The Tyrone Golden Eagle soccer team will face Hollidaysburg in the AAA District 6 Championship game on Monday, October 28 at St. Francis University in Loretto. 

This is the second year in a row that the Eagles will make a district championship game appearance.

Last year the Golden Eagles fell short to Bellefonte 2-1 in the championship game.

In the semifinal round last year Tyrone pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season by beating Hollidaysburg 2-1. 

“The game obviously will be in a different venue. The atmosphere will be the same. Intense, loud, and filled with pressure.I believe the result will be the biggest difference,” said head coach Alex Bartlett 

This will be the second match up of the year for these two teams after a regular season meeting in which Tyrone fell to the Tigers 3-0. However, in that game the Eagles were without Bellwood junior Alex Taylor, who has been injured for the majority of the season.  Since his return the Tyrone defense has improved immensely. 

The Hollidaysburg Tigers are coming into this game after losing two games in a row, to Lower Dauphin and State College. The Eagles have to take advantage of that by attacking the Hollidaysburg defense early since the Tigers have not been used to losing this year.         

The Tyrone defense will have their work cut out for them on Monday though. Hollidaysburg’s high caliber offense will be looking to attack the back line often in this match up.  

The key players to look for are Hollidaysburg’s three offensive threats who each have netted multiple goal this season.

Senior forward Jacob Roach has scored 12 goals this season. Another key threat is sophomore midfielder Braden Callahan with 11 goals this season. The last big threat is senior midfielder Drew DeSort who has netted 6 goals on the season. Drew also has 10 assists his season. 

If Tyrone is looking to win this game, they will have to keep their defensive mistakes to a minimum so the Tiger offense can’t get chances on goal. Tyrone will also have to build up their offensive attack to get the ball into the box to break the form of Hollidaysburg’s defense. If Tyrone does these things and plays simple, this will be a great game.

“We need to carry out our game plan, come in with a fierce mindset, and enjoy the moment. I’m confident if we follow through with our game plan, we will have a good chance to win the game. And if our mindset is where it needs to be, I can guarantee a great game,” said Bartlett. 

This Eagles team is hoping to make their mark in Tyrone soccer history by becoming the first team to win the AAA District 6 Championship in program history.   

The game will take place at Saint Francis. Kickoff is set to take place at 8:00. There will be a fan bus for any student planning to go to the game. The cost is $2 per student which must be paid at  the athletic office by the end of the school day on Thursday. Students are also responsible for the purchase of their own ticket. The bus will leave the school at 6:30. The theme for the dog pound is whiteout.