Local Sports

Brackbill’s hat trick lifts Tigers

WILLIAMSPORT -- Jake Brackbill plays an aggressive brand of soccer.

He closes with force to 50/50 balls and isn't afraid to throw his body at players to create space. Those traits were utilized throughout Saturday's District 4 Class A contest against Millville.

Brackbill scored the first goal of the match and dominated the midfield to help No. 5 East Juniata (10-6-3) defeat No. 4 Millville (11-8), 4-0, to advance.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak, gave East Juniata its first postseason win over Millville in three tries, and put the rest of the Class A field on notice.

"We really wanted to come out and win this game," Brackbill said. "We just wanted to come out strong. The defense really set the tone."

Millville posted two shot opportunities in the entire match with only one going directly on the goal.

"We have lots of players who are capable of using their bodies and being physical," East Juniata coach Cory Fronk said. "Our defenders deserve a ton of credit today. They are very physical players. They all did a good job containing things going forward."

Brackbill pressured any Millville player close to him with the ball. He was the difference in the midfield as he pushed by defenders and intercepted passes to stop runs.

East Juniata's offense was relentless throughout the first half. The Tigers posted five shots and had all the quality attempts over the course of the first 40 minutes.

"He's been scoring a ton of goals for us all year," Fronk said. "He just has a real talent for freeing himself up to get shots off. That first goal was something very typical of him."

Brackbill beat his defender in the opening 10 minutes of the second half to officially double his efforts at goal. He beat his mark then appeared to go wide with his attempt. The keeper bit and Brackbill tucked a quick shot into the near post for a three-goal advantage for the Tigers.

"He's a bigger guy," Millville coach Wyatt Smith said of Brackbill. "He holds his ball well at his feet and makes a turn well. He's just hard to cover."

His third came just before the game crossed into the final 10 minutes of the match. He broke away from his defender and pushed a quick shot to the middle of the goal. The low shot beat the keeper before he could fall on it.

Owen Dressler doubled the Tigers first-half effort less than five minutes after Brackbill got the game's initial goal.

Dressler controlled a feed from Brady Roe to tuck a low shot into the goal. East Juniata continued to pressure throughout the first half, forcing a corner in the final 10 minutes to produce a scoring chance.

Brackbill nearly recorded his second goal of the match on a late free kick just outside the 18.

East Juniata used a nifty ball fake to create an open lane for Brackbill. The shot beat the keeper but connected with the crossbar.

With the victory, East Juniata will face the top seed in Northumberland Christian (12-2) at Central Columbia High School on Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

No. 5 East Juniata 4, No. 4 Millville 0

EJ 2 2--4

MILL 0 0--0

Goals: EJ--Jake Blackbill (unassisted), 11:55; EJ--Owen Dressler (Brady Roe), 15:09; EJ--Jake Brackbill (unassisted), 48:22; EJ--Jake Brackbill (unassisted), 66:33.

Shots: EJ--12, MILL--2. Shots on goal: EJ--6, MILL--1. Corners: EJ--2, MILL--2. Saves: EJ--(Kobe Bonnell) 1, MILL--(Aaron Hack) 2. Fouls: EJ--4, MILL--16. Cards: EJ--none, MILL--none.