Shady Side prevails to erase bad memory

HERSHEY, Pa. — Krystyna Rytel was on the field a year ago when Shady Side Academy gave up a staterecord nine goals in a championship loss to Fairfield.

And if there was one message that rolled through the Indians it was to make sure there wasn’t a repeat this time around.

“There was a lot of motivation,” Rytel said. “We were real upset last year and we remembered how that felt and we never wanted to feel that way again.”

Rytel certainly helped. The junior scored two second-half goals 6:32 apart as Shady Side Academy (17-40) won the first PIAA Class 1A girls soccer title in school history, shutting out District 3 champion Camp Hill, 4-0, at Hersheypark Stadium. It was the second appearance in the final for the Indians, who lost a year ago, 9-4, to Fairfield.

“We lost seven starters last year and I wasn’t even sure we’d have enough people to have a team and, going into preseason, we only had nine girls on the field,” Shady Side coach Leah Powers said. “When I walked away that day I knew we’d be contenders because those were some of the nine best in the WPIAL.”

Shady Side Academy also had considerable motivation heading into the PIAA tournament after losing to rival Greensburg Central Catholic Nov. 2 in the WPIAL championship. After that loss the Indians outscored their four opponents in the state playoffs, 16-1.

“I didn’t really have to do anything because they were ready to go,” Powers said. “They wanted to play, they wanted to win, they wanted to set records and those were their expectations.”

In a driving rain and temperatures in the low 40s, Shady Side Academy was able to control the play in the early part of the match, and it paid off when Caroline Davis set up freshman Melissa Riggins at 16:59 of the first half to put the Indians ahead, 1-0. Davis also got one of her own with 2:13 in the first half when she sent in a floater from 25 yards.

“It was freezing and it made it really hard to get your body behind the ball and it was challenging, but we did it,” Davis said. “It was amazing and I’m just so happy that we won here.”