Lincoln-Way West Drops Boys Soccer Heartbreaker in Final Minute

Soccer can be so cruel sometimes.

For 79 minutes, Lincoln-Way West battled with Lockport in a scoreless match on Wednesday night.

Those in the stands were getting ready to rise from their seats and head to the exits when Lockport's Louis Piccione displayed great athleticism and blasted the lone goal with only 25 seconds remaining.

An absolute bullet, and undoubtedly, a stunner.

"That's a great play, a great individual effort," Lincoln-Way West coach Ryan McAllister said. "A great turn, a great hit. You can't be ashamed with that."

It took an incredible effort from one player to break what appeared to be a scoreless draw.

"He was trying to cross the ball and people weren't getting crosses anyway," Lockport coach Chris Beal said. "Just drive it to the goal. Percentage-wise, it was a better play."

Both teams had their share of opportunities, but most would probably agree that the Warriors had more chances than the Porters.

"I think it's a big difference from last year," McAllister said. "Last year, every so often (we'd have chances), but here it's more consistent. We were able to dictate the flow and I like to see that."

Lincon-Way West (0-1-1) was denied on one of its many chances with just under 12 minutes remaining. After a handball violation, Warrior junior Conor McGrath took a shot from the 17-yard line but misfired just to the right of the goal.

In the first half, with just 1:04 remaining before intermission, Lincoln-Way West junior Ryan Curry blasted a shot off the crossbar. A couple inches lower and the Warriors would've led 1-0 at halftime.

"It's a bounce here, a post there, and Ryan (Curry) hit the post and we had opportunities," McAllister said. "I think we had more corners than they did and more sets, but it's the bounce of the ball sometimes."

While the loss was devastating in the sense that the game-winner was scored with just 25 seconds remaining, McAllister doesn't think it'll have a lasting negative impact on his squad.

"We've got some great leadership. Our five seniors, I could not ask for any better," McAllister said. "(McGrath) has been a captain for three years and Eric (Staniszewski) is No. 1 in his class and a hard worker, so we've got that leadership.

"This is a game. If we let it get to us, we might as well pack it in this season. You just got to give credit to (Piccione) on that individual effort."