton into an attacking position and leaving its defense vulnerable, or keeping him at center back and managing little offense.
Hamilton went to a more attacking position with around 20 minutes to go, and less than two minutes later, Diamond took advantage of a defensive mistake, sliding in and meeting the ball before it could be picked up by the Fort Hill keeper for a third goal with 18:17 on the clock.
“We noticed that they were stacking everyone ball side,” Nightengale said. “So if we could swing the ball from one side to the other, bring it back to middle, there was a wide gap, one versus one on the outside.
“Ryan Piasecki had a tremendous game today. He played really well on the outside for us. Made a heck of a read on the ball being cleared by the defender, stepping and picking it, and it led to our second goal.”
Mountain Ridge finished with a 27-4 advantage in shots, 12-1 on goal, and took all four of the match’s corner kicks.
Its keeper Ashton Reuschel was tasked with making just one save.
Garcia ended with nine saves to keep Fort Hill within striking distance for a time, but in the end, the Miners’ pressure was just too much to overcome.
“It’s tough to go 80 minutes with somebody driving down your throat the entire time,” Fort Hill head coach Zach Steckman said. “We held our own. Leland took on a lot of shots, we only gave up three. They battled, they took a lot of punches. I’m really proud of how they worked today.”
Fort Hill came into this season with heightened expectations after going 9-4 with a young roster in 2023.
It didn’t meet them finishing 6-8-1 in a season plagued by injuries and inconsistency, but the Sentinels will have another opportunity next year. They graduate just three seniors: Garcia, Lucas Evans and Aaron Jedlowski.
“We need to get to work. (Entering) last year, we had a very good commitment to our offseason workout program,” Steckman said. “These guys were committed, but not as fully committed as 2023.
“We’ve got to get guys in the weight room. We’ve got to get guys in our offseason workout programs, our summer conditions. Because that’s where your winning comes from. And we have to build more team camaraderie.”
Mountain Ridge looks now to a home region championship game, a trophy that’s eluded the Miners since 2019 — a year they also brought a state title to Frostburg.
Mountain Ridge beat Southern, 2-0 and 1-0, in two regular-season meetings.
“The cards have been dealt,” Nightengale said. “No. 1 vs. No. 2. It’s gonna be a heck of a game. The first two games were quality. Let’s see how the cards are going to fall on Tuesday night.
“We’ll come back to work on Monday, work on our game plan. We’ll be ready to go.”