CONESTOGA 5, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1
Conestoga’s Emma McGillis scored a pair of early goals, and before six minutes had elapsed in Friday’s District One AAA third place game at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, the Bucks found themselves on the short end of a 2-0 score. A week earlier, in their district quarterfinal game against Mount St. Joseph Academy, the Bucks found themselves in a similar situation and rallied for the win.
There would be no comeback on this day, and after winning 20 straight games without a loss, the Bucks dropped their second game in as many outings.
The Pioneers – who held a 13-3 advantage in shots in the opening half – took a 3-0 lead into halftime. Midway through the second half, the Pioneers tacked on a goal and upped their lead to 5-0 before Cadera Smith tipped in a Bryn Boylan shot on a corner with just over a minute remaining.
The Bucks (20-2, 14-0 SOL) will be on the road for Tuesday’s PIAA Class AAA opener when they will take on District 2 champion Coughlin at a site and time to be determined.
"The big thing we've been talking to the kids about is how are you going to respond to a loss," coach Courtney Lepping said. "We hoped for a little better response today to our first loss.
"Maybe it was the fact that it was a three-four game – I don't know if that had anything to do with their mindset, but we have to get our minds back right in order to be successful at states. Just making states with this team isn't enough. We've got to do more, but we've got to play better to achieve that."
Conestoga 3-2 5
Central Bucks West 0-1 1
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