Central Bucks South advanced to the final four of the PIAA Class AAA Tournament, thanks to Saturday’s 2-1 win over Downingtown East in a quarterfinal game.
And then there were four.
Central Bucks South, thanks to its 2-1 win over Downingtown East, is part of an elite foursome that includes a pair of District 3 powers – Palmyra and Penn Manor – and District 11 powerhouse Emmaus.
“Oh my gosh, we’re really excited,” junior Lauren Zakrewski said. “We didn’t expect to get this far, and we’re really happy that we made it, and we’re hoping to keep going.”
“It’s amazing,” senior Maggie Walsh added. “It’s just so exciting for our team. We just keep playing our best, and that’s what really matters.
“I’m not sure when the last time South was in the semifinals, but I know they haven’t been there for a while, and it’s really exciting and really awesome for our team.”
It took a standout effort for the Titans to earn a win over Downingtown East in Saturday’s state quarterfinal game at West Chester Henderson High School.
“I was very pleased,” coach Brittany Grzywacz said. “The girls were really stepping up and were first to every ball, denying their forwards from receiving it, and the backs did a really good job of stepping in front of their players.
“They were a very dangerous team. They were very powerful with stick-to-stick passing, and it was a very fast-paced game. Their passes were very hard, and it took us being able to step up and intercept to contain that.”
Once again corners were golden for the Titans, who converted two of them into goals, both in the second half.
“They were both perfectly executed corners,” Grzywacz said. “That’s something we look to do when we get in the circle is draw the corner, see how their defensive unit is looking and play off it from there.
“We were able to do that today – just seeing where they weren’t covering and trying to attack those weaknesses using our offensive corners.”
And use their corners they did.
After a scoreless first half that saw the Titans control play, it was the Emily Cliggett-Corrine Kenney connection putting South on the scoreboard at the 11:57 mark with the Titans’ corner striker turning Cliggett’s insert pass into a goal.
Four minutes later, it was Zakrewski connecting for a goal that proved to be the game winner when – from the post – she deflected a drive by Kenney into the cage.
“We practice them a lot,” Zakrewski said. “When we get the chance to get a corner in the game, we feel that we’re going to be able to execute and do what we need to do to get the ball in the back of the cage.
“At first going into it, we were nervous, but we know how to play the game, and we have confidence in our skills. We kept up our intensity the whole game, and as long as we kept up our energy, we knew how to play with them.”
The Cougars didn’t go down quietly, connecting on a corner of their own with 3:45 remaining.
“When they scored, it was 2-1, and they really stepped up and put the gas on even more,” Grzywacz said. “In the last minutes of the game, they were really coming hard and really had us playing in our defensive 25.
“Coming in their offensive 25, they were looking to hit the ball hard rather than hitting it hard and getting a tip. They were a good team. It almost seemed like they stepped on the gas really hard the last five minutes of the game.”
Not to be overlooked was a standout defensive effort by the Titans.
“At practice this week, we worked on approaching the players outside of the circle,” Walsh said. “That was our biggest focus for our defense, and I think we did a good job with that overall.
“We were also trying to double team a little bit and contain the offense while they had the ball.”
The win, according to Zakrewski, was a team effort.
“We got the ball up the sidelines a lot – Steph (Litzenberger) was bringing it down the left, and Lexi (Milanesi) was dribbling it down the right and sending it in,” Zakrewski said. “Emily (Cliggett) was doing a good job of bringing it up the center.
“Corrine (Kenney) was bringing it out of the backfield, and Sam (Bodo) was there to stop everyone. Our whole defense kept the ball out of the center. I think everyone was just doing their jobs the way they should be and keeping the ball out of our circle. I think most of the game we had it up offensively.”
The Titans held an 12-8 edge in shots and a 13-8 advantage in corners. Goalie Sarah Zeszotarski was credited with four saves, one of them a game changer.
“She had a great game,” Grzywacz said. “She had a really good play where she came out really far and cleared it really nice.”
“Sam Bodo did great in the backfield, really coming up with a lot of interceptions and keeping that composure to make the outlet passes that we needed. The backs did a really good job of when they did come up with the ball.
“We had the intensity that we needed from the start of the game. We were really stepping to the ball and making the cuts we needed to make and were playing that one step up and that little bit quicker pace. I think that’s what made the difference.”
The Titans (21-3) will face District 3’s third place team, Penn Manor, in Tuesday’s state semifinal. Penn Manor upset defending state champion and District 3 champion Lower Dauphin 1-0.
Downingtown East 0-1 1
Central Bucks South 0-2 2
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