Coming in as the AAA No. 2 seed, the Dragons were looking to notch their third win of the season against the third-seeded Bulldogs, but fell in a 3-2 nailbiter.

Early and constant pressure was seen by Meadville to start the game. However, Warren’s Quinn Norris managed a perfect through ball to Gabe Dougherty, who found Jack Chapman. Chapman then buried the ball into the back of the net just 9:58 into the game for the first score.

Meadville responded just over three minutes later when they netted a left-footer from outside of the 18-yard line. Warren turned the tables and gave Meadville some of the pressure and managed to control and possess the ball as the first-half clock winded down.

But with only three minutes left in the first half, Warren fell victim to a handball inside the box. Meadville capitalized as it scored via penalty kick to take a 2-1 lead at halftime.

Photo courtesy of Mark Evans Warren’s Quinn Norris evades a sliding tackle by Meadville’s Seamus Miller.

At 14:09 into the second half, Chapman was tripped in the box and Quinn Norris tied the game with a penalty kick of his own. Just 33 seconds later, a miscue on Warren’s end led to a point-blank shot that went past goalkeeper Adon Maier.

Warren stayed aggressive for the rest of the game but could not find the back of the net. Meadville held on for the victory and will play General McLane for the AAA title.

“It didn’t go our way tonight and it always hurts to come up short of your goal, but we’re so proud of this team and the fight they’ve shown all season,” Warren head coach Steffen Blair said. “This is a special group of boys that approach the game the right way. They’ve made such a great impact on this program that will be felt for years to come, and it’s an honor to be their coach.”

Steals leaders for Warren were Quinn Norris with 30, Bryce Grolemund with 28 and Trey Carrington with 25.