The Susquenita boys soccer team defeated St. Joseph Catholic Academy 7-0 on Oct. 12 to finish with its best record ever in the Tri-Valley League at 10-8-1 and advance to the TVL league playoffs for the first time.

The victory set up a semifinal game against second-place Juniata on October 14, where the Blackhawks made a spirited run to the final, but fell short 1–0 when the Indians scored a goal near the middle of the second half after a hard-fought 0-0. 0 ties at halftime.

“Both teams played well,” said second-year head coach Isaac Woodring. “They got a nice shot just under the crossbar, just out of reach of (a lunge) Jonah (Buck) to score the only goal.” “Our guys gave 100% throughout the entire game.”

Under Woodring’s leadership, the Blackhawks finished third in the seven-team Tri-Valley League behind Halifax and Juniata. Susquenita pulled away from St. Joe’s taking a 6-0 halftime lead. They got two goals from junior Eric Rice (2 assists) and goals from sophomores Jacob White (1 assist) and Mason Jenkins. Junior Wyatt Milliken also scored along with seniors Connor Shank (1 assist) and Ethan Haines.

The Blackhawks faced Halifax a second time (after losing 5-0 earlier in the season) and managed to put up a better performance before succumbing 6-2 after trailing only 4-2 at halftime. They had ten shots on goal and got scores from Rice (PK) and Jenkins.

Against an undermanned East Juniata team on senior night Oct. 9, Susquenita crushed the Tigers 10-3 after taking a 9-0 halftime lead. Woodring substituted freely in the second half, including giving playing time to some JV players. The Blackhawks got four goals each from Rice and Jenkins along with scores from White and freshman Holden Leer. The assists were obtained by Rice (2), Haines and White.

Sophomore Jenkins narrowly eclipsed the Susquenita 2024 season scoring record with 49 points on 21 goals and seven assists. Goalkeeper Jonah Buck, behind a stiff defense, made 133 saves this season.

“I was a little disappointed with a couple of losses in games I thought we could have won,” Woodring said. “But overall I am happy with our progress and we can move forward from next season.”