Schuylkill Haven has been in this position before and came up short.
For Pine Grove, this is new territory.
There will be a first-time Schuylkill League girls’ soccer champion when the Hurricanes take on the Cardinals in the title game at 7 p.m. at Pottsville’s Alumni Field.
Schuylkill Haven (15-4), the Division II champ, is in the championship game for the second straight season. The Hurricanes lost to Blue Mountain 2-1 in 2013 and ended the Eagles’ four-year title run with a thrilling, 3-2, overtime victory in the semifinals Thursday at Pine Grove’s Cardinal Stadium.
Pine Grove (18-1), the Division I champ, is in the league title game for the first time after defeating Williams Valley 5-1 in the semifinals Thursday.
Here are some items to look for in tonight’s game:
• Four of the league’s top offensive players will be on display in Schuylkill Haven seniors Rileigh Evitts (36 goals, 11 assists) and Keegan
White (19 goals, 22 assists), as well as Pine Grove freshmen Rachel Edge (35 goals, 6 assists) and Mariah Lesh (20 goals, 8 assists). Evitts holds the all-time Schuylkill League record in goals with 149.
Evitts scored twice and set up Taylor Felty with the game-winning goal in overtime during Thursday’s win. Schuylkill Haven was outshot 11-6 but took full advantage of its opportunities.
Edge and Lesh had two goals apiece in their semifinal win over the Vikings. The Cardinals were in control from the start, holding an 18-2 advantage in shots on goal with 13 corner kicks. Emily Weaver scored Pine Grove’s first goal off a Mackenzie Lesh corner kick.
• The Hurricanes’ Kelsey Sisko (26 goals, 11 assists), the league’s all-time leading assist leader, missed Thursday’s semifinal with a pulled hamstring. Her status for tonight’s game is questionable. With out Sisko, Schuylkill Haven made position changes Thursday, moving White to left-mid and Evitts to center-mid. If Sisko does play, it could make a huge difference.
• Statistically speaking, Schuylkill Haven and Pine Grove are two of the top offensive and defensive teams in the league.
The Hurricanes (101 goals, 5.32 per game) are the league’s top offensive team and are tied for third in defense (20 goals allowed, 9 shutouts). The Cardinals (89 goals, 4.68 per game) are third in offense and second in defense (19 goals allowed, 6 shutouts).
• The Cardinals are having their best season in program history. Pine Grove enters on a 14-game winning streak and has set program records for wins in a season, most consecutive wins and most goals in a season.
• The game is a rematch of last year’s District 11 Class A championship contest, when the Hurricanes rolled to a 4-0 victory. Evitts had two goals in the win. For what it is worth, the two scrimmaged Aug. 26 at Schuylkill Haven with the Cardinals winning 5-1. Pine Grove also won last year’s scrimmage between the two 4-3.
• The seedings for the District 11 Class A playoffs could change with tonight’s outcome. Pine Grove is currently the top seed in the seven-team field and will have a quarterfinal-round bye. However, if Schuylkill Haven wins, the Hurricanes would pass the Cardinals and become the top seed.