Grant Russo scored one goal and assisted another while Gus Canizares provided an eight-save shutout Friday as Hazleton Area claimed the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 boys soccer title with a 4-0 victory over Dallas in a playoff game at Berwick’s Crispin Field.
Gavin Huey and Angelo Paniaqua scored for a 2-0 halftime lead. Russo and Radames Cordero scored in the second half.
The title for Hazleton Area came after the Cougars started the season 0-3, including 0-2 in the division with a loss to Dallas.
Hazleton Area (10-6 overall) recovered to finish 8-4 in the division, which is the same winning percentage as the 7-3-2 mark produced by Dallas.
Dallas (9-5-2) is the top seed for the District 2 Class 3A playoffs while Hazleton Area is the second seed in the District 2-4 Class 4A Subregional. Both tournaments have quarterfinals Monday, semifinals Wednesday and finals Friday.
The boys soccer tournaments have quarterfinals scheduled Monday, semifinals Wednesday and finals Friday.
