CHAMBERSBURG — Izhais Jean would probably be the first to tell you he had a frustrating game Tuesday night.
But a lot of that frustration was unleashed when Jean struck a powerful shot that seared the back of the net in overtime and lifted Chambersburg to a 3-2 victory over Central York in a District 3 Class 4A first-round game at Trojan Stadium.
Izhais Jean
Trailing 2-0 for much of the game, the Panthers tied it up on a rebound goal by Roberto Lozano with 10:18 left in regulation, and a penalty kick by Ari Kostarelos with 3:30 left when Chambersburg committed a handball foul in the box.
"A 2-0 lead is always hard to hold onto," said Trojan coach Corey Grove, who won his 100th career game in nine years of coaching. "But we found a way to win."
And it came early in overtime, just 3:02 into the first OT period.
Cristian Lopez gained possession in his defensive half of the field and sent a perfectly weighted pass down the left wing that Jean ran onto. Jean turned on the jets to pull away from his defender, then ripped a shot into the upper near side of the goal past Central York goalkeeper Fernando Lozano.
"That shot kind of made up for some missed chances I had earlier," Jean said. "We played well enough to create a lot of chances, but didn't finish enough of them."
No. 4 seed Chambersburg is now 13-4 and will host the No. 5 seed, Manheim Township (10-4-3), on Saturday in a quarterfinal game at Trojan Stadium. The time has not yet been announced. The Blue Streaks edged Hempfield 3-2 in overtime.
The Trojans dominated the Panthers, out-shooting them 21-5, and putting 10 shots on goal to just 2 for Central York.
Cristian Lopez
Just less than four minutes into the game, Mario Wiesman drew a foul in the right corner. The Trojans' Adrian Olvera took the free kick and put it at the far post, where Jean was there to nod the ball into the net.
Five and half minutes later, it could have been 2-0. Luca Gaisbauer was tripped in the box, but the resulting penalty kick by Wiesman was stopped by Lozano.
With 16 minutes left in the half, it did become 2-0. Wiesman worked hard to get free on the right wing and turned to the goal, sending a hard, low pass into the middle. But when a defender tried to get a foot on it, it hit his leg and went into the net for an own goal.
"We have so much quality up front, and we typically finish those chances," Grove said. "We created the chances, but we just missed that final move to put it in the net."
Lopez, who switched in midfield and at forward with Gaisbauer, said much the same: "We had a lot of chances, and should have scored more. We know in the district playoffs, we'll have to take advantage of those when we get them."
While not being to add to their lead, the Trojans still did not give the Panthers much breathing room until their late push to tie it.
"When you leave a team in a game like that, sometimes you get burned," Grove said.
Now Chambersburg's thought turn to Manheim Township, which defeated the Trojans 3-2 early in the season after Chambersburg zoomed to a 2-0 lead.
Grove said, "We have a lot of players who played in districts and states last year and I think that will be important going forward."
Chambersburg 3, Central York 2, OT
Central York 0 2 0 — 2
Chambersburg 2 0 1 — 3
First Half
Ch — Izhais Jean, asst. by Adrian Olvera, 36:03
Ch — Own goal, 16:11
Second Half
CY — Roberto Lozano, asst. Amos Andre, 10:18
CY — Ari Kostarelos, penalty kick, 3:30
Shots — CY 5; Chbg 21. Shots on goal — CY 2; Chbg 10. Corner kicks — CY 2; Chbg 4. Saves — CY 8 (Fernando Lozano); Chbg 1 (Drew Cover). Fouls — CY 9; Chbg 14. Yellow cards — CY 1; Chbg 1. Offsides — Chbg 4.
