Pennridge moving on
Grenda’s overtime goal eliminates Parkland in Class 4A semifinal
For a season that was in doubt all the way through, the Parkland and Pennridge girls’ soccer teams sure played Tuesday night as if they didn’t want it to end.
It didn’t for Pennridge, which prevailed at chilly Helman Field in a matchup that generated all kinds of heat and fittingly went to overtime, when Liv Grenda scored to end the PIAA 4Astate semifinal matchup at 4-3.
The win sends the Lady Rams to the state championship game Saturday against North Allegheny and left the Lady Trojans heartbroken but proud.
“I told them that one of the greatest things that I saw tonight was the fact that they played so well that it forced Pennridge to play their absolute most perfect game to beat us,” Parkland coach Al Haddad said. “The game went back and forth.”
In overtime, Parkland just couldn’t get the ball out its end and paid the price when Grenda ended it.
Parkland had a pair of leads in regulation, the second coming when Alex Marstellar scored off a rebound for her second goal of the night with 12:20 remaining. But Pennridge responded a little more than three minutes later when Cady McKean tied it, leading to overtime.
A defensive struggle in the first half ended with the teams going to intermission locked in a 1-all tie. Pennridge’s Lindsey DeHaven scored first but Marstellar tied it on a penalty kick after being taken down in the box.
Parkland took its first lead when Demi Olatilo scored early in the second half in a scrum following a free kick. Grenda then tied it before Marstellar, a senior co-captain, put Parkland up again.
“Alex just wanted to put the team on her back and do everything she could to get the job done,” Haddad said, “and she’s had a wonderful, wonderful career at Parkland. She’s one of our best midfielders ever, and I can’t speak enough of our defense. It has been unbelievable all year
“We gave gave up three goals all year [before Tuesday night] ... and then we gave up four in one game. But when you get to this level, that’s what’s going to happen.”
His girls didn’t play like they were fazed, however, and the game left Pennridge coach Audrey Anderson stunned.
“I’m speechless, but I looked at the scoreboard at the end of the second half and never would I have thought that a state semifinal game would be 3-3,” she said. It was incredible.”