District One 3A title game
#8 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 3, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 2 (OT)
It’s no secret the Whippets can score goals in bunches. One look at their run through the District One 3A Tournament confirms as much. In three games prior to Saturday’s district final at Methacton, the Whippets had outscored their opponents by a combined 17-2 margin.
It’s safe to say no lead is safe when playing the Whippets – the Colonials can certainly attest to that. They appeared to be in the driver’s seat when Ava Borkowski scored to give the Colonials a 2-0 lead with only 11 minutes and nine seconds separating PW from a district title.
That, however, proved to be more than enough time for the Whippets to get back in the game.
Four minutes later, Ashley Plzak scored on the right post during the Whippets ninth corner. With 2:31 remaining, Plzak all but duplicated that play, but this time the Whippets had a numbers advantage since the Colonials lost a player for leaving too soon on the initial corner attempt.
“I think we were getting frustrated,” PW senior co-captain Kayla Link said. “We were expecting a lot of corner play. I think we did well defending the corners. It was the second and third shots that we got lost on.”
The Whippets had 12 corners in the second half to two for the Colonials – they had 18 in the game while PW had five.
“They got a lot of corner opportunities, but I thought we actually played a stronger field game and had some really nice passing combinations,” PW coach Charise Halteman said. “We just didn’t possess it long enough, especially in our attacking end, to really manage the time when we were up 2-0.
“Obviously, goals are momentum changers, and for them to score that first one changed the momentum. With as many corners as they got, they’re bound to be successful on them. I thought we defended the initial hit well on corners. It was the second and third plays.”
Early in the 7v7 overtime, the Colonials had a decided edge, drawing a corner in the opening minutes. They came up empty but drew their second five minutes later. This time, the Whippets came up with the ball before the Colonials came close to getting a shot, and things went from bad to worse when a PW player drew a card and was sidelined for two minutes.
Seconds later, the Whippets were on a breakaway, and a fully extended Tatum Johnson deflected a beautiful cross from the right alley into the cage for the game-winner with 8:33 remaining in regulation.
“We were playing with one person back, and after the card we had gotten, there was no one else to help out in the back,” Link said.
“It’s a clear instance where – in overtime – one mistake or one fluke ends up killing you, and that’s kind of what happened there,” Halteman said. “I thought we were possessing. Our starters looked tired, but I thought they could handle longer on the field.”
Early on in Saturday’s district final, the Colonials stunned the Whippets, drawing a corner in the opening minute of regulation. Livia Truong fired a shot that was turned away, but Borkowski was there for the rebound.
PW took that 1-0 lead into halftime, and when they doubled that with Borkowski’s late goal, a district title was within their grasp. The Whippets, however, had other ideas, battling back for the win.
“I don’t think they necessarily had a better tactic than they did at the beginning of the game – we just kind of broke down on defense,” Link said. “After their first goal, we started feeling the pressure.
“During the regular season, we don’t really have that much experience having that close of a game, and we started to break down.”
Despite the disappointing outcome, the Colonials will look to bounce back Tuesday in the opening round of states.
“This is the first time we made it to this round since 2004, and it was really exciting for us,” Link said. “It’s good motivation going into states.
“We went into this game knowing they are a good team, but whatever happens – we know we can come out Tuesday and we can play better than we did today. I think this is a good learning experience.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (20-2, 14-0 SOL) will face District 11 runner-up Easton in Tuesday’s opening round of the PIAA 3A Tournament at Wissahickon (5 p.m.). They are looking to bounce back strong.
“We certainly started strong in the game today, scoring early,” Halteman said. “That’s a strength of our team, and we want to continue doing that through playoffs.
“We have high hopes for Tuesday but it’s definitely disappointing because we had a chance to win it.”
Downingtown West 0-2-1 3
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1-1-0 2
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