Lancaster pulls out hard-fought win over Falcons

LANCASTER – Tuesday’s nonconference match between two county rivals, Fairfield Union and Lancaster, lived up to its billing.

But the two goalies were the ones that stole the show. The Falcons’ Nathaniel Castle and the Golden Gales’ Justin Traft were outstanding from beginning to end.

Castle, a junior, allowed an early goal when Cade Haybron slipped a shot in the back of the net with 23:23 left in the first half, and that proved to be the difference as Lancaster held on for a 1-0 nonconference victory.

“We knew coming in because the schools are only a few miles apart that it was going to be a tough game,” Fairfield Union coach Shane Perdew said. “Both teams are very competitive, and there was a lot of talent on both sides.”

Lancaster coach Matt Pentiuk said he knew the Falcons — who had won their first two games by a combined score of 9-0 — would be a tough opponent, but he said he was proud of the way his team hung in there, especially in the second half.

“It was a heck of a game, and the intensity was really high the whole time,” Pentiuk said. “We knew Fairfield Union was going to bring it. We knew this was going to be a big game for them. We had some missed opportunities, especially in the first half where it was really slanted in our direction.

“But their keeper pulled out a couple of really good saves. There should have been three goals in the first half, and that would have changed the game a lot, but we kept fighting through it and kept our intensity up and barely hung on at times in the second half.”

In the first half, the Gales (2-0) continually put the pressure on the Falcons and Castle, but he came up with outstanding saves.

“We had two really, really good scoring opportunities in the first half, but their keeper made some great saves, and you have to hand it to him,” Perdew said. “Our keeper was spectacular. He’s a game-changer, and he kept us in the game. I would take him over any goal keeper around.”

Fairfield Union (2-1) looked as if it might tie the score late in the first half when Hayden Price broke through and had a one-on-one in front of the net, but Traft guessed right and denied Price with 1:50 left in the half.

“(Traft) is a senior, and he has been waiting three years to get his shot,” Pentiuk said. “He had one save that was fantastic. If he doesn’t make those saves, we don’t win the game. and it was all on his shoulders.”

Castle and Traft finished with four saves each.

“We have 12 seniors and we have a lot of senior leadership,” Pentiuk said. We have guys who are willing to leave it all out there, so when they step on the field, it is really high intensity, and that is really big for us.”

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