Going into the WPIAL boys' soccer playoffs, Greensburg Central Catholic was the only team with a perfect record against other district Class A competition.

Every other section champion had at least one loss or tie against a Class A opponent this season.

So why were the Centurions (19-4) only a No. 4 seed in the tournament and not the No. 1? GCC's only four losses occurred against Class AAA or AA playoff teams.

That became a moot point after the Centurions topped No. 2 Springdale, 2-1, in the Class A title match Saturday at Elizabeth Forward.

"It doesn't matter," coach Tom Kennedy said. "Whoever they tell you to play, you've got to play them. So you can't worry about your seeding. We just approached it like that."

No. 1 seed Quaker Valley was upset by 2008 WPIAL/PIAA champion Seton-LaSalle in the quarterfinals. Greensburg Central Catholic eliminated the Rebels, 1-0, in the semifinals.

Thus far, Greensburg C.C. is 19-0 against Class A competition. The Centurions blanked District 6 champion Penns Valley, 2-0, in the first round of the PIAA tournament on Tuesday.

Greensburg Central Catholic had a 17-2 record last season and a higher seed, but failed to qualify for the PIAA because it was upset in an early-round game by Bishop Canevin, 3-1.

"We thought we should have [won the WPIAL] last year, but we got beat by a better team on that night in the quarters, so we had that to stew on all year," said Kennedy who also coached GCC to back-to-back WPIAL titles in 2003-04.

GCC led, 1-0, at halftime against Springdale on a goal by Brad Appelby, who headed in a shot via a corner kick taken by Ryland Smith. The Centurions deserved the lead because they dominated the action.

"We practice corner kicks and set plays all the time," Kennedy said. "But once you get in the game, there are [opponents] who want the ball [on set plays] as badly as we do, trying to knock it away, so you just go with the flow and hope for the best."

Nursing a one-goal lead in the title game, Greensburg C.C. scored an insurance tally by Daniel Szekely. Tim Wood set up Szekely on a breakaway that led to a 2-0 lead with 3:31 left in regulation. Szekley lobbed a bouncing ball into an open net.

Springdale (15-2-3) scored with 28.8 seconds left to cut it to 2-1. R.J. Andrasy scored on a one-touch shot from close range.

"I knew we needed one more," Kennedy said. "I told our guys to play like we're down, 1-0, don't play it like we're up, 1-0. We've scored almost 100 goals this year. We could do it. It was just a matter of taking care of business. That's one of our mottos this year -- 'Take Care of Business.'"

GCC had a strong returning defensive nucleus from last season, led by senior defenders Ryan Gongaware, Woody Griffith and Chris Brown.

Junior goalkeeper Nick Draghi, a first-year starter, played like a veteran and recorded 10 shutouts. Other senior starters who erased previous postseason disappointments are forward Tim Wood, midfielder/forward Ethan Shula and center midfielder Rooney Columbus.

"We've had a great group of guys the past two seasons, but we choked in the playoffs," said Shula, a captain and four-year starter.

"With some senior leadership and great goalkeeping, we were able to finally get that win. There have been a lot of good teams here that haven't won [a WPIAL title], which shows you how hard it is. We had a good draw this year. It was gratifying to beat Seton-LaSalle because they knocked us out [6-0] in the semi's my freshman year. "

As a seventh grader, Shula remembers watching the 2004 title team and drew inspiration from that to continue the winning tradition at the school.

"I didn't really know any of those players back then, but I knew before I got here, that Rooney and Tim were coming here and they're great players, so I felt we had a great shot at doing something special," Shula said.

Greensburg Central Catholic goalie Nick Draghi makes a save Saturday in the WPIAL Class AA championship. The Springdale attacker is Evan Winklmann. Greensburg Central Catholic won the game, 2-1.

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