Boys Soccer: Springfield’s long road yielded memorable season

CHAMBERSBURG >> Alex Fuentes leaned over the fence enclosing Chambersburg Area High School’s Trojan Field like a seasick passenger on an ocean liner. Ryan Straube sat on the turf, head in hands, separated from the loose grouping of misery that defined the Springfield sideline. Twenty minutes after Seneca Valley forward Griffin Mathew’s overtime goal dashed Springfield’s hopes of a state title and sent them tumbling to a 1-0 loss Tuesday, none of the Cougars could coax themselves to their feet. They lingered near the bench in silence, trying to forestall the harsh realization that the moment that had whisked them to Chambersburg twice in four days had vanished in a swipe of Mathew’s right leg.

Few teams escape the fate that befell Springfield Tuesday night; 99 percent of seasons end with tears, with the agonizing bus ride, with goodbyes inevitable yet dreaded. The Cougars weren’t immune from that destiny. But anyone that watched their arc through districts and states realizes that this team was different, in that ineffable way that yields success.

Springfield’s season isn’t defined by a championship, denied in the Central League, District One (both times by Conestoga) and now states. By their standards, though, the season’s accomplishments were monumental, as much for what they achieved as what the accolades meant to the group and in the context of the program’s past.

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The Springfield boys soccer team collects for its final huddle after a 1-0 loss to Seneca Valley Tuesday night in the PIAA Class AAA semifinals at Chambersburg High School.