Central Bucks East knocked off District 7 champion Seneca Valley 2-1 in overtime to earn a spot in the PIAA Class AAA semifinals. Photos provided by Jerry Hankins.
It’s a return trip to the PIAA Class AAA semifinals for Central Bucks East.
Last year’s trip was not completely unexpected, this year’s was.
“We had two starting seniors, we had three returning players from last year, but that’s how good a quality these players have been,” coach Paul Eisold said. “Even though last year the majority of them were reserves, they’re also picking up the system, they’re understanding the expectations, and they’re able to fulfill those.
“Right now, we’re rolling right along, and things are clicking, and things are working.”
The Patriots needed to rally from behind to earn a dramatic 2-1 overtime win over previously undefeated Seneca Valley on Saturday night at Chambersburg High School.
“I am just so happy, and I feel like we deserve this,” senior Danielle DeMichael said. “We have been working really hard, and we find a way to win no matter what.
“Even when we were down today. I had faith in everybody that we would find a way to come back.”
“It feels so good,” Katie Dolf added. “It’s awesome that we did it last year, and we can continue on the tradition.”
The game didn’t start out on the most promising of notes as Seneca Valley had the better of play in the opening half and got on the scoreboard in the 31st minute on a goal by Sarah Anderson.
“For the first 20 minutes, I felt they had the better of play,” Eisold said. “It really took our girls a while to settle in.
“We gave up a really poor goal with 15 minutes left in the first half. We just had a breakdown on the right side. A little miscommunication, and the girl was able to shoot. It kind of caught us off guard.”
Seneca Valley took that 1-0 lead into halftime.
“It took us a while to figure out their system,” Eisold said. “They did a really nice job, they actually had some really good possessions, changing the point of the attack.
“We just kind of sat back, and they were dictating the game. They had the better part of the first half possession-wise, although we had the better chances. They never really had a good chance other than their goal.”
“It was tough,” said Dolf, who turned away six shots in goal in a winning effort. “We had never seen them play.
“We saw a video of their past games, and it was really interesting seeing how they set up and their formations. It was definitely difficult defending that, but after a while, we got used to it.”
Still, Seneca Valley’s 1-0 lead loomed large, considering the Screaming Eagles had 16 shutouts on their resume and had outscored their opponents 97-8.
“We knew we still had a chance,” Dolf said. “It was only the first half. We knew we had to pick each other up and work as a team. It was early in the game.”
Ten minutes into the second half, DeMichael turned a Kristen Murphy assist into the equalizer.
“Since they had a different formation, we had to adjust with who to mark and when to push up, when to defend, but ultimately, through communication, we figured it out,” DeMichael said. “Once one person makes a spark in the game, it fuels everybody else. Coach says – energy fuels energy, and when we have a lot of heart, that’s what really carries the team.”
DeMichael’s goal would be the extent of the scoring for either team in the second half.
“The second half we really took it to them,” Eisold said. “We went at them much better. We were more physical, we were more dominant in the air, and we were just putting on the pressure.
“We scored early in the second half, which was really helpful. The remainder of the second half we were all over them creating chances. We had two really nice chances that they saved – one was on the goal line. They just hung in there defensively, but you could just feel the tide shifting. We were getting more and more opportunities, and we were getting behind them.”
With three minutes remaining in the first overtime period, the Patriots capitalized on a Paige Weiss corner kick with freshman Delaney Kennedy finding the back of the net for the game winner.
“I was really excited when she scored – I was crying tears of joy,” DeMichael said. “It was so awesome because I knew she had it in her.
“I was telling her during the game, ‘This is your game.’ It’s cool because this year we don’t really care what age anybody is. If you can do it, do it. She totally just proved herself. It’s awesome.”
According to Eisold, the Screaming Eagles actually had the better of play in overtime.
“The overtime they were really possessing the ball, they were moving the ball nicely, changing the point of attack, and we were kind of hanging in, hanging in,” he said. “We were getting forward, and that’s when we got the corner service, and we were able to convert that. That was huge for us.”
Kennedy’s goal vaulted the Patriots into the state semifinals for the second time in as many years.
“Everyone was saying it’s a rebuilding year,” Dolf said. “We weren’t expected to go this far, but the team just keeps showing through and playing their hearts out.
“All the practices have finally paid off. Everyone is doing well together. This team is really close. We’re all jelling, the defense is playing well and we’re capitalizing on our chances.”
Eisold acknowledged the performances of several players.
“Danielle DeMichael was absolutely huge for us tonight,” he said. “Her work, scoring that goal was just tremendous.
“Kate Schlotter was just super fantastic. She was just shredding up the defense. We have two starting freshmen that are not playing like freshmen right now. Delaney and Kate are playing like seniors. Delaney scored the game winner, and Kristen Murphy was fabulous as well with the assists, and that’s not to mention the other players – Emma Loving and Paige Weiss and Emily Horn.
“It seems like everybody is getting involved in a different game to help produce for the betterment of the team, and when that happens, it’s just terrific. It’s not one player, and when you spread the wealth around, people are getting involved.”
The Patriots will face District 7 runner-up Canon-McMillan in a semifinal game on Tuesday. Canon-McMillan defeated defending state runner-up Spring-Ford 2-1 in a quarterfinal game.
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