Vikings get early goals, advance to state semifinals

In the Pacelli soccer team’s playoff win over Savannah Country Day on Tuesday, the Vikings took a little while to hit the accelerator en route to a 3-0 victory.

In Friday’s GHSA Class A quarterfinal win, a 2-0 shutout against Mount Paran Christian Academy at Deimel Field, Pacelli came out firing on all cylinders from the start.

The Vikings used a flurry of scoring opportunities in the first half, then a suffocating defense in the second half, to log the victory. Unlike in Tuesday’s game, the Vikings got the benefit of set pieces and free kicks early in the first half over the Eagles.

“Everything I heard about them is that they were pretty big with a lot of guys 6 feet and above,” Pacelli coach Nick Fusco said of Mount Paran. “So they wanted to win those throw-ins and corners and free kicks and everything, but we never let the ball hit the ground. We won most of them and I have no idea how.

“Getting that win (Tuesday) settled us down,” Fusco added. “They did exactly what I asked. We got a game under our belts in the playoffs, and the pressure kind of went down a little bit. We just went out there and performed.”

Pacelli continued the pressure on the Eagles’ side of the field, and in the 15th minute, they were able to cash in.

John Jacobs, who finished Tuesday’s game with a pair of assists, put the Vikings on the board Friday with the first goal of the game, heading a Manuel Duran free kick past Mount Paran goalkeeper Dyson for a 1-0 Pacelli lead.

“We were trying to exploit a weak link in their back line. I don’t think we got the goal off that, but he did such a good job and he’s where he’s supposed to be,” Fusco said of Jacobs. “He does his job and doesn’t ask any questions.”

Pacelli keeper Daniel Mansfield continued his mastery in goal, picking up his second straight clean sheet on Friday. His first save was perhaps his biggest, diving to the ground to smother a drive off the foot of Eagles attacker Evan Piper in the game’s 20th minute.

“He really didn’t have to do too much,” said Fusco. “The tough thing for keepers, though, is when you’re not asked to do a lot. That’s being a keeper, making the easy saves and making them when it counts. He made a tough one there.”

While Manuel Duran logged an assist on the first Pacelli goal, younger brother Daniel Duran put the Vikings up 2-0 later in the first half, taking a feed from Robbie McKenna and powering a point-blank shot between Dyson’s legs and into the net.

“(Daniel is) a freshman,” said Fusco. “I can’t imagine having him another three years. He’s in the right spot and finishes his chances. He doesn’t get beat off the ball.”

Jacobs continue to lead the Vikings’ pressure in the Mount Paran end through the first half and the early part of the second half, but Dyson stood up to the challenge the remainder of the game, aggressively coming out of net to neutralize Pacelli scoring chances.

Fusco and the Vikings turned to more of a defensive stance later in the second half to preserve the two-goal lead.

“Manuel goes up and attacks a lot, and I told him to stay back with George (Gottfried),” Fusco said. “There’s an old soccer saying that 2-0 is the worst lead to have, and I was really worried about that. A lot of guys stayed back and defended.”

The prevent style defense worked for Pacelli the rest of the way, limiting the Eagles to only eight shots on net. The Vikings put 18 shots on goal, with Dyson turning aside 16 of them.

The Vikings now advance to the final four of the GHSA playoffs for the second straight season. They face the winner of the Fellowship Christian-Landmark Christian game, also played on Friday night, in a semifinal matchup on Tuesday.

“It’s going to be a tough game,” Fusco said. “We were there last year and got beat by the eventual state champion. We’re going to recover, have a nice little Mother’s Day, and come back and see who we play.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 10:03 PM with the headline "Vikings get early goals, advance to state semifinals."