Lady Tigers’ season over
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By Matt Michelone
For the Mirror
HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Hollidaysburg girls' soccer coach Dave Soellner knew that the Plum Lady Mustangs could score in droves, beating some opponents on some nights by a dozen goals.
"We changed our formation going into this game because I've looked at their box scores, I've seen they're able to score," he said. "We tightened up the defensive side, so I knew we weren't going to get a lot of opportunities.
"Once they scored on us, got two in, we went back to our regular formation and were able to get one in towards the end."
The Lady Mustangs struggled in the first half, but scored three times in a span of 12 minutes as the WPIAL runnerup topped the Lady Tigers, 3-1, in the PIAA Class 3A first-round matchup at Tiger Stadium Tuesday night.
Much of why Plum struggled in the first half was due to the efforts of freshman keeper Natalie Foster who stopped seven shots on goal.
"Natalie did a fantastic job as a freshman coming in," Soellner said. "She has a really bright future ahead if she continues to work hard. She battles with (Sophia Blescia) every day, and I can see them getting better. She looked like a senior at times doing her stuff in the box."
The Lady Mustangs, though, broke through the 48th minute -- and eventually the 49th -- on markers from Ava Waleski to take a 2-0 lead. She later assisted Kaitlyn Killinger on a score to make it 3-0.
"We had good execution in the first half, we had lots of chances, they just didn't go in," Plum coach Jamie Stewart said, "(Foster) made some good saves, we missed them. We just talked about settling down; We made a couple of tactical changes, moved a couple of people around and you saw what happened."
The Lady Tigers broke the shutout with about 20 minutes to go as Abby Bell put away Lauren Stevenson's feed to cut the deficit to two.
Tuesday night marked the final game for seniors Natalie Despot, Lizzie Johnson, and Paige Woods. Soellner is proud of the legacy the class leaves behind as they finish their tenure as the latest class to win four straight district titles.
"This group of seniors has great leadership, they have great wits of the game," he said. "They're walking out of here with four medals just like last year's group has. That sets the tone for the next group. The teammates respond well to them, and that's all I can ask."
Plum will now turn their attention to Mechanicsburg on Saturday following its 3-2 victory in double overtime against St. Hubert's on Tuesday.
Family ties
There was a family connection in the game. Mustang senior Julia Gildea is the niece of Hollidaysburg Area School District Superintendent Dr. Bob Gildea.
SCORE BY HALVES
Plum 0 3 - 3
Hollidaysburg 0 1 - 1
First Half: No scoring
Second Half: 1,) P - Weleski (unassisted), 47:32; 2,) P - Weleski (unassisted), 49:17; 3,) P - Killinger (Weleski), 4,) H - Bell (Stevenson), 59:54.
Records: Plum (20-2-1), Hollidaysburg (13-6).