The Solanco girls soccer team's dream of winning a district title is over. So is the Mules' 11-game unbeaten streak. But Solanco still has a lot on the line. The Mules (14-5-2) can claim a berth in the PIAA Tournament with a win at Conrad Weiser Saturday at noon in the district consolation game. "It's a pretty long break here between Monday and Saturday," Solanco coach Ken Yoder said. "We've got to keep them fresh and that's going to be tough. That' been a challenge. We had a similar break between the end of the regular season and districts so I'm optimistic the girls will be able to stay focused and get ready. We told them, 'Remember how this feels right now because we need to take that into Saturday and obviously the goal is to not feel that way after Saturday. We started a new season with the district playoffs and made a goal to make states. Our goal at the beginning of the season was to make districts. That's very real goal for us. It's right at our fingertips and we'd love to capitalize on that."
Solanco suffered a 2-0 loss to host Manheim Central in the district semifinals Monday night, October 28. Isabella Wendler scored a goal in each half to lead the Barons. "We struggled," Yoder said. "It was a tough game for us. I felt like we really couldn't get settled in. They did a really good job of just putting pressure on us. We weren't able to link the passes and put some offensive pressure on like we would've hoped and liked. We were a little banged up[ in the back so we had some things going on but regardless, they were the better team. After coming off two emotional wins it felt like we came out a little bit flat and they just came out and played a great game. It seemed like they wanted it a little more. They never really let us get settled in." Each team had a good scoring chance in the first 11 minutes. Manheim Central put the ball in the net just 90 seconds into the game but the way was ruled offsides. Nine minutes later, the Mules got a free kick from just outside the penalty box when Nikki Trout was dragged down by the goalie, but Alana Yoder's shot was saved. Both of Wendler's goals came from loose balls in the penalty area. The senior striker put the hosts in front on a rebound with 18:13 left in the first half and scored again following a corner kick with 37:05 remaining in the game. Solanco had some similar opportunities but could not out-muscle the Barons' defenders. Yoder said the Mules were plagued by the problems that caused a slow start to the regular season. "They were the more physical team," said Yoder. "It felt a lot like that ELCO team that just kind of wanted to run the ball into the net, just wanted it more. And we didn't do a good job of sealing those runners off. It's tough. They're a physical team and a powerful team. We've struggled with that all year. We felt like we turned it around a little but we were caught a little on our heels. Unfortunately they found two [goals] and we didn't." Solanco had advanced to the semifinals by beating 16th-seeded Lower Dauphin and ninth-seeded Fleetwood, but the the No. 4 Barons (15-5) proved too tough. "You look at those two wins and it just feels a little bit surreal because we came in and our goal was to make districts, knocking off a number one seed," said Yoder. "It feels good for that to happen but at the end of the day those wins, you've got to put them behind you and keep going and that's what we were trying to do [against Manheim Central]. It's tough for the girls. It's obviously tough for me and the coaching staff. We really wanted to win but they were the better team. Kudos to them." Comments are closed.
|
Archives
August 2023
Categories
All
|