Three SOL girls’ soccer teams advanced to the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class AAA Tournament.
#1-1 PENNSBURY 1, #3-4 HERSHEY 0
A late goal by Jadyn Peto – her second game winner in three contests – proved to be the difference in Tuesday’s state opener. Peto turned a Mary Webb throw-in into a goal in the 59th minute, and that 1-0 lead held up until the final whistle against a strong Hershey squad.
“They probably had one of the best attacks,” coach Kaitlyn Battiste said. “They are very aggressive. They had a lot of quick plays, one-touch soccer in the final third.
“They were very talented. They have a number of D-1 prospects on their offensive attack. Our defense was bending a little bit, but they never broke. They were the fourth place team out of District 3, but they didn’t play like a fourth place team. They are a very strong squad.”
The Trojans came out on the attack, but the Falcons survived their best shot unscathed.
“Kayla (Kunde) made some huge saves in goal for us,” Battiste said. “Rachel Beri made a goal line save.
“We had Amy Blaze (Blazejewski) back there tonight and Caroline Foley as well. It was kind of pick your poison with (the Trojans). One of their forwards (Riley Curtin), who we thought was giving us the most trouble – we ended up putting Meredith Webber on her, and she did a great job of neutralizing their attack.”
Battiste has had to use a variety lineups this fall, all with similar results, and one of the feel good stories of the Falcons’ run to the district title has been Kunde, who stepped in when goalie Nany Santiago suffered a concussion in the Falcons’ match against Neshaminy on Oct. 9.
“I’m so proud of Kayla,” Battiste said. “I’m so proud of where she’s come from – from being a backup to stepping out there.
“She has really committed herself to being a better player, always trying to improve. She plays so much with her heart. She’s someone who truly wants it, and it’s just been awesome to see her make such big plays. She has done so many things well for us. She has been a rock.”
The Falcons are 6-0-1 since the Neshaminy game with six shutouts.
“Our defense has been great, and Kayla has been able to find a good rhythm with our defense,” Battiste said. “They understood one another, they’re communicating with one another, and they back each other up. If they have to give up a shot, Kayla is right there behind them. We’re so happy to have Nany back healthy, but we’re rolling with the hot hand.”
Kunde was credited with four saves in Tuesday’s shutout, including a stop on a point blank shot early in the contest.
“We weathered the storm and were able to finally find that rhythm and regain some possession in the middle of the field,” Battiste said. “We started to maintain some of that possession, and our forwards were finally knocking on their door and putting the pressure on their defenders. We had a couple of throws deep in that third before Mary (Webb) gave us one right into the middle of the box. It wasn’t anything pretty. Jadyn has been the player of the game, getting herself in the right spot, and it was awesome to see her finish it off.”
Pennsbury (20-0-3, 11-0-3 SOL) will face a familiar opponent in Saturday’s quarterfinal round when the Falcons take on a Central Bucks West squad that extended the district champs to overtime in the district semifinals.
Hershey 0-0 0
Pennsbury 0-1 1
#1-2 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2, #3-1 EPHRATA 1
It didn’t start out as the Patriots’ most inspired performance, but Tuesday’s state opener had a happy ending when Maddie Myrtetus turned a Paige Weiss corner kick into a goal in the 64th minute, giving the Patriots a lead they would not lose.
“We did come out flat tonight, and I take full responsibility for that,” coach Paul Eisold said. “I did not feel that I prepared them well enough for the type of game that we were going into.”
Despite a slow start, the Patriots took a 1-0 lead into halftime, the result of a goal by Kristen Murphy (Emma Loving assist).
“We really talked to the girls about the importance of being able to get that second goal,” Eisold said. “If you don’t really focus and concentrate, the game could slip away.
“Sure enough, they scored an absolutely brilliant goal, and it was 1-1. We had to work extremely hard and fight back to put that other goal in, which we did.”
Jenna Yarger scored in the 44th minute for the Mountaineers, and 20 minutes later, Myrtetus connected for a goal that turned out to be the game winner.
“I felt our intensity was a little bit low tonight,” Eisold said. “I felt we were the better team and had better opportunities, but once again, if you don’t finish your opportunities that are presented to you and you let a team get back into the game, it becomes more and more difficult.
“The good news was we sustained the pressure, we worked out of it, and the bottom line is we got the win, and we move on to the quarterfinals.”
The Patriots’ coach acknowledged the strong showings of several players.
“Kristen Murphy was outstanding,” Eisold said. “She scored the first goal, and it was just a brilliant goal. Kristen took a lot of leadership qualities and moved the team forward tonight.
“Paige Weiss played well at center back. Delaney Kennedy, as a freshman, played extremely well. It was the type of game where the tide shifted back and forth. You knew we were the better team, but we just had to prove it, and we got the ‘W’ so we proved it.”
The Patriots, who are in the western part of the state bracket, will face District 7 champion Seneca Valley in Saturday’s quarterfinal round. Seneca Valley earned a 2-1 overtime win over Penn Trafford, the third place team from District 7. Seneca Valley is 23-0 while the Patriots are 18-3-2 (10-2-2 SOL).
Ephrata 0-1 1
Central Bucks East 1-1 2
#1-3 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, #2-1 PITTSTON AREA 0
The Bucks made sure their road trip to Scranton was worth their while, opening up a 2-0 halftime lead and going on to earn a convincing 3-0 win over the District 2 champions.
“We were connecting a lot more than we have in a long time, and we were able to put the ball in dangerous areas,” coach Jorge Rodriguez said. “I thought we were a bit more physical and a bit more athletic than they were.”
It took the Bucks just 10 minutes to get on the scoreboard when Shae McCarty turned a Mary Kate Vinkler pass into a goal. Taylor Burke upped that lead to 2-0 in the 40th minute.
“They started to get the momentum back a little bit towards the end of the first half, and that’s when Taylor Burke had a free kick maybe 20-25 yards out, and she scored off a direct kick with 12 seconds left in the half,” Rodriguez said. “That kind of swung the momentum our way.”
McCarty connected for her second goal in the 53rd minute, all but sealing the Patriots’ fate.
“Shae scored her second goal off a Grace Bendon punt,” Rodriguez said. “Our goalkeeper got the assist on that one.”
The win was the second in as many games for the Bucks since they fell to eventual district champion Pennsbury in overtime in the district semifinals.
“I think we learned a lot about each other in that Pennsbury game,” Rodriguez said. “The way that we came back right after that and had a good game against Council Rock South (in the third place game).
“We showed up today and played a really nice brand of soccer and worked on the things we’d been struggling with against Pennsbury when we played them the first time. It was a very good win, and it was also a good game for a lot of our players.”
The Bucks’ coach acknowledged the strong play of several players.
“Sophie McKnight played well again, and obviously, Shae (McCarty) played excellent and scored two goals,” Rodriguez said. “I thought our center mids – Ella Manca and Olivia Kirchner – were technical and were very good.”
The Bucks (17-6-1, 9-4-1 SOL) earned a rematch with Pennsbury in Saturday’s second round.
Central Bucks West 2-1 3
Pittston Area 0-0 0
#12-1 ARCHBISHOP RYAN 2, #1-4 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1 (OT)
The Golden Hawks gave the District 12 champs all they could handle. They took an early lead on a goal by Elissa Dotzman and went into halftime with a 1-0 advantage. Unfortunately for the Hawks, that would be their last hurrah offensively. The Ragdolls knotted the score in the second half and won it in the opening minute of overtime on a goal by junior Julianne Blank.
The loss ended a memorable postseason run by the Golden Hawks, who entered districts as the 13th seed but finished fourth. The Hawks closed out the season with a 14-9-1 record (7-6-1 SOL).
Council Rock South 1-0-0 1
Archbishop Ryan 0-1-1 2
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