With both the boys and girls soccer seasons in the fall for the first time this year, the 32nd Annual Lions All-Star Soccer Classic was played nearly six months after the final kick for many local high school seniors.

The Mountain Valley Conference/Colonial League boys gave up three goals in losing 3-0 to the Lehigh Valley Conference all-stars. The girls teams tied 2-2 in a rain-shortened game. Both games were played last Sunday afternoon at Whitehall High School.

With the long layoff since the last time these players stepped on a soccer field, it was expected that there would be some rust. And most of the players have never played with their teammates before, except on opposing sides.

For the first fifteen minutes the teams tested each other out and just tried to get back into the flow of soccer.

In the 17th minute, two Emmaus Green Hornets connected on a nice aerial pass down the sidelines. Ben Rhoda chipped a ball over the defense to a running AJ Bishop. Bishop eluded two defenders and laid off a pass to Parkland's Nick Hutchinson, who ripped a shot into the back of the net for the first goal of the game.

Rhoda got his name onto the score sheet just a little over two minutes later.

Starting in the back of the defense, Salisbury's Tyler Lake. Lake was a backbone to the Falcons defense during the 2012 season.

"I had a great experience, especially playing with the great competition and at a high level," said Lake. "Everyone is really good and it was great getting to know them."

In the second half, Baidy Ba from Freedom stole an attempted back pass to the goalkeeper and took one quick dribble to elude the goalie and put away the third and final goal.

The MVC/Colonial team had their chances, but could not capitalize. Team offensive MVP Jordan Ellison of Stroudsburg saw a couple of shots get saved into the hands of the LVC goaltenders.

Other notable area players that competed include Lake's teammate Kevin Barahona, who started in the midfield. Sean Adams was injured, but was able to take in the atmosphere.

"I was glad to get to represent Salisbury," noted Lake. "It stinks the way our season ended, but it was good to get back out here."

In the girls game, the scoring was higher and at a quicker pace. In the fifth minute Pleasant Valley's Maria Cimino ripped a shot off the crossbar that just stayed out of the net. Just two minutes later, Callie Duliba of Palisades snuck a low shot under the legs of the LVC goalie Victoria Ruvolis for the first goal of the game.

Lightning forced a 45-minute delay at the end of the first half. With just a 20-minute shortened second half, the teams combined for three goals.

Whitehall's Kayla Cunningham tallied her first eight minutes into the half. Dianna Connor of Pleasant Valley brought her team back into the lead with a ten yard strike. But Cunningham, playing on her home turf, didn't want to go down with a loss in her last career high school game at Zephyr stadium. She leveled the score with just two minutes to play, and the teams ended at a 2-2 draw.

Notable Colonial League performers included Megan Hrebik and Marisa Strunk of Salisbury. Hrebik started in the defensive third, and Strunk played at the outside midfield.

"I just went out there to have fun," said Hrebik, who was coming off a basketball season where she scored her 1,000th point.

"I didn't really have to work on anything because it was just one game. It's a transition though because I'm so much more used to basketball. I liked coming together with the girls from around the Colonial League and Mountain Valley. It was a good experience and I'm glad I was chosen to participate."