The Central Bucks East and Central Bucks West girls’ soccer teams will be in action in Tuesday night’s District One AAA semifinal round.
They are living the dream.
On Tuesday night, Central Bucks East and Central Bucks West will try to keep that dream alive when they compete in the PIAA Class AAA semifinals. The Patriots will continue their trek through the western part of the bracket, this time taking on District 7 runner-up Canon McMillan at Chambersburg High School (6 p.m.). The Bucks will take on District 3 runner-up Elizabethtown at Hamburg high School (7 p.m.).
Murphy leads Patriots – Kristen Murphy, a starter on last year’s state semifinalist squad, came into the season as one of just a handful of battle-tested players. Coach Paul Eisold was looking for leadership from his senior midfielder, and Murphy has delivered.
“She just has an absolute desire,” the Patriots’ coach said. “That desire shows her leadership qualities. She really does lead by example, and she also leads verbally on and off the field.”
Murphy is the outside left mid for the Patriots.
“We end up usually moving her forward at some point during the game,” Eisold said. “She has great speed, she can move quickly with the ball.
“She’s our second highest goal scorer, and she has some really crucial assists.”
With the loss to graduation of seven all-league players, Murphy admits she wasn’t sure what to expect this season.
“We had no idea where we would go considering we had lost so many seniors who were starting and really made up the entire team,” she said. “We kind of rebuilt the team, but halfway through the season, we realized – we could make it back to where we were. “
According to Murphy, there was no big turning point, nothing dramatic that changed the course of the season.
“It was definitely a growth process,” she said. “We started out a little shaky, to be honest, but as the season went on, we all started jelling and really working together and got a lot of success.”
After a 2-0 loss to Pennridge on Sept. 23, the Patriots reeled off eight straight wins to close out the regular season. Their success was a team effort with contributions from all four grades.
“We don’t really think about anyone as freshmen or sophomores,” Murphy said. “We give everybody a chance, and we really believe in everybody. From the start of the season, we had faith in everybody. We really tried to pick each other up and encourage each other just to bring out the best in everybody.”
Murphy, one of just three returning starters, admits she had to change her mindset this season.
“This year I had to step up and take more of an offensive role,” she said. “Coming into the season, we didn’t know what to expect.
“Me and the other (veterans), we felt like we had to step up and really give the team some hope and say, ‘Hey, we could be as good as last year.’”
The Patriots – who lost to eventual state champion Neshaminy in penalty kids in last year’s state semifinal – are back in the semis, and Murphy is enjoying every minute of the remarkable journey.
“This year has been the most fun I have ever had playing soccer,” she said. “It’s been so exciting, and I’ve enjoyed every single minute of it.”
Murphy acknowledged that it’s starting to hit home that her final high school season is coming down the home stretch.
“I’m taking every opportunity I get in front of the net – it could be the difference whether we win or lose,” she said. “You think more about it and you can’t take it for granted.”
Munchak making her mark – A game changer.
That’s how coach Jorge Rodriguez describes senior Emily Munchak, and on the big stage that was the Bucks’ state quarterfinal game against district champion Pennsbury, it was the senior defensive back who was the difference, all but willing her team to a win over the previously unbeaten Falcons with a goal and an assist.
“She’s a total game changer, having the ability to make huge plays on the defensive end, yet she’s technical enough to come up with a goal and an assist in the biggest game of the year,” Rodriguez said. “She came up with tackles, goal-saving blocked shots, clearing headers, countless recovery runs and still has the presence of mind to be technical when needed.”
In other words, Munchak turned in the kind of performance her coach expected of her entering the season.
“She has been a player we’ve expected big things from all year,” Rodriguez said. “She’s a very diverse player which allows us to play her in multiple positions.”
The Bucks entered district play as the 13th-seeded team. They defied their seed to finish third in the district, surprising even themselves.
“Last year we had the mentality – that was our year,” Munchak said. “We had a really good team – we had a special group of seniors.
“This year came along, as the season went along, I think we realized that we’re a really, really special team, but (getting) as far as we are, I don’t think so, but it’s awesome.”
The Bucks extended Pennsbury to overtime in the district semifinals before falling 1-0. They came back to win the third place game and have won their first two state playoff games.
“We have this saying, ‘Why not us?’” Munchak said. “There was a time (this season) we all just wanted to win, and we finally clicked.
“Losing to Pennsbury the first time gave us so much more motivation to beat them the second time. Losing to a team – you want nothing more than for them to feel the same way we did. There’s nothing more we wanted than a second chance to beat them.”
Interestingly, the Bucks will face an Elizabethtown squad in Tuesday’s state semifinal game that has been on a similar journey – ignoring their 10th seed entering the District 3 Tournament to advance to the district final.
“They’re a really, really good team but we want nothing more than to win,” Munchak sad. “We’ve had games where we come out slow in the beginning of the season, but I feel like we’re more consistent now.
“We’re just coming out intense, and everything is so intense. We don’t want to give up a goal because everything means something at this point, and it’s really affecting how we play.”
#1-3 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST vs. #3-2 ELIZABETHTOWN (at Hamburg High School, 7 p.m.)
Central Bucks West
- 18-6-1 overall
- 9-4-1 third place SOL Continental Conference
- The Bucks – behind standout goalie Grace Benton – have posted 13 shutouts this season.
- Senior Shae McCarty, a first team all-league selection as a junior, has been the catalyst on offense.
How they got here:
- In Saturday’s quarterfinal round, Mary Kate Vinkler scored the game winner, using an Emily Munchak assist, to propel the Bucks to a 2-1 win over previously unbeaten Pennsbury. Earlier, Munchak scored a goal to spot the Bucks a 1-0 lead only to watch Pennsbury’s Rachel Beri connect to knot the score.
- Shae McCarty scored a pair of goals and Tyler Burke added a single goal in CB West’s 3-0 win over District 2 champion Pittston Area in Tuesday’s state opener.
- After falling 1-0 in OT to Pennsbury in the semifinals, the Bucks rebounded to edge Council Rock South 2-1 in the third place game, using an own goal (Taylor Burke assist) as well as a goal by Jill Nolan (Mary Kate Vinkler assist).
- A goal by Sophie McKnight (Carmen Telesco assist) gave the Bucks an early lead, and when Shae McCarty connected, the Bucks led 2-0 14 minutes into their quarterfinal district game against #28 Owen J Roberts. McCarty added a second half goal for the 3-0 final.
- In a second round district game, the Bucks used a goal by Shae McCarty with 4:18 remaining in the first overtime to earn the dramatic 1-0 win over fourth-seeded Boyertown. Grace Benton had five saves in the shutout.
- In the Bucks’ 3-0 opening round district win over 20th-seeded Mount St. Joseph Academy, Shae McCarty had a pair of goals – one with an Ellie Manca assist – and Kelly Creamer added a goal and an assist.
Elizabethtown
- 18-5-1
- 11-2-1 second to Manheim Central in Lancaster-Lebanon Section 2
- 10th-seeded team entering the District 3 Tournament.
- Offense led by Madison Mohr with 50 points (17 goals, 16 assists), Talia Grynkewicz with 48 points (20 goals, 8 assists), and Rachel Engle with 29 points (12 goals, 5 assists).
How they got here:
- In Saturday’s state quarterfinal, sophomore Talia Grynkewicz scored four goals to lead the Lady Bears to a 4-2 win over District 12 champion Archbishop Ryan.
- In their state opener against District 11 champion Whitehall, the Lady Bears opened up a 3-0 halftime lead on their way to a 5-1 win. Madison Mohr led the way with two goals and two assists. Emily Bitner and Anya Goldsmith each added a goal.
- The 10th-seeded Lady Bears lost to top-seeded Cumberland Valley 2-0 in District 3 title game after upsetting #6 Hershey (3-2), #2 Lower Dauphin (2-1) and #7 Dallastown (3-0).
#1-2 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST vs. #7-2 CANON McMILLAN (at Chambersburg High School, 6 p.m.)
Central Bucks East
- 19-3-2
- 10-2-2 second place in SOL Continental Conference
- 2014 District One Class AAA runner-up
- Defense has recorded 12 shutouts, including six in a row to end regular season.
- Led offensively by dangerous junior forward Emma Loving and senior midfielder Kristen Murphy.
How they got here:
- The Patriots handed District 7 champion Seneca Valley its first loss in 24 games, rallying from an early 1-0 deficit to earn a 2-1 win in overtime. Danielle DeMichael Kristen Murphy assist) scored the equalizer. With three minutes remaining in overtime, freshman Delaney Kennedy turned a Paige Weiss corner kick into the game winner.
- In Tuesday’s state opener, East opened up a 1-0 lead after a goal by Kristen Murphy only to watch Ephrata knot the score in the 44th minute. Twenty minutes later Maddie Myrtetus scored the game winner.
- The Patriots gave Pennsbury all it could handle in the District One AAA title game before falling 2-0 on a pair of late goals.
- In their 3-0 semifinal win over Council Rock South, the Patriots received a pair of goals from Emma Loving and a single goal by Danielle DeMichael – all in the second half – to earn a spot in the district final.
- The Patriots rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to score three goals in a dazzling six-minute span in the first half to go on top 3-1 on their way to a 4-1 win over 10th-seeded Conestoga. Freshman Kate Schlotter (Hannah Zach assist) scored the equalizer, and junior Emma Loving connected for the hat trick, two with Kristen Murphy assists.
- After an opening round bye, the Patriots opened up a 2-0 lead – thanks to a pair of Loving goals – on their way to a 2-1 win over 18th-seeded West Chester East in second round district play.
Canon McMillan
- 18-4-1 overall
- 9-3 third place in WPIAL Section 4
- Defense led by all-state goalie Kyra Murphy and Sydney Keremes. Both will be taking their talents to Duquesne University.
- Offense led by sophomore trio of Sabrina Bryan, Aideen O’Donoghue and Cheyenne Trest.
How they got here:
- The Big Macs rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit to defending state runner-up Spring-Ford 2-1. Alena Poljak turned a Sabrina Bryan cross into the equalizer, and Allison Oddi’s goal with 4:16 remaining turned out to be the game winner.
- In the Big Macs’ state opener, Sabrina Bryan scored four goals while teammates Abby Gillespie, Allie Thomas and Lauren Hess each added single goals in Canon McMillan’s 7-0 win over District 6 champion State College. Bryan gave the Macs a 1-0 lead 13:18 into the game, and the Macs scored three goals in the final 13 minutes of the half to take a 4-0 lead into the intermission.
- The Macs fell to Seneca Valley 1-0 in the WPIAL Class AAA title game.
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