The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Wissahickon gets crucial win in OT
ABINGTON >> Wissahickon girls’ soccer coach Chris McDaniels had a feeling.
Winger Anna May started as a major threat but went quiet as her team went on the defensive for most of the second half. As overtime started against Abington, McDaniels told May it was time to be a threat again and to not hold back going at the goal.
It barely took 10 seconds before May did that, pouncing on a miscue in the back and volleying home the game-winner as Wiss edged Abington 4-3 on Thursday night.
“Right off the tap, we find Anna May who terrorized them early and kind of went dormant because we couldn’t get her the ball,” McDaniels said. “We knew off the tap we were going to go right to her and told her to go to goal.”
The Ghosts celebrated their Senior Night but any good feelings from the pregame ceremony were wiped out pretty quickly. Wissahickon, which came in just one spot ahead of Abington in the District 1-4A playoff standings, had plenty at stake and went at it.
Midfielder Alexis Hobson played a brilliant ball out of the midfield to spring Kylie Friedman down the right wing, leading to a cross and finish for senior Carly Amato just six minutes in. Wiss added a penalty kick goal from Amato four minutes later then went up 3-0 inside the first 14 minutes.
The team’s third goal was similar to the first, with a long ball out of the middle finding the flank. A mis-hit by a defender under pressure from Natalie Ryan allowed Ryan to take it in and cross to Friedman, who put away the goal.
“Senior Night, every coach will tell you they’re tough when you’re hosting because it’s really emotional,” McDaniels said. “We pounced on them that first 20 minutes and made them pay for maybe not quite having their heads in the game yet and to their credit, they rebounded and for the next 60 minutes, played really good soccer and took it to us.”