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BOYS' SOCCER: Haverford Falls to Kiski in State Championship

By Alex Wahl, 11/14/19, 2:45PM EST

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By: Alex Wahl

IMMACULATA, PA –In the PAISAA championship game at Immaculata University, the Haverford School boy’s soccer team fell to Kiski School 2-0 on Wednesday.

Most of the game was tied scoreless including at halftime, but Kiski managed to score two goals in two minutes late in the game to win the state championship.

It was all defense in the first 40 minutes as Haverford had control of the ball for most of the first half. However, the Kiski defense dominated the first half to keep the game scoreless at halftime.

With the score tied at halftime, Haverford head coach Dan Keefe had a positive mindset for his team in the locker room.

“We felt like we were running the ball well with creating chances in the first half,” said Keefe. “Kiski had a dangerous attack with the danger men on top, but we felt like our substitutes would keep us fresh in the second half.”

“There was a low in the substitution pattern at a certain point in the second half in which some of our guys got a longer stay on the field than I was hoping,” added Keefe. “It was during that low that Kiski scored two goals and it was the turning point of the game.”

Despite having a dominant performance for most of the game, senior goalkeeper William Boyes earns the loss giving up two goals.

Haverford senior M.J. Atkins talks about his most memorable moments this season:

“Today we came out with the right mentality,” said Boyes. “Great lineup and great coaching, but the chances didn’t go our way and got unlucky in the end, but I wouldn’t have done it with any other team.”

Senior captain M.J. Atkins was thrilled for his team to make it to the state championship game despite the tough loss.

“It means the world for all of us to make it this far,” said Atkins. “We all love each other so much, we enjoy each others company and it’s just so much fun to be able to come out everyday and put it all on the line with your brothers.”

Keefe had a positive message to his graduating seniors who ended their high school careers on Wednesday.

“This particular group of seniors were part of a team that won the Inter-Ac last year,” said Keefe. “This a team that had a state championship run that we haven’t done in a while and this is a special group of players who brought us there.”

“In many ways, so much of the foundations is the success that we hope to build moving forward are based off of this group of guys,” added Keefe.

Haverford, who was looking for its first state championship since 2015, finishes the season with an overall record of 12-8 and a second place finish in the PAISAA state tournament. 

Haverford goalkeeper William Boyes talks about his team's display of character to make it to the championship:

Haverford School head coach Dan Keefe offered encouraging words to his team post-game after falling in the state championship: