Lady Tigers going back to the finals
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By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
HOLLIDAYSBURG -- After suffering the worst type of heartbreak in last season's District 6 Class 3A girls championship game, the Hollidaysburg Lady Tigers soccer team will get another shot at the gold medal next week.
Hollidaysburg, which dropped a crushing 4-3 overtime decision to Bellefonte on penalty kicks in last year's title game, entered this year's postseason as its tournament's top seed and guaranteed its return to this year's championship game by dispatching of fourth-seeded Tyrone, 4-0 in a semifinal-round matchup Wednesday night at Tiger Stadium.
Senior midfielder Lauren Stevenson scored two goals and added an assist in Hollidaysburg's semifinal victory, which earns the Lady Tigers a spot against the winner of tonight's semifinal between second-seeded Bellefonte and third-seeded Somerset.
The championship game is set for next Tuesday night at a site to be determined.
"I'm glad that we got an opportunity to play this playoff game going into the district championship game,'' Stevenson said. "Winning today is a boost for our confidence. I'm glad to see that we're playing like a team, and getting progressively better as the season has gone along.''
Hollidaysburg (14-5-1) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes Wednesday on goals by senior Bella Vent off an assist from freshman Allie Hayer two minutes into the game, and Stevenson's first goal of the night off an assist from junior Bailey Stoehr at the 6:09 mark.
Senior defenseman Emma Frazier gave Hollidaysburg a 3-0 lead at the intermission by burying an assist off a corner kick from Stevenson at the 26:52 mark of the first half.
Hollidaysburg went on cruise control in the second half, and senior keeper Natalie Foster had another solid game for the Lady Tigers, stopping all eight Tyrone shots in the game.
"We played really well in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the game, but we kind of slowed down a little bit after that,'' Hollidaysburg coach Tristan delGiudice said. "We've got to find a way to play consistently for the full 80 minutes.''
Tyrone coach Ben Rivera, whose team finished a 5-13-1 season, was pleased with his squad's effort and spirit both in Wednesday's game and throughout the season.
"Our team doesn't have the numbers that other teams have, but our girls fought hard this season and deserved to get here,'' said Rivera, whose Lady Eagles fashioned a territorial edge in the second half of the game. "Our players worked hard tonight and kept fighting until the last minute.
"They did the best that they could,'' Rivera added. "I'm happy with how we performed.''
Stevenson tacked on Hollidaysburg's fourth goal with just over two minutes left in the game, cashing in another assist from Stoehr to put the icing on the cake for the Lady Tigers, who shook off a 1-0 loss to an outstanding Bedford team in this past Saturday's Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship game.
"We had a tough loss in our conference championship game, but our girls have worked hard to get back to the district championship game again,'' delGiudice said. "Our goal has always been to get back to the district championship game, and to win the game.
"Bellefonte is an excellent, well-coached team, and I don't know much about Somerset, but if they are able to get past Bellefonte and reach the championship game, they will be a very tough opponent for us as well,'' delGiudice said. "Hopefully, we're on track to play our best game next week, and we'll see what happens.''
SCORE BY HALVES
Tyrone 0 0--0
Hollidaysburg 3 1--4
First half: 1, H--Vent (Hayer), 2:00. 2, H–Stevenson (Stoehr), 6:09. 3, H--Frazier (Stevenson), 26:52.
Second half: 4, H--Stevenson (Stoehr), 37:58.
Shots on goal: Tyrone 8, Hollidaysburg 8. Saves: Sparklin, T, 4; Foster, H, 8.
Records: Tyrone (5-13-1); Hollidaysburg (14-5-1).