CLARKS SUMMIT — A season of progress for the Pittston Area boys soccer team came to a conclusion with an admirable effort in a loss to District 2’s top team.
Nico Bustos scored two goals Tuesday night as top-seeded Abington Heights pulled away from the visiting Patriots in the second half for a 4-0 victory in the Class 3A semifinals.
Joey Pivorotto added a goal and an assist for the 20-1 Comets, who pounded Honesdale 12-0 in the quarterfinals and went on to pour 32 shots on Dallas in a 5-0 championship game romp Thursday night.
The loss ended a season in which Pittston Area doubled its win total, climbed to the middle of the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 standings and extended their season one step further.
“I’m incredibly proud of this group in terms of where we came from last season, losing in the first round of districts to be able to play arguably the top team in the area,” Patriots coach Mike Pryor said of the 12-8 finish.
Abington Heights is 20-1, losing only at District 4’s Lewisburg, and has outscored opponents 123-9. The Patriots stayed within striking distance of the Comets for much of the game.
“There is so much to say about the senior group,” Pryor said. “First and foremost, they were coachable, led by example and were committed.
“ … I’m very happy for the experiences and the memories they had this season and the standards they set for these younger guys coming up.”
The Patriots kept Tuesday’s semifinal scoreless for more than 30 minutes and the Patriots were within 1-0 nearly 10 minutes into the second half.
After Pivorotto made it 2-0, the top two scorers from the Lackawanna League Division 1 champions combined to put the Patriots away.
Pivorotto sent a corner kick from the right side nearly to the far post where Bustos got up above everyone to score on a header.
“Joey’s always looking for me on the corners,” Bustos said. “He’s always looking to that spot I run to.”
Abington Heights took the game’s first 13 shots, but did not break the scoreless tie until the last of those shots, a direct kick by Bustos that made its way through traffic near the far post.
“We had a couple chances to tie the game up and it could have been a different game at that point,” Pryor said. “They’re a really good team. I’m really proud of the effort my boys put in to believe they could go toe-to-toe.”
Abington Heights led in shots 26-7 and corner kicks 8-2.
Jackson Duddek made 11 saves in goal for the Patriots.
