Travis Miller sets tone for Mechanicsburg boys soccer with hat trick in season opener

Mechanicsburg's Travis Miller

Travis Miller's three second-half goals paced Mechanicsburg past Northern in a season opener Saturday.

Mechanicsburg’s Travis Miller lay on the ground, tapping his feet in pain as he covered his mouth with his hands on the grass field at Northside Elementary School Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats’ captain had collided with a Northern player in a battle for the ball in the opening minute of the second half. Miller’s jaw had absorbed most of the contact.

Moments later, Miller shook it off. In the game’s 44th minute, the same feet that had tapped the turf in pain had tapped the ball into the net and launched Miller into the air during the ensuing celebration.

In the 45th minute, they did it again.

And in the 75th minute, they did it again.

Miller scored all three goals for Mechanicsburg, which turned a 1-0 halftime deficit into a 3-1 victory in a backyard rival in a tense and physical boys soccer season opener between two teams with aspirations for deep postseason runs.

“I think this gets us hype,” Miller said. “It gets us ready. This is who we want to play in the first game. It gets us ready for the season.”

Miller and the Wildcats saw their 2022 season end with a loss in the District 3 Class 4A quarterfinals to Central Dauphin, the eventual district champion.

“We have huge goals, and our coaching staff, we feel like we picked up right where we left off,” said Jo Panuccio, the Wildcats’ fourth-year head coach. “The boys are ready to go for more this year. We felt like we didn’t get enough out of last season, as much as we should have, but these boys came back with a vengeance. They’re hungry, and they’re motivated, and they’re united.”

The Wildcats lost their top two scorers from last season in Liam Stockbauer (26 goals, seven assists) and Tai San (10 goals, 16 assists), leaving this year’s team with a question mark and an opportunity.

“We knew it was going to be a big void to fill,” Panuccio said, “but the day they got here for the preseason, they stepped up. We have a number of guys who’ve become natural leaders, especially Travis. He really embraced his role as a captain. When we need him to produce, he produces.”

Miller, who scored nine goals as a junior, produced the equalizer from the goal mouth, tapping a loose ball into the net while tapping into the lessons he learned from Stockbauer when the two trained together four times a week over the summer.

“He kind of taught me what to do,” Miller said, “that natural instinct just to finish.”

Ninety-six seconds later, Miller gave the Wildcats their first lead of the season, drilling a penalty kick to his left.

“I knew at some point, they were going to put the ball in the back of the net,” said Northern coach Eric White, “But to give them another one, it was frustrating.”

Miller completed the hat trick with the Polar Bears pressing. Owen Gorinski slipped him a pass from the left sideline, and Miller punched it in for his first varsity hat trick.

“It was just relief,” Miller said. “I knew we put the game away when we scored that third goal.”

Before Miller’s hat trick, the Wildcats had to rally. Colton Swope had given the Polar Bears a lead in the latter stages of the first half with a rolling shot from about 25 yards out.

“It was good that we faced that adversity early on,” Panuccio said. “The boys were all composed. They were stoic. They didn’t flinch. They played their game, and the results showed.”

Leading the charge was Miller, the senior captain who bounced back after getting knocked down early in the second half.

“I’ve been proud of him, the way he’s stepped up mentally,” Panuccio said. “He’s also improved his game. He’s playing really well right now.”

Carlisle's Caleb Plank, left, boots the ball down the field in front of Cedar Cliff's Alphonso Orea during the first half in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Carlisle's Julien Mastrangelo, center, fends off an attempted steal from Cedar Cliff's Roman Antonucci during the first half in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Carlisle's Mohamed Daud kicks the ball down field during the first half of their game against Cedar Cliff in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Carlisle's celebrates after scoring a goal during the first half in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game against Cedar Cliff on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Cedar Cliff's Max Dameshek, left, passes the ball away from in front of Carlisle's Mohamed Daud in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Carlisle's Ian Warner, right, kicks the ball down field as Cedar Cliff's Alphonso Orea, left, applies pressure during the first half in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Carlisle's Zach Richwine, left, and Cedar Cliff's Roman Antonucci, battle for control of the ball during the first half in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Cedar Cliff's Roman Antonucci, left, makes a steal from Carlisle's Zach Richwine during the first half in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Carlisle's Ian Warner kicks the ball down field during the first half in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game against Cedar Cliff on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Carlisle's Levi Smith, left, looks for an open teammate to pass to during the first half in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game on Thursday night against Cedar Cliff at Ken Millen Stadium.

Carlisle's holds a quick conference after scoring a goal during the first half in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game against Cedar Cliff on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Carlisle's Julien Mastrangelo keeps his eye on a high bounce ball during the first half in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game against Cedar Cliff on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Carlisle's Levi Smith throws the ball in to play during the first half in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game against Cedar Cliff on Thursday night at Ken Millen Stadium.

Tim Gross is the sports editor at The Sentinel and cumberlink.com. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at: @ByTimGross

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