Pennridge was edged by Conestoga in Tuesday’s PIAA 4A semifinal contest. (Photos provided courtesy of Althea Tomlinson.)
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#1-3 Conestoga 1, #1-1 Pennridge 0
Pennridge’s list of accomplishments this season is lengthy and impressive.
The Rams won the SOL Continental for the fourth straight year, won the program’s first District I title since 2011 and compiled a 22-2-1 record that stands among the best single seasons in team history. Tuesday night, none of that really mattered to any of the players.
A strike by Conestoga’s excellent Caitlin Donovan denied Pennridge its ultimate team goal of a repeat trip to HersheyPark Stadium for the state title match, ending the Rams season in heartbreaking fashion.
“It was still one heck of a season and we’ll always remember going to Hershey last year,” senior Chance Hendricks said. “That’s a good high school memory that we’ll always take with us but our ultimate goal was to get back to Hershey so I can’t say we accomplished everything we wanted.”
While it was the team’s goal from the first minute of preseason, the logistics weren’t exactly in Pennridge’s favor to do it. The team had just four starters back, with a variety of reserves stepping into starting spots and first-year varsity players filling in around them.
Even senior co-captains Lauren McIntyre and Meghan Kriney were stepping into defined roles for the first time, with McIntyre manning a center back spot and Kriney in goal.
“I don’t know that anyone would have honestly expected us to be here this season,” Rams coach Audrey Anderson said. “As their coach, I’m proud of what this senior class was able to do. It’s heartbreaking and you’re not prepared for the season to end but I know they’ll bounce back.”
Conestoga was among the best teams in District I all season and the Pioneers showed their class from the beginning, with Donovan drawing a lot of attention. McIntyre played very well in her last game for Pennridge.
The Rams had a couple of good chances early in the first half, but weren’t able to convert any as Conestoga’s defenders did a good job of keeping Pennridge off its game.
“I thought we came out really strong and could have finished a couple opportunities in the very beginning but just didn’t,” McIntyre said. “That obviously turns into a really big factor.”
Conestoga’s back line thrived at getting numbers behind the ball in a hurry and the Pioneers succeeded where few teams had before in disrupting Pennridge’s passing game in the middle. Hendricks and Maddie Anderson found themselves unable to hit the through balls that had been there all season, and across the board, the Rams had more giveaways than usual.
“I felt like we didn’t stick to our usual style of play, we like to connect passes and their backs were really compact so we couldn’t get passes through them,” Hendricks said. “Maddie (Anderson) and I usually play the ball through and it didn’t really work. Later on, we found our diagonal balls would get in but by then, it was a little too late.”
The Pioneers started to assert themselves more in the second half, culminating with Donovan’s goal. While she spent most of the game well-covered, one breakdown gave the senior enough space to take a few touches, line up a shot off her right foot and put it in despite the best efforts of Kriney in goal with 8:36 left in the game.
“I think it was just the momentum of the game,” coach Anderson said. “We had a couple really good opportunities to finish in the second half right in front of goal and just didn’t. At this time of year, it comes down to finishing your opportunities.
“We’ll learn from it, it’s tough that we have to wait a whole year to get back on the field and be better from it, but that’s what we’re about at Pennridge – we want to keep building, keep learning and someday get back to the state championship.”
Players from previous years have stayed connected to the program and this year’s senior class won’t be any different. All five seniors have committed to play in college and they played an important role in bringing this year’s roster together.
“I think those players still have a lot to learn and they can keep that legacy going,” McIntyre said. “Our goal is always going to be getting to Hershey and we’re always going to be behind them even though we’re graduating.”
With time, the Rams will appreciate all they did this fall but Anderson wasn’t too surprised they weren’t ready for that yet on Tuesday.
“That’s the nature of the beast, when you’re a competitor you never want to lose and you can’t always see what you accomplished,” Anderson said. “I think they’ll sit back and see what they were able to do – only giving up 10 goals in 25 games is huge, this was the best record the program has had in a long time. When they look at what they accomplished, we had so many girls score this year and winning a district title for the first time since 2011, it’s huge for this program.”
CONESTOGA 0 1 – 1
PENNRIDGE 0 0 – 0
Goals; C – Caitlin Donovan
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