Central outlasts Bedford to win title
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By Nate Ritchey
nritchey@altoonamirror.com
HOLLIDAYSBURG -- It almost seemed as if it were a scene from the movie "Groundhog Day" playing out on Thursday night at Hollidaysburg's Tiger Stadium.
The District 5-6 Class 2A girls soccer championship pitted the same two teams -- Bedford and Central -- as a year ago.
Like last year, the contest went through 80 minutes of regulation, 30 more of overtime and into a shootout.
The only difference between last year and this year was the team holding up the championship trophy at the end.
This year belonged to the Central Lady Scarlet Dragons who won 5-4 in the second round of shootouts after a 0-0 tie in regulation and OT.
"Like all teams, we practiced them (penalty kicks), we prepared for it because we thought maybe it could go into overtime," Central coach Randy Trexler said. "We do a lot of practice with pressure -- a lot of kid's screaming and yelling while you're taking a shot. I just told them, it's just like the practice."
Both teams advanced to the PIAA state playoffs which begin on Tuesday at sites and times and against opponents to be determined.
"Short term memory whenever you lose," Bedford coach Jeff Thomas said. "You've got to go fix things and get back to work."
In the first shootout, Central went first and Bethany Kensinger found the corner to her left easily as Bedford goalkeeper Rebekah Costal was frozen.
Khale Ellingson stepped first for the Lady Bisons and her shot to her left was snuffed out by Dragon goalkeeper Lacey Ripka.
Kira Trexler found her right corner as Costal dove correctly but the ball was out of reach.
Kaitlyn Richardson went to her right middle and a lean to the left by Ripka kept her off balance to make it 2-1 Central.
Lady Dragon Paiton Campbell picked the right corner of the goal and found the net about halfway up.
Bedford's Ella DeLong ripped her shot to her top left as Ripka was able to get her fingertips on it but not enough to make the stop for a 3-2 edge.
Central's Lakkyn Dibert had no problems burying her shot in the top to her left before Bedford's Ava Sipes made Ripka move to her left and the shot went to the right to make it 4-3.
Danielle Heltzel strolled to the mark to end it but her shot went straight at Costal who held on.
Paiton Gillum tied it up when her boot to her left went right under the diving arms of Ripka to send things into a sudden death shootout round.
Ripka approached first for Central and helped her own cause as her shot hit the right post and ricocheted into the net.
"I knew that I was stronger going to the right side, so that's the direction I decided to go," Ripka said. "I knew I had to make it for the team."
The lone Central senior then stepped back between the posts and awaited the kick from Larna Crist. Crist kicked it in the air enough to her left that Ripka was able to move over and secure the save and give Central the title -- its second ever and the first since 2015.
"I was watching her (Crist) eyes and her overall approach to the ball," Ripka said.
Bedford nearly got one early less than a minute in but Ripka made a diving save on a shot by Rachel Leydig.
Dibert was set up with two chances by Kira Trexler in the 29th and 20th minutes but each time enough pressure from a Bisons' defender didn't allow Dibert to get enough on the attempt.
"They (Bedford) are a quality team," Coach Trexler said. "They had really good rhythm -- Bedford did -- to their passing game and it did make it difficult. We did look a little chaotic at times, but when it got down to the 18 area, I think that's where we were able to hang in there."
Bedford had two chances with Sipes and Leydig in the middle of it in the 12th when Leydig's shot went straight to Ripka.
Two minutes later, Sipes carried by a Central defender into the box where she was forced to the right of the goal causing her to look for a teammate making a 45-degree run for a pass.
The Sipes pass was deflected away by Central and the ball rolled across the face of the goal to a wide open Leydig on the back side.
By the time Leydig settled the ball to shoot, Ripka had come back into position and was able to make a diving leg save and then scramble up to fall on the ball.
Dibert got another opportunity with a little over a minute to go in the half but her shot from 14-yards out went wide left.
The Lady Bisons controlled much of the attack in the second half as they seemed to swarm the Lady Dragons and didn't allow them to pass and control pace as well as they did in the opening half.
"We made a couple of adjustments in the midfield and told them to take care of the ball," Thomas said.
The Lady Bisons had prime opportunities in to the 36th, 30th and 23rd minutes but each time Ripka turned them away.
The Dragons made more of an offensive push in the last six minutes and it led to five good scoring chances.
A Kira Trexler open shot from about 14 yards out went right to Costal in what was Central's prime chance in that sequence.
"When Kira had the one-on-one with the keeper, I thought when she didn't make that -- I thought that was really our best chance," Coach Trexler said. "Give it to Lacey (Ripka) for keeping us in the game the whole time."
The first OT provided a chance in the 7th minute by Bedford as Ripka came charging out, and Sipes looked to have an open shot after the ball went by the keeper but a Lady Dragon defender cleared the ball out of harms way.
In the second OT, a corner kick header went wide left by the Lady Bisons in the only golden opportunity.
"They (Bedford) battled to the end," Thomas said. "It's never fun when you lose a game in a shootout. It's just not a good way to end."
SCORE BY HALVES
Central 0 0 0 0– 0 (5)
Bedford 0 0 0 0– 0 (4)
First round of shootout: Central -- Kensinger, Trexler, Campbell, Dibert, Heltzel miss; Bedford -- Ellingson miss, Richardson, DeLong, Sipes, Gillum
Second round of shootout: Central -- Ripka; Bedford -- L. Crist miss
Goalies: Central -- Ripka: 14 saves, 14 shots on goal; Bedford -- Costal: 10 saves, 10 shots on goal.
Shots: Central 14, Bedford 24.
Corner kicks: Central 1, Bedford 6.
Records: Central (14-7-0); Bedford (17-5-0).