Opening loss inspires run by Oakland Catholic
Oakland Catholic has won a lot of games this season. It has been 19 in a row, to be exact. But it was the Eagles’ lone loss, in the very first match of the season, that has helped to propel them.
Oakland Catholic was soundly defeated, 4-0, by Seneca Valley in that first match. The Raiders won the WPIAL Class 4A title, so the loss is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, the Eagles, who would go on to claim the district’s 3A championship, had the Raiders to thank after that first match molded Oakland Catholic into a team that could defend in close range as well as anyone and net those timely goal sin tough matches.
“The funny thing is, when we played Seneca the first game of the year, we played them great from 18’ to 18’,” said Eagles coach Jim Earle. “They killed us in both boxes. So, after that game, our motto was ‘own the box.’ We learned so much about ourselves that game.”
That was apparent in the WPIAL championship against previously unbeaten Mars. The Eagles defense faced several corner kicks, but never allowed a goal. Then, Anna Sproule knocked in the game-winner in overtime off ofa corner kick.
“Our girls defended the box and scored in the box,” said Earle. “We learned that in Game1.”
Oakland Catholic kept rolling with a 3-1 triumph against Hollidaysburg in the PIAA first round. Next up is a Saturday date with Hampton in the state quarter finals.
Bentworth
The Bearcats continued to raise the bar in the state playoffs. After becoming the first team in school history to make the WPIAL final, where they fell to Freedom, Bentworth recovered with a 5-2 rout of Brockway. The PIAA victory was the first in school history and set a new singleseason record for victories with 18. Bentworth is now 18-3 heading into Saturday’s quarterfinal clash against Shady Side Academy.
Against Brockway, Jocelyn Timlin netted four goals to boost her season total to 51 and her career tally to 110. It was a long drive to DuBois High School for the match, but the Bearcats showed no sign of lag. Timlin and Paige Marshalek each scored a goal in the first five minutes to give the Bearcats a quick 2-0 advantage. “I was nervous about how our start would be with a three-hour drive,” said Bentworth coach Tyler Hamstra. “We sure came out hard.”
Seneca Valley
Another game, another thriller. Such is life for Seneca Valley right now. After rallying against Peters Township for a goal in the final three seconds and then an overtime winner to secure the WPIAL title, the Raiders were at it again in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.
Seneca Valley (17-2) defeated Central Dauphin, 2-1, in shootout.The Raiders held a 3- 1 advantage in the shootout. This time, the hero was junior goal keeper Morgan Sinan. She not only stopped three penalty kicks, but her shootout goal clinched the victory.
Runners-up rebound
Of the four teams that lost in the WPIAL championships last weekend at Highmark Stadium, three of those squads bounced back with a victory in the state tournament.
Peters Township downed Erie McDowell, 3-1, in 4A; Mars blanked Manheim Central, 2-0, in 3A; and Bentworth won, 5-2, against Brockway in 1A.
The only district runner-up that saw its season come to an end was Hopewell. The Vikings lost a 4-2 decision to Bedford.