The Lancaster Mennonite Blazers defeated the unbeaten Bentworth Bearcats 1-0 in OT to capture PIAA Class 1A boys soccer championship.

The match was played at Cumberland Valley’s Eagle View Stadium on Friday Nov. 15, 2024.

Msafiri Amisi (number 7) has been the main attraction for Lancaster Mennonite’s boys soccer team this year, bagging 20 goals and pushing the Blazers to the PIAA Class A championship game against Bentworth on Friday evening.

The Bearcats did well to quiet him for most of the match, but with one swing of the right boot, he made his goal tally hit 21 and more importantly crowned Lancaster Mennonite as the state champions with the golden goal in extra time.

The Blazers (17-3-3) and the Bearcats (22-1) were stuck in a scoreless deadlock before Amisi was fouled right outside the penalty area just under 10 minutes into extra time. From about 20 yards out, the senior made the free kick his last in his high school career, firing a laser into the bottom right corner that a professional goalkeeper would be hard-pressed to stop.

“It felt very good to get that goal,” Amisi said. “I knew that it was golden goal and that it might be the only chance I would get, so I had to take it. … After practice I would stay and work on my free kicks a lot for moments like this. They’re not always perfect, but I always practice them.”

Practice made perfect in the biggest moment of his career to crown Lancaster Mennonite as the state champions for the second time and first time since 2011.

The Blazers finished second in the PIAA District 3 Class 1A Tournament:

L-L League Standings 2024: