Peters Township scored a first half goal, and that goal stood as the defending state champions held off Pennridge to earn the 1-0 win and the 2011 PIAA Class AAA title. To view action photos of the game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
HERSHEY -- Members of the Pennridge girls’ soccer team could be excused for showing a lack of enthusiasm as they posed for team pictures following Saturday's PIAA Class AAA Final against Peters Township.
Eyes red and swollen from crying were in abundance, smiles scarce, as the Rams held aloft a trophy adorned with the word they didn't want to see -- "Runner-Up" -- and wore medallions that were not the color they sought.
The gleam of the silver medals did little to ease the pain of coming away with a 1-0 loss to Peters Township in the championship game despite a solid first half and a dominant second-half effort.
"We kept fighting the whole game," said senior Stevi Parker, fighting back tears. "I think that we believed we were going to get the tying goal and we had plenty of chances. I guess luck just wasn't on our side today. We had the ball in their half the whole (second half), and we had so many opportunities and we couldn't finish them. It was just frustrating for us because we knew we were on the verge of scoring, we just couldn't get it in.
"I'm just really proud of our team and how we didn’t give up the whole game. We fought until the last second. I'm just really proud of everybody. We came out and played as a team and that's what we've been doing all season. We played together today, it just wasn't our day."
Despite falling behind 1-0 in the 29th minute, Pennridge gave the defending state champion Indians everything they could handle in the second half. The Rams dominated possession in the second half, outshot the Indians 9-0 in the final 40 minutes (12-3 for the game) and had four corner kicks, but were unable to find the answer to the Peters defense or goalkeeper Megan Parker.
"We tried the 4-3-3, switched up our formation to see if we could get more players up top, and it definitely worked for us," said junior Natalia Pinkney. "We got more attack, kept getting shots off, but finishing wasn't there for us today."
Pinkney and freshman Marissa Sheva used their speed to move down the sidelines, and the aggressive, physical Rams kept the Indians scrambling throughout the second half.
"Even though our team looks small, we're a strong, physical team," Pinkney said. "If we see a 50/50, we're going to go all-out to get to that ball and if we draw a foul, we get back and defend, but we do all we can to get it."
Sheva launched several shots from the sidelines, Parker had several chances that just went wide of the post or over the crossbar and Sarah Wiley had a stellar chance with 13 minutes left when she beat the Peters keeper to a loose ball deep in the offensive end but her shot from a tough angle soared wide. Megan Shenk and Audrey Butcher also had late opportunities that just went wide of the Indians' net.
"The second half they did an outstanding job of keeping possession of the ball and just being there and staying in the game," said assistant coach Audrey Anderson, who guided the team in the absence of head coach Jorge Rodriguez. "They could have given up, but they didn’t. They kept playing."
"We were definitely upset at halftime," Sheva said. "Some people were down, but the captains did a great job of keeping us focused and getting our heads up. It motivated us. We came back, and we fought hard."
The only goal of the game was scored when Peters gathered a clearing attempt and fed the ball to sophomore Veronica Latsko. The 40-plus-goal-scorer headed to the net with two Pennridge defenders pestering her, but managed to poke the ball into the right corner of the cage.
It was one of few opportunities afforded to the high-powered Peters Township offense.
"Before the game we pinpoint players we need to mark," said senior goalkeeper Ashley Schoellkopf. "All season we've done a great job of shutting down other teams' key players. We did one heck of a job here. They just had that one time and they took full advantage of that to score."
"(Latsko) was extremely fast and technical, we definitely had to watch out for her," said senior defender Maggie Butcher. "We did a fantastic job of containing her and keeping her in front of us, other than that one goal … which is the hardest part of this for me right now."
The Rams finish their historic season with a record of 24-2 and a Suburban One Continental Conference and District One title. And while it may have been difficult for the players to realize how much they had accomplished on this chilly evening at HersheyPark Stadium, Anderson was already able to put it in perspective.
After all, Anderson played varsity soccer at Pennridge … and this night was her first opportunity to experience a state championship game.
"I was a student here at Pennridge," Anderson said. "When I was hired at Pennridge, I said I would love to be a coach in a state championship game. I had my opportunity, and I'm proud to have been a part of it.
"These girls, they created school history this year. No other girls or boys soccer team has made it to the state championship game. I know it's not going to be enough for them right now, but when they look back on it, they're a part of school history forever."
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