Boyertown wins state championship in 2OT
HERSHEY >> For 20 years, Boyertown girls’ soccer head coach Bill Goddard has preached the same three keys to winning big games.
“In these games it comes down to goalkeeping, defending and restarts,” Goddard said. “I preached that over and over and over to these girls.”
In the biggest game of his coaching career, and the biggest game in his players’, the veteran coach’s words never rang truer.
With those three keys in their pocket, the Bears acquired something that can’t fit in a pocket: a PIAA championship trophy.
The Bears put on a resolute defensive performance headlined by senior goalkeeper Mattie Gallagher before junior defender Mikayla Moyer’s free kick from just outside the penalty area dropped into the far post top corner with six minutes left in double overtime to lift Boyertown to a 1-0 victory over Conestoga in the PIAA Class 4A championship game Friday evening at Hershey-Park Stadium.
“No words can describe how happy I am right now,” Moyer said. “I was trying to get it in the area so someone could score. And ... it ended up dipping in. It ended up diving and I just thought, ‘thank you!’”
Boyertown (24-2) and its supporters had reason to say thank you to Moyer, fellow defenders Morgan Kline, Courtney Actis and Emma Elwell, and especially for Gallagher, whose 10-save shutout performance was Player of the Match quality while combatting a quality Conestoga side led by seniors Caitlin Donovan, McKenzie Coleman and Calista Courtney.
While Boyertown’s run to the Pioneer Athletic Conference title saw it become a high-scoring powerhouse, the District 1 runner-up Bears’ run to a state championship was built on what Boyertown’s typical identity and Goddard’s three keys.
“I can’t say enough about these kids, their character, the way they’ve represented themselves, the program, their community and their school,” Goddard said. “A wonderful opportunity for our school and another state championship for our high school.”
There was preseason buzz locally about the Bears, with their returning cast bolstered by the addition of German exchange student Camilla Kuever, a member of Germany’s U16 national team. But no one knew it could end in Hershey raising a trophy.
“We knew from the beginning that we had skill and could go far, but nobody knows how much it takes to get here,” Moyer said. “But we figured it out, as a family and working together as a team.”
The game built to a crescendo from the start, a slow first half making way to a increasingly threatening Pioneers squad. The best chance in the first half was Megan Daly’s shot from 30 yards that forced Gallagher into a tip save that went off the crossbar and she recovered in time before Donovan could score the rebound.
The Pioneers (21-4) lost only four matches this season, but the last two were to the Bears after Boyertown won their District 1 quarterfinal on Oct. 29 in penalty kicks 3-2 after playing to a scoreless draw.
Conestoga showed its quality and dominance in the second half that forced Gallagher into an incredible tip save on a lofted leftfooted shot from Coleman before the Conestoga striker hit the crossbar with seven minutes in regulation.
Boyertown came back to life to play even in overtime. With striker Samantha Goffice playing but visibly hobbled by a sprained ankle, the Bears lacked threat in the run of play. But set pieces were their biggest chances and Moyer made her moment count most.
“Conestoga is one of the toughest teams and they worked really hard,” Gallagher said. “Mikayla Moyer, wow. She goes out and practices with her dad (Todd Moyer) before games sometimes and it paid off.
“I’ve dreamt of this moment and to do it with my best friends who I won’t get to play again with, it’s a real moment everyone dreams of.”
Boyertown’s seniors are Gallagher, Elwell, Kline, Madison Monka, reserves Lauren Moccia, Aimee Toscano and injured defender Raeanne King.
The Class of 2020 group and the rest of the Bears could wish for such success. Now, it’s their legacy.
“This is a dream come true for a senior,” Elwell said. “We’ve worked so hard for it. This was our plan since Day 1. No one thought it would be a reality then, but once we got closer, we realized, this could be our reality, this could be our legacy.”