Lady Tigers soccer defeats Bellefonte again for district gold
D6 class 3a girls championship
Trending
PHILIPSBURG -- On the surface, playing in a double-overtime semifinal game while your championship opponent had a bye seems like a disadvantage.
But for the Hollidaysburg girls soccer team, its victory over Central Mountain in that round helped propel the Lady Tigers to a 2-1 win over Bellefonte in the District 6 Class 3A championship game Wednesday night at Mountaineer Stadium.
The extra game allowed Hollidaysburg to not only adjust to the loss of injured senior Sage Capone but work a couple back from injury, including freshman Ella Diaz -- who scored the game-winning goal with 29:20 left to play.
"The game against Central Mountain was awesome for us," Hollidaysburg coach Tristan delGiudice said. "That was a really good team. They were fast and physical and defended well. To beat them in double overtime was awesome, and it allowed us to get a couple players back who had not really been game-tested. Ella needed that game to get back into the groove. I think it really helped her and helped the team come together after the injury to Sage Capone."
Wednesday's win was the third straight time Hollidaysburg beat Bellefonte in the district final after the Lady Raiders won the previous district title on penalty kicks.
"I'm really proud of them. They played really hard and really wanted this," delGiudice said. "Four years ago, this senior group lost a heartbreaker. We were up 1-0 against Bellefonte. We gave up a goal with less than a minute and a half left. In the penalty kicks, Kate Steiner, who has been our MVP for a couple years now, rang one off the crossbar. They finished theirs and ended up winning. That has been stuck with us for a long time, so winning three years in a row against that same team was very rewarding."
The Lady Tigers were facing a 1-0 deficit on Wednesday after Norah Davis gave Bellefonte an early lead, but it was Steiner who equaled things about four minutes after Davis scored.
"Honestly I kind of blacked out," Steiner said. "The ball was crossed over, and Alayah King was in the perfect position to get a foot on it. I just deflected it and got it right in the corner."
From there, Hollidaysburg had plenty of opportunities to go ahead but could not cash in.
Diaz had two great looks at goals before she finally scored on a shot she said she normally would have passed on.
"I hit a rebound off what was supposed to be a clear from the defense," Diaz said. "I was a little further out than I would usually shoot from, but we were tied so I gave it a shot. Luckily, it worked out in our favor."
Diaz agreed with her coach that the game against Central Mountain was crucial to Wednesday's win and her success.
"I'm really lucky I was able to play in that game," Diaz said. "It really set us up well rather than having a bye. It was good to get back into it, and it was a confidence boost to have a really good game."
Allie Hayer nearly scored a third goal for Hollidaysburg twice. She hit the crossbar with 13 minutes to go and Bellefonte keeper Ronni Spotts made a nice save on a breakaway opportunity with a minute left.
Hollidaysburg sophomore keeper Ellie Jadlocki stopped eight Lady Raider shots.
The Lady Tigers had already beaten top-seeded Bellefonte once this season, 3-2, on Oct. 15, and Diaz did not play in that match.
Perhaps in part because they had already won against Bellefonte and due to an early-season lesson against Bishop Guilfoyle Academy, delGiudice wasn't worried when Hollidaysburg allowed the first goal.
"We fell behind (against BG), and we kind of fell apart," delGiudice said. "We ended up giving up three more goals in the second half, and I challenged them after that. We were not mentally tough that day, and I told them if we wanted to be successful, we needed to be tougher. We were dominating the first half and gave up two goals and fell apart. Since then, they have done nothing but battle."
It paid off Wednesday with the third District 6 title for the senior class.
"It means everything," Steiner said. "Since I was a freshman and we lost against Bellefonte in the district championship, our entire class has been waiting for this moment and waiting to win our senior year. I couldn't have done it with a better team."
SCORE BY HALVES
Hollidaysburg 1 1 -- 2
Bellefonte 1 0 -- 1
First Half: B--Davis (Patterson), 30:59. H--Steiner (King), 26:41.
Second Half: H--Diaz (unassisted), 29:20.
Corner kicks: Hollidaysburg 6; Bellefonte 4.
Records: Hollidaysburg (13-3-4); Bellefonte (11-4-1).