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Ritchey, Marasco propel BG girls into state title tilt

By Michael Boytim 7 min read

JOHNSTOWN -- Bishop Guilfoyle Academy has had to wait through its entire girls soccer history to make a PIAA championship game, so compared to that, the nearly 64 minutes Lady Marauders coach Joe DeLeo waited on his request to sophomore Meggie Ritchey was miniscule.

Trailing by a goal at halftime in their PIAA Class 1A semifinal game against Springdale, DeLeo asked Ritchey to find the back of the net.

She came through, after Emma Marasco had tied the game, with 6:01 left in the second overtime when she recovered a rebound from a Hailey DeGol shot and blasted it into the upper left corner of the net over Springdale keeper Genevieve Conklin's reach that gave BG a 2-1 win at Westmont Hilltop's Price Field.

"Ironically, at the beginning of the second half, I told Meggie she had to get me one," DeLeo said. "It took a long time, but the ball got kicked out to her, and she put it in a perfect spot in the back of the net."

Ritchey said her eyes grew wide as the ball bounced off Conklin and rolled toward her.

"I knew this was the kick that could get us to states, so I had to make it," Ritchey said. "There's nothing like this. It's so exciting. I can't wait to play in the state final."

The victory caps a long road for the Bishop Guilfoyle program to make it to a state championship game.

For years, the District 6 final served as a blockade for the Lady Marauders before they finally broke through and made the state semifinals after a District 6 title two years ago.

But an injury to star Sarah Geishauser and a tough Riverview team sent BG home with a 4-1 loss on the same field the Lady Marauders played on Tuesday.

Last year, Bishop Guilfoyle won another District 6 title but lost to Springdale, 2-1, in the PIAA quarterfinals.

Tuesday, they persevered through allowing an early goal despite outplaying the Dynamos in the first half and frigid weather that left Price Field's bleachers covered in ice.

"This team has worked so hard," Bishop Guilfoyle keeper Abrie "Cece" Rumfola said. "We have worked every day in practice for this moment. This team has such heart from our defense up to our offense. It's amazing for us to finally be there."

The Lady Marauders dominated play in the first half and peppered Conklin with shots, but on several of their best looks, Conklin was aggressive and ran out of the goal and right at potential BG goal scorers to thwart their chances before they became legitimate shots.

With 13:50 to play in the half, Springdale's Hailey Marchlewski -- who scored both goals for the Dynamos in last year's win -- worked her way past two BG defenders and got the first shot for her team off.

It was a slow roller, but it was to the opposite side of the net as Rumfola and somehow trickled in.

"I was honestly in my head, because we knew this team was good," Rumfola said. "I was in my head for the first half, but my team was there to support me after that big mistake, and we made up for it at the end."

DeLeo said allowing the goal hurt even worse because of how well his team played in the first 40 minutes.

"We were disappointed, because we had such control early in the game," DeLeo said. "It was tough being down when we probably outshot them 10-1 but that one turned into a goal."

Despite trailing, DeLeo felt as though his team just needed one goal to get back on track.

"I told them at halftime, 'get one, and we'll see what happens,' and I didn't expect it to go double overtime, but for the most part, we kept our composure," DeLeo said. "Cece made some nice saves to keep us in it in the second half."

But less than four minutes into the second half, disaster almost struck for the Lady Marauders.

Rumfola came out of the net to stop a shot with 36:30 to play. She slowed it down, but it got past her and started to slowly roll toward the net before two BG defenders cleared it to keep the Lady Marauders down by just one.

"That was huge," DeLeo said. "Sometimes you get complacent with Cece, because like I said, rarely is there anything around her that she doesn't pick up, but I was really proud of our defenders. That was a lot of awareness there to clear that. It was a scary moment."

Marasco, BG's leading scorer this season, had been bottled up in the middle of the field by several Springdale defenders for most of the game until DeGol set her up and she tied the game with 27:42 left.

"We definitely felt better, but I thought there would be more of a momentum shift," DeLeo said. "But Springdale is a really good team. They didn't fall apart after we tied it."

Springdale, the third seed from the WPIAL, had two great looks to win the game in the final three minutes, but Rumfola made diving saves on a pair of attempts by Marchlewski and Tessa Derringer.

"I had the mentality that I was diving for everything and nothing was getting past me," Rumfola said. "After that first goal, I wasn't letting anything past."

Just 40 seconds into the first overtime, Marasco had a good look at a goal but missed to the left. One minute later, Springdale nearly won again.

With the ball in BG's box, Rumfola and defender Bella Noel bumped into each other and the ball nearly went into the net.

"I kind of miscalled it with my teammate Bella," Rumfola said. "I just knew that mistake couldn't go in, and I had to make up for it."

She did just that on a leaping save with less than five minutes to play in the first overtime.

The pace of play slowed in the second overtime with both teams exhausted.

"I was really tired," Ritchey said. "It's so cold. It's hard to breathe because of how cold it is, but I kept pushing for the seniors."

Finally, DeGol -- one of those seniors -- got ahead of the Springdale defense and fired a shot that required Conklin to block it. She didn't catch it cleanly, and Ritchey's putback won it.

"I have made a game-winning goal before, but nothing like this," Ritchey said. "This is do or die. You either do or you don't, and I did. Now we're going to states."

Springdale, which lost in the PIAA championship last season, ended the season 15-3-1.

"I felt like they created a lot more in the first half, and we were the better team in the second half," Springdale coach Marc Bentley said. "Overtime, we had some really good chances to win the game. It could have gone either way. Both teams had chances. They scored. Best of luck to them in the final. It was a good game between two good teams."

The Lady Marauders will play District 1 champion Faith Christian Academy, which defeated two-time defending PIAA champion Dock Mennonite in the district playoffs, in the state championship game Saturday at Northeastern High School in Manchester at 7 p.m. Faith Christian beat Muncy, 3-0, in the other PIAA semifinal.

"I think this is the first time any Blair County team is going," DeLeo said. "We're really excited. It has been a long road. We're going to enjoy this for a couple hours and then start prepping for Faith Christian."

SCORE BY HALVES

Springdale 1 0 0 0 — 1

Bishop Guilfoyle 0 1 0 1 — 2

First Half: S--Marchlewski (unassisted), 13:50.

Second Half: BG--Marasco (DeGol), 27:42.

First overtime: none.

Second overtime: BG--Ritchey (unassisted), 6:01.

Officials: Anthony DeLuca, Michael Law, Drew Washabaugh.

Records: Springdale (15-3-1); Bishop Guilfoyle (22-1-0).

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