Nov 18, 2016 4 min read

The girls soccer teams at Canon-McMillan and Central Bucks South high schools are proving what happens in district playoffs doesn’t always correlate to what transpires in the state tournament.

Canon-McMillan (21-1-1) and Central Bucks South (21-5-1) will play for the PIAA Class AAAA championship today (4 p.m.) at Hersheypark Stadium. The Big Macs and the Titans failed to win championships during district play – Canon-McMillan was the runner-up in the WPIAL and CB South finished fourth in District 1 – yet one of them will be taking home the gold trophy in the state tournament.

“We’re playing our best soccer,” Canon-McMillan coach Dave Derrico said. “We had periods during the season when we played our best but they weren’t every game. We played outstanding games against Peters Township and Upper St. Clair but the play wasn’t consistent. Our last three games have been very good ones.”

Canon-McMillan has reached its second state final in three years by defeating Erie McDowell (2-1), WPIAL champion Norwin (3-1) and speedy and highly skilled Cumberland Valley (4-1) in the PIAA tournament. All three wins were were over district champions.

The Big Macs’ Sabrina Bryan scored two goals and set up another, Addie Roman tallied a pair of goals – one on a never-give-up-effort and the other from a tough angle – and goalkeeper Megan Virgin made double-digit saves against Cumberland Valley.

“We’ve just gotten better,” Derrico said. “Maybe the quality of the opponent has made us have to play better. I think we’re peaking at the right time. We’re hoping our experience pays off and we get some luck, too.”

Canon-McMillan has several players who will be in their second state championship match. Seniors Bryan, Aideen O’Donoghue, midfielders Isabel Schiedenhelm and Cheyenne Trest all played significant roles when the Big Macs lost in overtime to Central Bucks West in the 2014 finals. Virgin was a reserve forward on that team and called the loss to CB West the toughest she’s experienced.

“That was one of the hardest things to watch because we were winning that match,” Virgin recalled. “We committed some fouls in our own end and gave it up. We have a shot at redemption.”

In Central Bucks South, Canon-McMillan will be facing a defensive-minded team that is somewhat challenged on offense. Goalkeeper Sophia Boggs has 16 shutouts, which means the team that scores the first goal will have a huge advantage. Boggs is one of 12 seniors on the Knights’ roster. Sophomore Brooke Steigerwalt has eight goals and junior Aleksa Peev has five goals and six assists.

“They’re big and physical,” Derrico said of CB South. “They look to be very solid defensively. They’ve won a lot of games 1-0. They get up by a goal and defend it. They’re working with what they have and doing a good job of it.”

Derrico said CB South reminds him of Mt. Lebanon, a team Canon-McMillan defeated three times – twice by 2-0 scores during section play and 2-1 in the WPIAL semifinals.

“We have to stay focused and not get distracted by the crowd and the occasion,” Derrico said. “In the WPIAL final, we had some kids who were distracted by that. It seems we’ve gotten over that, but Hershey can be different. Two years ago, Central Bucks West brought busloads of kids to that game and took up an entire section in the stadium. I expect nothing less from Central Bucks South.”

Bryan leads C-M with 33 goals and 31 assists. O’Donoghue has 29 goals and 21 assists. … The winner will be the first Class AAAA in state history as the PIAA expanded to four classifications in soccer this year. … Central Bucks South lost in the semifinals of the District 1 tournament but defeated three opponents by a combined score of 7-1 in the state playoffs.