SOL PIAA Soccer Preview Capsules (11-8-14)

Four SOL soccer teams – three girls and one boys squad – will be in action in Saturday’s PIAA Class AAA quarterfinal round.

Girls

#1-1 PENNSBURY vs. #1-3 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST (at Council Rock North, 3 p.m.)

Pennsbury

20-0-3 overall
11-0-3 SOL National Conference champions
Captured program’s first district title since 1999
Falcons have 15 shutouts – including five straight in the postseason- and have allowed just nine goals all season

How they got here:

A late goal by junior Jadyn Peto was the difference in Pennsbury’s 1-0 opening round win over Hershey.
In Saturday’s 2-0 district title win over CB East, the Falcons broke a scoreless halftime tie with a goal by Amy Blazejewski on a restart, and with 20 minutes remaining, Caroline Foley turned a Mary Webb corner kick into an insurance goal.
In a semifinal contest, junior Jadyn Peto scored five minutes into overtime to propel the Falcons to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Central Bucks West.
It took the Falcons just 12 minutes to open up a 2-0 lead over #8 Spring-Ford in a quarterfinal game. Scoring goals for the Falcons were Caroline Foley (Uche Onuoha assist) and Megan Engeland (Foley assist). The Falcons went on to win 2-0.
After an opening round bye, the Falcons controlled play in their 1-0 second round win over 18^th-seeded Downingtown. Mary Webb turned an Uche Onucha pass into a goal in the 62^nd minute for the game winner. Kayla Kunde earned the shutout in goal.

Central Bucks West

17-6-1 overall
9-4-1 third place SOL Continental Conference
The Bucks – behind standout goalie Grace Benton – have posted 13 shutouts this season.

How they got here:

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 game against #28 Owen J Roberts. McCarty added a second half goal for the 3-0 final.
In a second round 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 win over 20^th-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.

#1-2 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST vs. #7-1 SENECA VALLEY (at Chambersburg High School, 7 p.m.)

Central Bucks East

How they got here:

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 44^th minute. Twenty minutes later Maddie Myrtetus scored the game winner.
The Patriots gave Pennsbury all it could handle in Saturday’s district 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 10^th-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 18^th-seeded West Chester East in second round district play.

Seneca Valley

23-0 overall
Two-time WPIAL champion
Strong defensive team that boasts 16 shutouts on the season
Outscored opponents 97-8 this season
Led by seniors Alicia Hart and Kelsey O’Connor. Hart’s corner kicks are a dangerous weapon for the Raiders
Lost to defending state runner-up Spring-Ford 1-0 in OT in the semifinals of the 2013 PIAA Class AAA State Championship.

How they got here:

In Tuesday’s opening round state game, senior Kelsey O’Connor scored 1:03 into overtime to lead Seneca Valley to a 2-1 OT win over Penn Trafford. O’Connor accounted for both of her team’s goals. The game was a rematch of the WPIAL semifinal game won by Seneca Valley in a shootout.
Seneca Valley defeated Canon McMillan 1-0 in the District 7 title game with junior forward Cassidy Testa turning a loose ball after an Alicia Hart corner kick into the game winner.

Boys
#1-1 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST vs. #3-3 MECHANICSBURG (at Hamburg High School, 7 p.m.)
Central Bucks East

21-2-0 overall
13-1-0 SOL Continental Conference champions
Won first 12 Continental Conference games
After advancing to final four in district seven of eight years, East captured first district title since 1991 with 2-0 win over Great Valley.
Evan Vare scored seven goals and assisted on the eighth in a remarkable offensive showing during district play.

How they got here:

In Tuesday’s opening round state game, the Patriots defeated a powerful Central York squad that had been upset in the District 3 semifinals in penalty kicks. The Patriots erased a 1-0 deficit on a goal by Andrew Zach (Justin Chomik/JR Eisold assists). They won it when Evan Vare turned a Booker Farrier through ball into the game winner 16 minutes into the second half.
In Saturday’s district title game, Brian Gilligan, using an Evan Vare assist, scored in the 34^th minute, and that goal stood the rest of the way as the Patriots held on to defeat defending district champion Great Valley 1-0.
In the district semifinals, Evan Vare scored four goals during a remarkable 12-minute span to lead the Patriots to a 4-1 win over top-seeded Unionville.
Evan Vare scored an overtime goal to propel the Patriots to a 2-1 win over fifth-seeded Plymouth Whitemarsh. Earlier, Vare scored the equalizer in an evenly played game that saw the Colonials take a 1-0 lead.
After a first round bye, the Patriots earned a 1-0 overtime win over 20^th-seeded Methacton, thanks to a goal by Evan Vare with 3:42 remaining in the first OT. J.R. Eisold had the assist after a Booker Farrior throw-in.

Mechanicsburg

17-5 overall
10-4 third place Mid-Penn Keystone Conference
Win over Abington Heights in Tuesday’s state opener was program’s first state playoff win since 2005
Offense led by Zach Sherman (29 goals), Joseph Panuccio (15 goals, 21 assists) and Brad Powell (11 goals, seven assists).

How they got here:

Zach Sherman scored four goals – including two in the final two minutes of the opening half – in Mechanicsburg’s 6-2 romp over District 2 champion Abington Heights in Tuesday’s state opener. Kyle Edgar and Joseph Panuccio both added single goals. Panuccio had three assists.
The Wildcats fell to eventual District 3 champion Reading 2-0 in the district semis.
In a major upset in the district quarterfinals, 10^th-seeded Mechanicsburg upset second-seeded Hershey, winning 4-2 in penalty kicks after battling Hershey to a 2-2 tie after double overtime.
10^th-seeded Mechanicsburg began its streak of upsets by knocking off seventh-seeded Manheim Central 2-1 in a second round district game.