… while OT goal leaves C-M settling for second
Central Bucks West players celebrate their game-winning overtime goals as Canon-McMillan’s Abigail Gillespie (15) look on as the Bucks won the PIAA Class AAA girls’ soccer title Saturday in Hershey.
Canon-McMillan goalkeeper Kyra Murphy fights back the tears after Central Bucks West captured the PIAA Class AAA girls' soccer title. The Bucks needed a golden goal in overtime to defeat the Lady Macs, who were appearing in the state finals for the first time in school history.
Alena Poljak (No. 4) of Canon-McMillan attempts to console Cheyenne Trest (left) after Canon-McMillan show its chance for its first PIAA state championship soccer title slip away in overtime. The Lady Macs dropped a 2-1 decision to Central Bucks West.
Sabrina Bryan celebrates with Lauren Hess (No. 16) after scoring Canon-McMillan's first goal in the PIAA AAA girls' soccer championship game.
HERSHEY – As quickly as Canon-McMillan’s girls soccer team felt the triumph of scoring an early goal in the PIAA Class AAA title game, the Big Macs felt the anguish of defeat.
After scoring 32 seconds into the game, C-M could not sustain offensive pressure against Central Bucks West, which scored late in the second half to tie the score before a goal in the fifth minute of overtime gave the Bucks a 2-1 win and the state championship at Hersheypark Stadium Saturday night.
Canon-McMillan (19-5-1) fell short in its first state final in program history, while Central Bucks West (20-6-1) captured its first state championship during the fall soccer season.
The Big Macs grabbed the lead quickly when the Bucks turned the ball over int he opening minute. C-M senior defender Abby Gilliespie’s 40-yard pass led sophomore striker Sabrina Bryan, who beat a defender and grabbed the ball to create a breakaway.
CB West senior goalkeeper Grace Bendon exited the net to challenge Bryan, but the speedy forward lifted the ball over Bendon’s head and into the empty net for the 1-0 lead.
“I did think that was a dream beginning, but you did see how quickly a dream turns into a nightmare,” Canon-McMillan head coach Dave Derrico said.
The Big Macs dominated the remainder of the first half – creating chances on stretch passes and clogging the midfield to prevent the Bucks from forming a counter attack.
Central Bucks West increased its physical play in the second half and shifted formation to create a bigger push with five forwards. C-M’s defense withstood the test before a foul cost the Big Macs with 5:50 remaining in regulation.
A forward for the Bucks was tripped, which appeared to be an incidental fall after running over a loose ball, but the officials called C-M for the foul to give CB West a free kick from 38 yards.
In an unorthodox move that he has been using for the past two years, Bucks head coach Jorge Rodriguez used Bendon on the set piece. The kick lofted toward the net, but was headed away by a Big Macs defender.
CB West senior striker Shae McCarty gathered the loose ball and fired a shot from 18 yards into the top-right corner of the net to tie the score, 1-1.
Bendon set up both of the Bucks’ goals despite leaving the net wide open for a quick counter attack.
After a physical second half, which included no injuries but several brutal slide tackles, Derrico was not pleased to see the foul called .
“They were physically beating the crap out of us and getting away with it every time,” Derrico said. “We were getting fouled everywhere around the field. (McCarty) committed at least five fouls and they didn’t give her a card, which allowed them to continue. They were pushing, they were shoving and we came to play soccer.”
The Big Macs almost escaped Hershey with the state title when Bryan made a spectacular charge up the sideline with two minutes remaining. She dribbled around two defenders to close to within 10 yards of the goal, but her shot was stopped by Bendon. The keeper neutralized C-M’s eight corner kicks by often exiting the net to grab the kicks before Big Macs forwards could get a head on ball.
Though the Big Macs opened the first overtime with three corners, Bendon grabbed two of them. A foul call gave the goalkeeper a free kick from 40 yards with 9:25 remaining. Her shot was corralled within the six-yard box by junior forward Lindsey Morgan, who fired a shot on net and her rebound was tapped in for the game-winning goal by sophomore Jillian Nolan.
“I just finished it,” Nolan said with a laugh. “I pretty much touched it across the line. It was all Lindsey. I saw she had a clear path to it and I was just waiting for the rebound to come through.”
After losing in the WPIAL title game to Seneca Valley and surprising many with three straight state playoff wins, the Big Macs finished the season as the state runner-up.
“I’ve talked so many times before about their heart, their desire and how we have no stars and we got here,” Derrico said. “I’m very proud of them. No doubt about it.”