One little mistake.

That’s what Pleasant Valley head soccer Issac Blagogee attributed his team’s hard-fought 1-0 overtime loss against top-seeded Parkland in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinals Thursday night.

The fifth-seeded Bears were coming off an emotional 1-0 win over fourth-seeded Northampton on Tuesday.

Parkland’s Ryan Bender struck with the game’s lone goal seven minutes into the overtime period.

The Trojans, who defeated Pocono Mountain East 1-0 in the quarterfinals, moved to 18-1.

Blagogee expected a tussle all night, but he thought his club could again capture some magic. The Bears recorded 13 shots on goal.

“It was a very tight game,” said Blagogee. “Both teams went back and forth, and ended up going into overtime.

“They scored when we didn’t get back in time to delay the ball on the outside. We let them play the ball in the middle on top of the 18, the danger zone. They played us very well. It was very unlucky for us this time.”

Senior captain and center defensive midfielder Dominic Balzano felt his team took a step ahead despite the defeat.

“It hurts to lose like that in overtime, especially after playing 85 minutes of soccer,” said Balzano. “We remained extremely disciplined for the whole game.

“We came out and proved why we should be respected even though we came up short.”

Fellow senior center attack midfielder David Halla believed his team could walk away topping the top seed. He admitted that his team has somewhat changed its style, but they don’t plan to totally deviate from it.

“It was a tough game, but I thought we had it,” he said. “We really gave it to them.

“While playing in the playoffs, we had to shift our playing style a little bit to be more defensive against the top teams. However, we still look to play our brand of soccer, which is passing and moving constantly, trying to find open space and exploit to our benefit.”

Senior goalie Zach Prator, who notched 12 saves, saw everything he had anticipated from the clash. He also watched a valiant effort from his teammates.

“Parkland played tough, as expected,” said Prator. “We prepared for this game and had a few chances to score, but we couldn’t put the ball in the net. Our defense played phenomenally, but unfortunately Parkland had a beautiful strike that earned them a spot in the EPC finals.”

The Bears will have a rematch at Northampton Wednesday evening in the opening round of the District 11 Class 4A playoffs. Like their past two games, the Bears see another low-scoring, grinder ahead.

“We are aware they (Northampton) will play us harder than they did previously,” added Balzano. “We know we can play against any of those seven teams in the playoffs.”

Prator knows revenge will be on the Kids’ mind.

“Moving forward, we will continue to train for another big game against Northampton,” he said. “We understand Northampton wants to get back at us, and we plan to match their intensity.

“It will be a tough rematch, but losing in the first round of districts is not an option for Pleasant Valley.”

Like his players, Blagogee is confident his team can go deep into districts. His team’s consistent play has convinced him. The Bears have a 14-4-2 mark heading toward districts.

“We have been playing like this all season, so we really didn’t peak,” said Blagogee, now in his third season at the helm. “This is our best season yet.

“Northampton is never an easy game. They have great players with a great team, but we are also playing well. It will be a great game.”

ON THE RISE ... In Blagogee’s tenure, Pleasant Valley has posted a 9-8 record in 2022, and a 12-8 slate last season. The Bears were 10-8-2 in 2021.