Upper Perkiomen's boys soccer team posted the final three goals Tuesday to advance to the Pioneer Athletic Conference title game. The team scored twice in the second half and once in overtime to post a 4-3 victory over Phoenixville.

Upper Perk's Theo Deskevich, left,  jockeys for the ball with a Phoenixville player during Tues- day's playoff match.

            Christian McGillen's decisive goal with 6 minutes, 23 seconds remaining in the first overtime period at Owen J. Roberts appeared to stun the No. 1 seeded Phantoms, who entered the game as the top team in District One Class 3A power rankings and the No. 5 ranked team in the Pennsylvania State Soccer Coaches Association poll.

            Goalkeeper Austin Farrington registered 14 saves for the Tribe, which avenged two regular season losses to Phoenixville and posted its fourth consecutive victory. Coach Kyle Fisher described it as the biggest game of his life.  "Austin played an incredible game," the coach said.

            Jim Friedman scored twice and set up the decisive goal for the No. 4 seeded Indians (12-6-1 overall) who rallied from a two-goal deficit midway through the second half to post their third consecutive win to advance to Thursday's title game for the first time since 2004, where they will face the host Wildcats.

            Mateo Schneidt also scored.

            Fisher described the upset victory as "pretty significant" considering the fact that his team qualified for the playoffs on the third tiebreaker. He credited an inherent ability in the players' to remain resilient regardless of the circumstances.

            "This is a huge accomplishment," Fisher said. "The way we rallied seems to be in the DNA of the program. I've had some teams [that were not very talented] over the years, but those players never quit."

            Less than two minutes after falling behind 3-1, Schneidt triggered the Tribe's comeback. He headed a pass from Matthew Fisher with 16:08 remaining in regulation. 

            Friedman, who converted on a penalty kick midway through the first half to open the scoring, forced overtime. He received the ball from Ethan Barr, who intercepted a crossing pass, and found the back of the Phoenixville net with 1:43 remaining in the second half.  "This is a great feeling," Friedman said after the win. "Phoenixville is the best team in the district. Everyone on our team did what we needed to do to succeed."

            The Indians qualified for the conference playoffs with a pair of road victories. First, they posted a 10-0 win over Pottstown on Wednesday, Oct 12.

            Two days later they registered a 3-1 victory over Pope John Paul II on Friday, Oct. 15, Logan Watkins finished with two goals and an assist. Barr added one goal.
            The Tribe, which clinched the PAC playoff berth over Boyertown by a tiebreaker, snapped a 1-1 halftime tie early in the second half. Kyle Fisher instructed his team to start the second half in full attack mode.
            "We decided to try to overwhelm them," said the coach, who implemented two attacking midfielders. "I told the guys we were the better team, and that they needed to show it. Our guys don't need a lot of encouragement to score."

            The Tribe scored twice in early in the second half. Friedman added an assist during the flurry.
            "I thought the energy we showed in the first 10 minutes of the second half was exceptional," Fisher said.
            The flurry appeared to deflate the Panthers' psyche, according to the coach. He said Upper Perkiomen shifted to a defensive mode.
            "We really took the wind out of their sales," Kyle Fisher said.
            Watkins opened the scoring for the Indians by converting a through ball from Schneidt. The Panthers quickly responded to force a 1-1 tie.

            The coach said he didn't like the effort his team gave in the first half.  "We came out a little sluggish," Fisher said.

            Sands delivered two goals and added an assist against the Trojans. Luke Gerstenberg also scored twice for the team, which led 5-0 at halftime.

            Friedman, Matthew Fisher, Barr and Watkins each posted a goal and an assist. Aiden Heiser and Jared Van Pelt each scored. Jackson Smith, Brandon Godshall, Jules Roderick and Farrington all notched one assist.