WILLIAMSPORT — For the second year in a row, the Pine Grove girls’ soccer team proved that they can compete in the state playoffs.
But, for the second consecutive season, the Cardinals were on the wrong end of a one-goal outcome.
Warrior Run’s McKenna Beyer scored the game’s only goal during the 76th minute to lift the Defenders to 1-0 win over Pine Grove in the first round of the PIAA Class A Girls’ Soccer Tournament on Wednesday at the Balls Mills Soccer Complex.
Beyer got the game-winner when she was able to get past Pine Grove’s defense and get an open look at the goal. She fired a shot from about 10 yards as Cardinals’ keeper Jen Kaufman dove in an attempt to stop it. Kaufman deflected it, but the shot was just too hard and went into the net.
Wednesday was the second straight year Pine Grove (21-3),
the District 11 champs, lost by a goal in the opening round of the state playoffs. The Cardinals fell to Tulpehocken 2-1 in 2014.
Warrior Run (20-1-2), the District 4 champs, faces District 3 runner-up York Catholic, a 4-1 winner over District 2 champ Lakeland on Tuesday, in Saturday’s quarterfinals. The Defenders reached the PIAA semifinals last year before losing to eventual state champ Trinity 3-2 on penalty kicks in a 1-0 final.
Pine Grove’s challenge Wednesday was to find a way to generate offense against a team that excels at defensive soccer. Warrior Run came in allowing just eight goals all season, including four straight shutouts in the District 4 playoffs in victories over Hughesville (3-0), Southern Columbia (1-0 in overtime), Loyalsock (1-0) and South Williamsport (7-0).
To try and match up, Cardinals coach Jason Brown came out in a 4-5-1 formation. About 20 minutes into the game, Pine Grove switched to a 4-4-2.
“We knew the game was going to be played in the midfield, so we came out in 4-5-1 to try and gain more control throughout the midfield,” Brown said. “I feel it created a lot of good opportunities that way, but I felt we weren’t forcing possession towards the top. We switched to having two up top to try and push a little bit more offense against them.
“I feel that we matched up very well against them. The opportunities were there. They are a very good defensive team. They defend with 10 players. We knew it was going to be tight once we got up to our offensive third. We had to open up our lanes and be very calculated with things.”
Both teams held their share of possession in the first half, but neither had any real good looks at the goal. Each had a shot on a goal and each had a corner kick.
One of the Cardinals’ best scoring chances of the first half, and as it turned out in the game, came during the 35th minute when Steph Aungst send a through ball up to Rachel Edge. It appeared for a moment Edge had a chance to make a run at the goal and get 1-on-1 with Defenders’ keeper Madi Welliver from about 25 yards away, but Warrior Run’s Gabby Heiss quickly got back and prevented Edge from getting any shot off.
Statistically, the second half was a different story as Warrior Run held a 7-0 advantage in shots on goals.
“In the second half I think we stepped to every ball,” Defenders’ coach Jen Allen said. “We talked about it at halftime, beating them out to the ball. They are a good team and they can possess the ball but if we get there first, they don’t get a chance at possession, which is kind of our motto. I kind of think we did that in the second half.”
Still, Warrior Run couldn’t get the ball past Kaufman, who finished with seven saves. The Defenders had an excellent chance in the 67th minute when Madison McConnell got off a shot from the wing from about 10 yards away. But Kaufman made a diving save to preserve the shutout.
It appeared the game might be heading into overtime, but Beyer broke the tie. That was all the offensive support the Defenders needed. The shutout was the Warriors’ 14th of the season, while Pine Grove, which came in averaging 5.9 goals per game, was shut out for the first time this year.
“They are very talented individually,” Brown said of the Defenders’ defense. “When we had numbers forward, they made the right decisions. It is not that we made bad ones, it is that they played very hard against us.”
Wednesday’s loss brings to an end another successful season for the Cardinals. Pine Grove has gone 42-5 over the past two years, reaching back-to-back Schuylkill League championship games, including a title in 2014. Pine Grove has also won consecutive District 11 championships.
The Cardinals will lose six seniors to graduation, including Mackenzie Lesh, Hunter Madison, Coral Kreiser, Jazmyn Snedden, Breanna Lucas and Carlee Conrad, but Pine Grove will have a solid core returning next season. Brown had the largest roster he’s ever had in his seven years with Cardinals this season with 37 total girls.
“It is beautiful to have a small-town team like us to be able to come out here and play against a team like this, and to know that we are standing toe-to-toe with them,” Brown said. “Up until last season, we didn’t even know what this tournament was like. Coming in this year we wanted to show pride to the school and I believe that the girls did.
“It is always difficult when you don’t come out on top, but if you are going to go out, you want to go out with pride and know that you are standing there with the top caliber teams.
“You have to be 100 percent on your game and I feel that we were. Every team is going to make mistakes but we played with such passion in the game.
“We wanted to make sure we are continuing with the progression of the program. They way that we are standing here against a team like that, the program is still continuing to move in the right direction.”
Game Summary
PIAA Class A First Round
At Balls Mills Complex, Williamsport
Pine Grove (21-3) 0 0 — 0
Warrior Run (20-1-2) 0 1 — 1
WR — Mc. Beyer (unassisted), 75:03
Shots on goal: Pine Grove 1, Warrior Run 8. Corner kicks: Pine Grove 1, Warrior Run 1. Saves: Pine Grove (Kaufman) 7, Warrior Run (Welliver) 1.