Pennridge saw its season come to an end in Saturday’s PIAA 4A quarterfinal round. Pennridge/Conestoga photos provided courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography. Click on the following link to view action photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p479961591
CLASS 4A Quarterfinal
Conestoga 0 (4), Pennridge 0 (3)
Maybe the best compliment a senior class can get is that they left their program stronger and better than it was when they came in as freshmen.
There’s no doubt that’s true for the Rams’ departing seniors. It would have been a strong legacy even before this season with two district titles, two appearances in the state title match, another state semifinal and, of course, the program’s first PIAA championship.
What they did this year only served to solidify that legacy and set a new standard.
“This senior class is a special class, and I don’t think they realize yet, maybe they will in a couple years what they’ve actually accomplished in their four years,” Rams coach Audrey Anderson said. “I’m not sure it can be accomplished any time soon that’s for sure.”
Pennridge’s season came to an abrupt end on Saturday thanks to some stellar goalkeeping by Conestoga’s Greta Steege in regulation and the decisive spot kick shootout.
It was a much different match than the one the teams played a week ago in the District One third place game, the level of play on both sides raised with the much higher stakes. Pennridge senior Riley Hepler, who again gamely played every second of the match on an ailing knee, didn’t play the first time but wasn’t going to sit out with her season on the line.
“I think we showed them that when we played them the first time, it wasn’t truly us,” Hepler said. “I think even though we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, everyone put their tears, their sweat and blood into it.”
The Rams started their season in fine form, winning their first 12 games and looking like a stronger version of last year’s successful side. Right as they were hitting their stride, the rash of injuries started, the team lost three of its next four and on the final day of the regular season, lost out on a first round district bye.
By the time Pennridge got to the field Saturday, it had several key players relegated to cheering from the bench and nearly as many gutting out injuries just to be on the field.
Senior goalkeeper Sierra Sheaffer ended her career with one final shutout, making several difficult saves in the second half when the Pioneers turned up their pressure to keep her team in the game. Knowing all her teammates on the bench like Liv Grenda, Ryan Hodder and Emily Kriney would give anything to be out there with them, Sheaffer and the rest of the Rams couldn’t give anything less than all they had.
“It shows we play for each other, we’re selfless and we don’t make excuses, we just play our hearts out no matter the outcome,” Shaeffer said. “I think it shows our passion for the game and for each other. For the little girls watching us who are going to come here, they look up to us to set a standard.”
The Pioneers focused their entire defensive strategy on marking Pennridge’s midfield and extending it up to senior forward Leah Malone. With defenders all over her, Malone had to work just to turn with the ball after receiving it, but just kept battling.
Last year’s hero in the state final, the senior echoed her teammates in just wanting to give the same effort she had become accustomed to seeing growing up watching Pennridge games.
“I’ve grown up with these girls, I’ve watched this program, and ever since I was little, I wanted to be here,” Malone said. “I just hope I did my job and I hope I can set that standard for the younger girls coming up and I’m just so proud of the whole team and how we’ve been playing.”
Malone, Hepler and Sheaffer were the only seniors to start on Saturday. Kriney, prior to breaking her foot in the district quarterfinals, led the team in scoring this season. Hodder, Aubrey Long and Danae Luecke also graduate, leaving a team that’s relatively young but already has enough big game experience to rival some established senior classes.
For each starter who went down, someone stepped up to fill their role. Joey Tomlinson went from spark off the bench to sparkplug starter, Hannah Primwhere emerged as a force in the holding midfield role, and players who mostly played JV all year were getting minutes in a state quarterfinal.
“The culture here is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” Sheaffer said. “I’m so grateful for getting to play with these girls and so proud of everything we accomplished.”
Deciding which team advances in a shootout is a point of contention across all levels of soccer. What anyone who watched the game couldn’t argue was how hard both teams played on Saturday.
“We talked about not making excuses and just going out there to make sure we did all we could do, and if it was enough and we won the game, we could feel good about it. If it wasn’t enough but we still gave all we could, then we could still feel good about it,” Anderson said. “It’s going to hurt. It’s always tough when you lose that last game, but they’ll be fine, they have a way of bouncing back.”
Conestoga keeper Greta Steege, who is just a sophomore herself, would steal the show in the shootout.
Pennridge seemed to have caught a break when Conestoga, which shot first each round, missed the goal completely on its first take. However, Steege simply stuffed the Rams’ first take to keep it level.
After trading makes the next two rounds, Conestoga missed again in the fourth round. That allowed Lauren Murphy to give Pennridge a brief lead when she sank her PK for a 3-2 edge.
The Rams were foiled by their own miss in the fifth round after the Pioneers converted, meaning the next team to win a round moved on. Conestoga scored on its sixth take, then Steege won it for them with a diving, two-handed stop on Pennridge’s attempt.
Hepler, who had the best chance in regulation and was only denied by a spectacular diving stop from Steege, chalked up her greatest lessons from her Rams career as having nothing to do with anything between the lines.
“This team has taught me a lot more mentally than it has in soccer,” Hepler said. “I really found a true family, and it just stinks that my four years are up. I hope everyone else enjoys it while it lasts because one day, it’s just going to be all gone.
“I’m really going to miss it. I don’t know how else to say it, it hasn’t even hit me that it’s done.”
The Rams didn’t have to finish among the final eight teams in the state to validate their season, but because of their heart, they did it anyway.
“I’m so grateful to have been a part of it,” Malone said. “It’s something so special and you can’t get it anywhere else. We’ve grown up watching this team and to have played here and hopefully have made some sort of impact, that’s the greatest thing I could ask for.”
Thanks to this group of seniors, the program is stronger than ever and that means expectations have to rise to match it.
“This has become the new norm for Pennridge soccer, it’s no longer just winning a conference title or getting into districts,” Anderson said. “When they show up in preseason, it’s never enough, they want to be the team that gets to Hershey and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that for them to strive that high, it just means they have to work a little bit harder.”
Pennridge, co-champions of the SOL Colonial Division, closed out the season with a 19-6 record (13-3 SOL).
CONESTOGA 0 0 0 0 – 0 (4)
PENNRIDGE 0 0 0 0 – 0 (3)
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