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Cumberland Valley advances to 3A semis
pennlive.com
Just minutes away from having its District 3-AAA soccer semifinal with Penn
Manor shortened by a lengthy lightning delay, Cumberland Valley took
advantage of its reprieve by pulling out a 2-1 overtime victory in the
second of two games Saturday night at Northeastern High School.
With the weather-delayed victory, CV locked up a berth in Tuesday night's
3-AAA semifinals and yet another date with Hershey. The Eagles also secured
an invite to the PIAA Class AAA tournament, their first since the 2005 club
lost in the state quarters ... to Penn Manor.
Freshman Elise Krause ended the drama midway through the first overtime
session, burying a direct kick from just outside the penalty area for the
game-winner. Another freshman, Rachel Kovach, was upended moments earlier,
setting up the decisive score.
Yet another CV freshman, Cassie Pecht, pulled the Eagles (19-3) even with 10
minutes remaining in regulation when she fielded a ball some 25 yards from
goal, sliced past a handful of Penn Manor defenders and slotted a shot past
Comets keeper Chrissy Parke (8 saves).
"I've never seen such heart from a team," first-year CV coach Seth Lehman
said from the Eagles' jubilant bus as background noise from his players'
gleeful celebration filtered through his cell phone.
"We left everything on the field," Lehman added. It's such a great win, such
a great win for these girls."
Krista Witmer scored the lone goal for Bill Zapata's Comets, pushing the
Lancaster-Lebanon League entry in front at the 27-minute mark when she
nodded in a Megan Sload service.
That goal stood for quite some time as lightning strikes were spotted just
before the second half was to begin, sometime around 8:40 p.m. or so. Some
two-plus hours later, just a few minutes before the game would have been
called (11 p.m.) and a regulation victory awarded to Penn Manor, play was
resumed.
Eventually, CV bagged the equalizer. And eventually, CV bagged the
game-winner.
Lehman's Eagles now move into Tuesday night's 3-AAA semifinal round, where
CV will take on Hershey in the second of two at Landis Field (7:30). Much
earlier on Saturday, Hershey (19-2-1) squeezed past Governor Mifflin 3-2
under threatening skies at Landis.
Tuesday's meeting will be the third this season between CV and Jeff
Rosensteel's Trojans. Both teams own one victory in the series, with Hershey
claiming a 1-0 decision in late March and the Eagles posting a 3-1 success
in the Mid-Penn Conference tournament championship just a couple of weeks
ago at Mechanicsburg's Northside Elementary Cage.
"That should be another fun one," Lehman said.
In the much-earlier scrap at Northeastern, Kelli Joline converted a Lower
Dauphin turnover into a game-winning score as Hempfield edged Randy Behney's
Falcons 1-0 in overtime. The win popped Keith Nagley's Black Knights (17-4)
into Tuesday night's 3-AAA semis and a matchup with L-L Section I playmate
Manheim Twp. at Hersheypark Stadium.
Lauren Trower needed to make just one stop for Hempfield, six fewer than
LD's Taylor Alwine. Behney's club isn't finished, however, as the Falcons
(13-3-4) will meet fellow Mid-Penn entry Red Land in a consolation semifinal
at Northeastern High School (5:30 p.m.).
Red Land (16-5) tumbled in its semi, falling 3-1 to Manheim Twp. in the
second of two at Hersheypark Stadium. Abby Zielinski pocketed two goals for
the top-seeded Blue Streaks (19-1-1), while Jess Forella tacked on a late
marker. Zielinski's two scores actually gave Terry Law's club a commanding
2-0 lead midway through the second half, but a Katie Lippert penalty kick
with 10 minutes to go had the Patriots within a single score. They wouldn't
draw closer.
Tuesday, May 19
Semifinals 1 Manheim Twp (L-L, 19-1-1) vs. 4 Hempfield (L-L, 17-4) at
Hersheypark Stadium, 7:30
2 Hershey (Mid-Penn, 19-2-1) vs. 3 Cumberland Valley (Mid-Penn, 19-3) at
Landis Field, 7:30
Consolation Semifinals
8 Red Land (Mid-Penn, 16-5) vs. 5 Lower Dauphin (Mid-Penn, 13-3-4) at
Northeastern, 5:30
7 Governor Mifflin (Berks, 16-5) vs. 11 Penn Manor (L-L, 14-5-1) at Landis
Field, 5:30
CLASS AA
Tuesday, May 19
Semifinals 1 Fleetwood (Berks, 20-2-2) vs. 13 Elco (L-L, 16-5-1) at
Hersheypark Stadium, 5:30
2 Lancaster Mennonite (L-L, 20-3) vs. 14 Donegal (L-L, 13-4-2) at Hempfield,
7:30
Consolation Semifinals
9 Wyomissing (Berks, 16-5) vs. 12 Middletown (Mid-Penn, 15-6) at Hempfield,
5:30
10 Tulpehocken (Berks, 17-6) vs. 11 Brandywine Heights (Berks, 16-6) at
Exeter, 5:30
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