Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Cambria Heights' Brooklyn Galinis celebrates he goal with Morgan Ross (top) and Hannah Hite (right).

By John Hartsock

jhartsock@altoonamirror.com

PATTON — Cambria Heights senior Maria Wendekier has paid her dues as a high school soccer goalkeeper.

Now a four-year starter, Wendekier said that she had a rough indoctrination into the sport as a freshman at the varsity level.

“I gave up a lot of goals as a freshman keeper,” Wendekier said.

But, like her teammates, Wendekier has grown, developed and evolved as a player since the start of her high school career. She turned in a shutout effort in the cage Monday night, stopping all 10 Juniata High School shots that she faced, and leading Heights to a 3-0 victory in a District 6 Class 2A semifinal-round matchup on the Heights soccer field.

The win pushes second-seeded Heights (15-2-2) into a championship final showdown with fifth-seeded Huntingdon Thursday night at a site and time to be determined. Huntingdon advanced with a 2-1 victory over Penns Valley in Monday’s other District 6 Class 2A girls semifinal playoff game.

The Heights girls soccer program earned its first-ever berth in a district championship game Monday night by playing a solid game on both ends of the field against Juniata.

“Starting off the game with a good attitude is what I really think helped us win this game,” Wendekier said. “We really came together, meshed as a team, and everybody did their job. That’s what gets the job done.

“Starting in my freshman year and working up to this point with all my teammates that I have played together with for such a long time really feels good,” Wendekier said.

Heights coach Nikki Spanik said that the school’s girls soccer program has grown in leaps and bounds over the past half-decade.

“We started out as a losing team six years ago, but all of the girls have really worked over the years leading up to now and it’s really good to see something come out of all their hard work,” Spanik said.

Junior forward Brooklyn Galinis started the scoring for Heights, providing the Lady Highlanders with the only goal that they would ultimately need when she converted a free kick from the lower left side of the field just 3:35 into the game. Galinis, kicking with her left foot, threaded the needle perfectly with a kick into the upper right corner of the cage behind Juniata keeper Reagan Burd.

Cambria Heights boosted its lead to 2-0 at the 16:31 mark of the first half when junior midfielder Morgan Ross found herself free down the field after accepting a high, towering kick from junior centerback Hallie Hayes. Ross capitalized on her shot from straight away to give Heights a leg up at the intermission.

Heights put a bow on the victory early in the second half, on a goal by senior forward Hannah Hite at the 10:47 mark that made it a 3-0 game.

“Coming into this game, we were pretty confident as a team,” Hite said. “Our players told one another that if we do the best that we can and pull together, we will win it, and that’s what we did.”

Sixth-seeded Juniata (10-7-1) held its own territorially throughout the game, and had several good chances near the Heights cage, but could not convert any of them.

“I think that we played a good back-and-forth game tonight,” said Juniata coach Garrick Paden, whose team upended third-seeded Central in last week’s quarterfinals to reach the semifinal round. “We didn’t give up many opportunities. Things just didn’t go our way tonight.”

Things did go Heights’ way Monday, and as a result, the Lady Highlanders will be in previously uncharted waters Thursday, participating in a district championship game for the first time. They hope to make further program history by winning the game.

“We knew that we had to play hard tonight, keep control of the ball, and keep pressing,” Spanik said. “We’ll probably approach (Thursday’s championship game) like we did tonight’s game – staying organized, staying true to ourselves, and having each other’s backs throughout the game.”

SCORE BY HALVES

Juniata 0 0–0

Cambria Heights 2 1–3

First half: 1, CH–Galinis (free kick), 3:35. 2, CH–Ross (Hayes), 16:31.

Second half: 3, CH–Hite (unassisted), 10:47.

Shots on goal: Juniata 11; Cambria Heights 11.

Saves: R. Burd, J, 8; Wendekier, CH, 11.

Records: Juniata (10-7-1); Cambria Heights (15-2-2).