WOBURN — It looked like it was happening in slow motion for Will Baltas.
The St. John’s (Shrewsbury) senior waited for a ball to drop as he jostled for position in the box. He took it down perfectly, settling to his left foot. And with a finish at the near post, he provided the most important goal of his high school career.
His second-half strike put the eighth-seeded Pioneers ahead for good as part of a 3-2 win over No. 4 St. John’s Prep in a Division 1 semifinal at Woburn High, securing the program’s first trip to the state final since 2007.
“We deserve to be here,” Baltas said. “We’ve worked really hard throughout the season. We’ve had some ups and downs, but we’re the team.”
The Pioneers (16-6-0) will face the winner of No. 14 Xaverian vs. No. 31 Newton North Saturday at Worcester State (5:30 p.m.).
Senior Seta Tah put the Pioneers on top 13 minutes in, after he pounced on an aerial rebound and headed it past Prep goalie Matthew Droggitis. It came after St. John’s fought off a wave of early pressure from the Eagles (16-2-4).
Junior Garrison Murphy equalized late in the half for the Eagles, fending off a defender and slotting a finish far side.
But in the second half, the Pioneers came out with an explosion of pressure. They controlled the opening minutes before Baltas put them back in front 17 minutes into the second half. Freshman Daniel Kristo doubled the advantage five minutes later.
“He’s a talent,” SJS coach Kurt Swanbeck said of Baltas.
The Pioneers generated plenty of opportunities to add to the lead, but Droggitis stood in the way, finishing with nine saves. Junior James Minor converted a late penalty for St. John’s Prep, but the Pioneers held the pressure off in the final minutes to edge Prep, which won both regular-season matches.
“You know you’re going to have a battle back and forth, up and down,” Swanbeck said of playing their Catholic Conference rival. “For a fan’s perspective, talk about excitement.”
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