Sentinel photo by MIKE GOSS Juniata's soccer team mobs Alex Armstrong after he scored the winning goal in Juniata's 1-0 overtime victory over BEA.

LEWISTOWN — Two legendary soccer teams met up Monday to see which one would advance to the District 6 Class 2A Championship. The Juniata boys soccer team hosted Bald Eagle at Marcal Paper Field and battled the frigid cold and each other for almost 95 minutes before a winner would be crowned.

With just 27 ticks left in the overtime, the Indians lifted a corner that was found by Alex Armstrong in the box and he sent it home to lead his team to the title tilt.

“Heading into the championship game after a game like this, it just gives you more confidence, which you already have,” said Juniata coach Jared Byler. “It gives you momentum. Our guys have found ways to win games. Overtime periods, penalty shots, close games in a back-to-back. So I feel like our guys have that confidence that no matter what the game situation is, there are no bit of nerves that set in, they are just calm, cool and collected.”

In the first half, both defenses came up large for both squads as the backline was able to cut down the outside lanes and recover well before the opposite team was able to get a good look at the goal. Bald Eagle goalie Henry Bacon put on a strong performance in the net as he was able to stop 17 shots from Juniata in the game.

It would be like a back-and-forth chess match for the first 40 minutes as each team made its runs only to be stopped in their tracks. Both were able to shoot the ball as the Indians were able to blast eight while the Eagles had five.

“First off congratulations to Coach Bair and Bald Eagle. They had a great season,” said Juniata coach Jared Byler. “The game plan they had for us worked really well for them in the first half. I felt like in the second half we made some changes. We picked up our tempo. We started winning the midfield. That whole second half was played in their end.”

Things started to change possession wise in the second as the Indians continued to push the ball at the heart of the tough Bald Eagle defense. Bacon stopped five of the 10 shots that were kicked his way and was able to make some key diving stops to keep the contest at zero.

Juniata had some chances as the combination of Arthur Hazard, Anthony Maradiaga, Daniel Lopez and Ricky Guante led the offensive charge.

Defensively, Juniata got strong games from the backline players like Caden Naylor, Hayden Burd, just to name a few.

“We got 10 or 11 shots in the second half compared to their one,” added Byler. “I was really proud that our guys stepped up their play in the second half. That momentum carried into the overtime. As well as Bald Eagle was playing it was just a matter of time.”

In the overtime session, things started as another back-and-forth race to see who could get good luck and a clear shot. The entire stanza was not for the faint of heart as each team just missed winning the game for their respective teams. However, with time ticking away and double overtime looming, the Indians got the luck they needed off of the Hazard corner when Armstrong blasted the game-winning goal, winning 1-0.

Juniata will be playing in the district championship on Thursday, weather permitting, against a team to be named later.

Juniata 1, Bald Eagle Area 0 (OT)

BEA. 0-0-0–0

JUN 0-0-1–1

Scoring

First half

None

Second half

None

Overtime

JUN – Alex Armstrong from Arthur Hazard, 0:27

Shots on goal: BEA – 23, JUN – 7.

Corners: BEA – 2, JUN – 11.

Saves: BEA – Henry Bacon 17, JUN – Nolan Imes 2.