D-11 Girls’ Soccer: Lehighton nips Pottsville in 3A quarters; Dawgs blank Vikes
Pottsville's Riley Davis in action during Saturday's Schuylkill League girls' soccer quarterfinals against Tri-Valley at Schuylkill Haven's Rotary Field (Photo by Eric Lord).
LEHIGHTON — Tight, physical and defensive.
This describes Tuesday evening’s District 11 Class 3A girls’ soccer quarterfinal between Lehighton and Pottsville. Despite the Tide generating the majority of the game’s scoring chances, the Indians made the most of their opportunities, riding a two-goal outing from freshman Claire Bridy to pull out a 2-1 victory.
Coming off a tough loss in the Colonial League playoffs against Northwestern Lehigh, Lehighton found itself back at home for the final time this season with a new goal: a district title.
As the reigning Class 3A champions, Pottsville (9-9-1) was tasked with defending its title with a much younger squad after losing 12 seniors to graduation last year.
“We only had 20 total players for JV and varsity, and I think 6 or 7 (were) freshmen,” Pottsville coach Bob Stock said. “Our numbers are way down, so the girls had to step up.”
The game kicked off with the Tide imposing their physicality and defensive structure immediately. The Indians (12-7) kept their defense tight and forced shots from far range. Junior goalkeeper Cassidy Litts also did her job in net for the Tribe stopping six first-half shots and 10 overall.
Despite Pottsville finishing with an 11-3 advantage in shots on goal, neither team gave any room for high-quality scoring chances.
Needing to capitalize on the few opportunities available, the Indians managed to break through with just 1:21 left in the first half. After being stopped on a previous rushing attempt, Bridy used her speed to beat a Pottsville defender to the outside and snuck a low shot in to break the scoreless tie.
This lead did not last long as Pottsville responded just 31 seconds later. Sophomore Riley Davis battled to get loose from multiple Lehighton defenders before turning and wiring home the game-tying goal to close out the first frame.
“I was very proud that they bounced back after that goal went in,” Stock said. “That was a huge lift for them to score under a minute in the first half.”
Despite the tie score, the Indians knew that they needed to match Pottsville’s physicality if they wanted any chance of being successful.
“You really have to fight back,” said Bridy about playing against a physical team. “If they throw a shoulder, you have to throw a shoulder (back). It takes a lot of heart for you to do that, but that’s all a mindset, and I think we’re all really developing that.”
This paid off for Lehighton as its aggressiveness and willingness to play a more gritty style helped cut down offensive chances for the Tide.
“We outshot them, but we just couldn’t put the ball in the net,” Stock said. “That’s kind of been our fall all year. (We) can’t put the ball in the net.”
Although not many chances came for the Indians, they certainly made the most of them, including one from a defensive clearance that would make all the difference.
Just less than eight minutes into the second half, Bridy stole the ball from a Pottsville defender and went in alone to put away the breakaway tally and put the Tribe on top 2-1.
The remainder of the half was all about draining the clock as Lehighton went fully conservative defensively while also maintaining their physical presence. Litts denied the few Tide chances that came her way, and the Tribe held on to advance to the district semifinals against top-seeded Blue Mountain on Thursday at Northern Lehigh.
“That just speaks to the heart,” Lehighton head coach Carl Wolter said. “That’s volumes and volumes of heart that that our team has. They just stuck together. They never quit. That’s what we do. We don’t quit.”
Among the individual performances that helped propel Lehighton to victory, the girls are all about how important they play as a team as their motto to success.
“I feel like I did great overall, but I honestly couldn’t have done it without my defense,” Litts said. “When we lose, I feel like a lot of it’s on me. But every time they pick me up, they tell me ‘we’re a team.’ So when we win, we’re still a team.”
Match Summary
Lehighton 2, Pottsville 1
District 11 Class 3A Quarterfinal
Pottsville (9-9-1) 1 0 — 1
Lehighton (12-7) 1 1 — 2
Leh — Bridy, 38:42
Potts — Davis (M. Goodman), 39:10
Leh — Bridy, 47:48
Shots on goal: Pottsville 11, Lehighton 3
Saves: Pottsville — Julie Stock 1, Lehighton — Cassidy Litts 10
Corner kicks: Pottsville 5, Lehighton 1
